Does Atomic Heart have multiple endings?

In Atomic Heart, you’re thrust into a world gone mad where robots that should serve your every need are now attacking every human in sight. The game’s story is fairly linear and keeps you on a tight leash, but it does have multiple endings. This guide outlines how you see each of the game’s endings and what they mean for the rest of your playthrough.

Are there multiple endings in Atomic Heart?

Yes, there are multiple endings in Atomic Heart. Just before the game’s final boss encounter, right after you leave Neptune, you’ll wake up with Granny Zina. After a cutscene plays out, you’re left with a choice. These choices boil down to 1) leave Sechenov alone and walk away, and 2) Ask for Granny Zina’s arsenal so you can go and kill Sechenov. Each choice leads to a different ending, but the first one is by far the worst ending in terms of payoff for the gameplay that’s come before. We recommend choosing the second option first, then coming back to an earlier save file to try out the first option.

Related: How to defeat The Twins in Atomic Heart

What do the ending choices mean in Atomic Heart?

Related: Atomic Heart breaks key promises, abandons ray tracing and other announced features on PC

If you choose to kill Sechenov, then you’ll gain control again in a shed, where you can craft some more ammo and weapons ahead of the final boss. The game will then lead you back to where it started, Sechenov’s office, and you’ll need to kill The Twins before you see what we believe is the game’s true ending.

However, if you choose to walk away and leave Sechenov alone, the game’s credits will immediately roll. After you see a short cutscene explaining how P-3 simply walks away from the drama, you can jump back into the game from the menu at the point of the train crash by choosing the Return to Facility 3826 option. This is the second major open location, and it’s filled with side content to complete unless you’ve already finished it. There’s no objective marker. You’re free to roam the area as you please at your own pace. This is a great opportunity to collect scans and talk to any dead bodies you might have missed, in addition to building up your arsenal.