Outlast 2 Endings Explained
"Outlast 2" follows the husband and wife team of Blake and Lynn Langermann as they go deep into the Arizona desert to investigate the mysterious death of a woman. One of the creepiest games of the previous decade, "Outlast 2" equips players with only a camera as they encounter a mysterious cult and try not to get killed. Over the course of the game, it is revealed that Blake has some unresolved trauma over the death of his childhood friend Jessica Gray, whom he went to Catholic school with. "Outlast 2" also features the current day storyline of Blake and Lynn trying to survive the cult and flashbacks to Blake's childhood.
The game culminates in two reveals. Not only do players learn how Jessica died, but it is discovered that over the course of the game, Lynn has mysteriously become nine months pregnant and is about to give birth, leading into the conclusion of the story.
The following contains major spoilers for "Outlast 2," as well as a discussion of suicide. Readers proceed with caution.
The end of the world?
After mysteriously becoming pregnant, Lynn gives birth to the baby and dies during the process. Knoth, the leader of the cult, rambles about how he has killed all of his own children, and yet "God is still silent." Knoth orders Blake to kill the child. After Blake escapes from the cult and wanders through the village with the baby, the sun explodes, sending Blake into another flashback.
Like many horror games, not everything is as it seems, and fans have a number of theories about this ending. According to Reddit user u/raadcad, most of what is seen is an illusion. This theory states that the mysterious Murkoff Corporation had radio towers installed around town. The signal from these towers drove everyone insane, leading to them imagining Lynn's pregnancy, as well as the belief that Lynn's "child" is the Antichrist.
The Murkoff Corporation was the same company performing experiments in the original "Outlast" so it shouldn't be shocking that they were involved. At least part of this theory has been confirmed in a series of comics made by the developer Red Barrels, which can be viewed on its website for free.
The only part of the ending presumed to be real is the explosion, which was actually one of the radio towers and not the sun. It's unknown if Blake lives or dies.
Jessica's death
The game has two parallel endings, which are interwoven together. Throughout the game, flashbacks of Jessica are shown, including one where it is implied that she took her own life. One of the final flashbacks with Jessica sees the two of them being found by Father Loutermilch, a priest who acts as the main antagonist in the flashback sequences. Loutermilch sends Blake away, but after walking a certain distance, Jessica can be heard screaming for help and telling Loutermilch to stop. Blake finds her lying on the stairs with her neck snapped. One final cutscene of Blake praying with Jessica is played at the end of the game, just before the credits.
Reddit user u/Smiis believes that the flashbacks are played in reverse order, with the early flashbacks of Black being chased coming after Blake witnessed Loutermilch accosting Jessica. They theorize that Loutermilch covered up Jessica's murder by framing it as suicide and Blake has repressed this memory because of his guilt over not being able to help her.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The future of Outlast
While explicit ties between "Outlast" and "Outlast 2" are few and far between, the future of the series looks to shed some light on these mysterious games. As few of the documents found in the game seem to hint at the Murkoff Corporation's misdeeds, but nothing definitive has been revealed. In fact, these documents and the comics are the only bits of information pointedly tying the Murkoff Corporation to these vile experiments. However, Murkoff may yet be exposed in the world of "Outlast."
Red Barrels has already announced another entry in the series, "Outlast Trails," which will be a co-op survival horror game set in the same universe. The game will take place during the Cold War, as the Murkoff Corporation develops advanced methods of mind control and brainwashing — which sounds like it will deal with some of the creepy real life events that inspired "Outlast." The game currently has no release date, but there is a teaser trailer available.
Perhaps by diving into the unknown history of Murkoff, the confusing ending of "Outlast 2" can be fully unraveled.