What’s the best order to play Alan Wake 2?

Alan Wake 2 consists of two single-player stories: Alan’s and Saga’s. Once you get the option to switch between the two characters, you may not be sure whether to play Alan or Saga’s story first.

It’s not particularly clear whether finishing one character’s story will lock you out of completing the other’s, but we’re here to put your fears to rest. Read on for our recommendation on the order in which to play Alan Wake 2.

What order should you play Alan Wake 2‘s missions in?

It doesn’t matter what order you play Alan Wake 2’s missions in, or whether you choose to play all of Saga or Alan’s missions first. You will still be able to complete both single-player storylines.

After you unlock the ability to switch between Alan and Saga, the order you complete the missions is up to you. You can either play all of Alan’s in one go, all of Saga’s, or jump between the two as you see fit.

Keeping to one character can make the game feel more episodic, but I personally recommend jumping between characters after each main mission or chapter. This way, you progress through the story at a steady pace.

The other reason I recommend this approach is because, to complete the game, you need to finish both single-player storylines. There comes a point in the end game after you’ve finished one character’s main missions where you’ll be pushed to finish the other protagonist’s campaign to progress. To stop the story’s pace from suddenly slowing to a crawl at this point, I think it’s best to progress both characters at roughly the same rate so you can get straight into the end-game action.

Best order for Alan Wake 2: Chapter by chapter

Here’s the order I suggest playing Alan Wake 2’s chapters and who you will play as in each chapter:

1. Return 0 – The Cult (Agent Nightingale)
2. Return 1 – Invitation (Saga)
3. Return 2 – The Heart (Saga)
4. Initiation 1 – Late Night (Alan)
5. Initiation 2 – Casey (Alan)
6. Return 3 – Local Girl (Saga)
7. Initiation 3 – Haunting (Alan)
8. Return 4 – No Chance (Saga)
9. Initiation 4 – We Sing (Alan)
10. Initiation 5 – Room 665 (Alan)
11. Return 5 – Old Gods (Saga)
12. Initiation 6 – Return (Alan)
13. Initiation 7 – Masks (Alan)
14. Initiation 8 – Zane’s Film (Alan)
15. Return 6 – Scratch (Saga)
16. Initiation 9 – Gone (Alan)
17. Return 7 – Summoning (Saga)
18. Return 8 – Deerfest (Alan)
19. Return 9 – Come Home (Saga)