There was a 13-year gap between Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2, both in real life and in-game. In that time, Remedy released several other games and even made both Control and the Alan Wake games part of the same universe. Alan Wake 2 is mechanically similar to the first game, although the levels do take a more open approach in terms of exploration and how players can interact with the environment. It goes without saying that there is a great deal of content in Alan Wake 2, and it is significantly longer than the first game. But how many chapters are there in total?
Updated on October 7, 2025, by Mark Sammut: Alan Wake 2 is now available as part of PS Plus's October 2025 lineup, and it will be available to download throughout the month. As many people will be discovering Remedy's masterpiece, this article covering Alan Wake 2's chapter list has been expanded and updated.
Since this article mentions chapter names, there are spoilers ahead. Proceed with caution.
Alan Wake 2 Review
Alan Wake 2 has incredible graphics and some memorable moments, but it's dragged down by technical issues and tedious gameplay.
How Many Chapters Are in Alan Wake 2?
There are 19 chapters in total in Alan Wake 2. Keep in mind that the first chapter, the prologue, is a brief one where players do not play as either Saga or Alan. If this prologue is excluded from the count, there are 18 chapters. In nine of them, players will play as Saga. In the other nine chapters, players play as Alan. Both characters have their own unique missions and story lines that help tell the entire story of Alan Wake 2. The chapter names are as follows.
|
Saga Anderson |
Alan Wake |
|
Return 1: Invitation |
Initiation 1: Late Night |
|
Return 2: The Heart |
Initiation 2: Casey |
|
Return 3: Local Girl |
Initiation 3: Haunting |
|
Return 4: No Chance |
Initiation 4: We Sing |
|
Return 5: Old Gods |
Initiation 5: Room 665 |
|
Return 6: Scratch |
Initiation 6: Return |
|
Return 7: Summoning |
Initiation 7: Masks |
|
Return 8: Deerfest |
Initiation 8: Zane's Film |
|
Return 9: Come Home |
Initiation 9: Gone |
At the start of the game, players can only play as Saga Anderson. After completing Return 2: The Heart, players will then switch to Alan's side of the story and will begin Initiation 1: Late Night. Once players have completed Initiation 2: Casey, they will be able to switch between the two characters at will (to an extent). This is accomplished by interacting with the dark puddle that is found in some of the save points of each chapter.
Keep in mind that each character has a point at which the game will automatically switch back to the other character if players have gotten to a certain point in the storyline. In addition, players will control both characters in some chapters near the end of the game.
Alan Wake 2 also has two expansions: "Night Springs" and "The Lake House." The former consists of three TV episodes called "Number One Fan," "North Star," and "Time Breaker." They will appear on different TVs in the Dark Place, so just play them whenever the opportunity arises and you feel like. They will not mess with your main save file. For the "The Lake House" expansion, Estevez will give you a clear opportunity to take it on before the point of no return.
How Long Does It Take To Complete Alan Wake 2?
Alan Wake 2 is a fairly long game, particularly for the horror genre. While the game technically has two campaigns, like Resident Evil 2, you need to complete both Saga and Alan's storylines to get the ending; that said, you are given the freedom to stick to one route until you reach the point of no return, which will then shift you to the other character's storyline.
If you mainly focus on the core story, Alan Wake 2 will take you about 20 hours to complete. Completionist runs can add roughly another 10 hours, and that generally includes the two expansions (which are both very short, clocking in at 1–2 hours).
Alan Wake 2
- Released
- October 27, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Remedy Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
