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It’s easy to get lost in the unnerving and mysterious setting of Playdead’s Inside. Try not to lose focus, however. There are secrets to be found hiding around various corners. To be specific, there are several rounds, glowing machines known as Orbs. And if you find them, you should break them.

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Orbs act as the game’s sole supply of hidden collectibles. A total of 14 of these strange devices are scattered throughout the campaign. More than just a source of achievement, finding all of them and pulling on them until they break is the only way to 100 percent the game and unlock a secret alternate ending.

How To Know Which Orbs You’re Missing

Boy standing in grassy field in front of a large sphere with an open hatch

There are two potential methods of figuring out which Orb you might be missing. The easiest way to know is to visit the 14th Orb. In the background is a panel with multiple lights on its face. These lights will be lit up depending on your progress. If you’ve broken all 13 prior, it will be fully lit up. Selecting the ‘Load’ option from the pause menu allows you to load a state right before the 14th Orb.

If you’ve not played through to that point, another method is to check your achievement list. Each Orb has its achievement and that can be compared to this list to know which is missing.

Destroyed Orbs carry over between each playthrough. They are reset, however, if you complete the alternate ending. This makes the Orb 14 method the most reliable way to know what you're missing.

All Hidden Orb Locations

Orb 1 Location: In The Lake

Split image of boy standing on wooden beam near a round machine and a boy swimming

The first Orb will be hiding in the pond that you jump into to escape the dogs. Dive down and to the left to find a cave. Inside is the first hidden Orb. To reach it, simply tip the large wooden beam over.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Murky Waters’ achievement.

Orb 2 Location: Hidden Cornfield Lab

Split Image of a boy near a round machine and a boy crouching in a cornfield

Somewhere in the middle of the cornfield is an extremely well-hidden trap door. The easiest way to find it is to hold the grab button while running; you’ll stop when you grab onto the trap door. Climb down and enter the room on the left to find the second hidden Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Field Research’ achievement.

Orb 3 Location: The Pig Barn

Split Image of a boy near a round machine and a boy standing on a cart full of pigs

After the chick-shooting puzzle, you’ll jump into a cart of pigs. Grab the cart and push it against the wall on your left. Standing on the cart, pull at the barn wall to break a board off and allow entrance. Step inside, climb the rope and jump to the left to find the third hidden Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Wee Wee Wee’ achievement.

Orb 4 Location: Near The Safe

Split image of a boy standing near a round machine and a boy in a room with a hole in the ceiling

After pushing over a safe and breaking a hole in the floor, drop into the hole. On the left wall is a grate you can pull off. This leads to the fourth hidden Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Left Behind’ achievement.

Orb 5 Location: In The Alleyway

Split image of a slanted rooftop and a boy near a round machine

When you are sliding down a rooftop and have to jump and grab a pipe on the opposing wall. Once you do that, climb down a little and jump back across to grab the ladder. That leads down to the fifth hidden Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Obscure Foundations’ achievement.

Note:

This is the first of three Orb locations where a musical pattern can be heard. A repeating set of orchestral string notes plays on repeat. While it doesn’t matter yet, it plays an important role in the game's alternate ending. The note pattern is as follows.


Low - Mid - Mid - Mid - High - High - Low - Mid - Low - Low - Low - High - High - High

Orb 6 Location: Submarine Puzzle

Split image of a flooded facility and of a submarine in a submerged stairwell

Progress through the game until you enter the submarine, then progress until you find yourself in a submerged stairwell between red doors. Descend to the bottom and slam into the box to uncover a path to the sixth hidden Orb. You’ll need to solve the puzzle to break this one.

Puzzle Solution: Using the left helmet, move dummy man Alpha into the water and on top of the submarine. Disconnect and enter the sub yourself. Use the sub’s boost to launch dummy man Alpha into the rightmost helmet. Return to the left helmet to daisy-chain control dummy man Beta into breaking the Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Friends In Low Places’ achievement.

Orb 7 Location: Near The Tree Window

Split image of a boy and a round machine near a window and of a submarine in water

After the first proper encounter with the long-haired water person, you’ll be in a massive pool. Go all the way to the left until you find a wall. Boost the sub up and into the wall to break debris down. Climb the debris to find the hidden seventh Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘A Tableau’ achievement.

Orb 8 Location: Cave Diving

split image of a wooden plank wall and of a boy in a cave holding a torch

During a segment where you have to collect about 20 dummy men to progress, you’ll eventually ride on a massive rail cart that leads to a sandy area with a wooden plank wall. Gather the dummy men past it and return, using them to help pull a plank off of the plank wall. This will lead to a cave system. Grab the torch off of the wall, you’ll see why soon enough. Navigate the challenge to find the eighth hidden Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Pack Mentality’ achievement.

Orb 9 Location: Behind The Water Person

Split image of a boy near a round machine and of a boy and a long haired swimmer underwater

After an extended escape from the long-haired water person, you’ll come across a section with a button-operated door. Lure Long-Hair over to the right side, then jump into the left side and swim to the left underwater. This will reveal a small vent tunnel where the ninth hidden Orb is. Push the grate to the left if you want to avoid dying by Long-Hair when leaving.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Respite’ achievement.

Orb 10 Location: Before the Aperture

Split image of a boy underwater near a round machine and near a metal aperture

Once you can breathe underwater, proceed through the office building as normal until you reach an automatic aperture. Locate the large door with red handles down and to the left. Pull down on the handle in the middle and then pull on a smaller handle at the top of the door. Doing so will open a path leading to the hidden tenth Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Unfathomable’ achievement.

Orb 11 Location: Under the Gear

Split image of a boy  in various industrial locations

There is a segment where you have to rotate a platform to cover yourself from a wire-shooting light. Stop when the platform is at its highest and backtrack to the flooded room just prior. Find the small section that you can fully submerge yourself in and swim down into it. This will lead to the hidden 11th Orb, which should be in a reachable position.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Clockwork’ achievement.

Orb 12 Location: Near the Up-Water

Split image of a boy in a room of floating water and in a room near a round machine

Progress to the room where you encounter antigravity water for the first time. Once you have a second jumping box, push it to the right where a red button is hiding in the air above you. Using the box, press the button to reveal a platform. Press it again to send the platform back up, being sure to jump onto it as it rises. This leads to the room with the twelfth hidden Orb.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Room For Reflection’ achievement.

Note:

The musical notes heard by Orb five can also be heard in this room.

Orb 13 Location: Above the Elevator

Split image of a boy raised by men toward a round machine and a boy surrounded by workers

Progress until you have a collection of lumpy dummy men and have to work an elevator. Separate your dummy men into two groups by rushing into and using the elevator. Ride it back up and look to the right for a dangling yellow cable. Have your nearby men toss you up to grab it and climb. You’ll regroup with your other dummy group, which you can guide down the hall to the 13th hidden Orb. Have them toss you up to grab the Orb to break it.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘Office Space’ achievement.

Note:

The musical notes heard by Orb five and 12 can also be heard in this room.

Orb 14 Location: The Final Orb

Split image of a boy near an elevator shaft and of a boy in a field near a very large, round machine

After the area with scientists viewing something in a large pool, you’ll encounter a ladder that leads down to an elevator. Climb it up instead to discover the location of a massive Orb in a grassy field. This is the 14th and final Orb. The door on the Orb will only be open if you successfully break the 13 other Orbs first. If you already did, step inside and break it from inside. It’s not seen on camera, so just walk all the way to the right, grab, and pull left until something happens.

Breaking this Orb unlocks the ‘The Last One’ achievement.

Once all Orbs are broken, the sign in the background will go dark, except for a single light in the second position. This is a hint regarding the game’s secret alternate ending.

NEXT: Reasons Inside Is The Best Playdead Game (& Reasons It's Limbo)