The Stanley Parable: The Best Endings

Summary

• The Stanley Parable has a total of 42 endings, some simple, others requiring patience and exploration.
• New Ultra Deluxe endings like the Infinite Hole and Figurines provide unique, engaging experiences.
• The game features a variety of comedic, meta, and surreal endings, rewarding exploration and experimentation.

Davey Wreden’s The Stanley Parable is a surreal game all about choice – or, indeed, a lack thereof. You take a variety of actions, working both with and against the omnipotent Narrator, leading to different endings. Sad, funny, existential, and mind-bending, they run the emotional gamut.

With even more endings arriving via the Ultra Deluxe edition, the grand total of ways to close out Stanley’s adventure rises to a staggering 42. Some are as simple as picking between left or right, but others will require some serious patience and digging. Here, we take a look at the very best ones.

Just a fair warning: there will be a fair few spoilers in this article for The Stanley Parable and its Ultra Deluxe port. The entire appeal of this game is discovering its metafictional surprises for yourself, so tread carefully, newcomers!

Updated January 26th, 2025 by Bobby Mills: Stanley opened his favorite entertainment website, TheGamer, only to discover they had updated a list about his game. Shocked, frozen solid, Stanley found himself unable to move for the longest time. Finally, he worked up the nerve to click on the article, and found that a whole host of new entries and other improvements had been added! And Stanley… was happy.

15

The Infinite Hole Ending

Going Down… And Down… And Down

One of the new endings added in the Ultra Deluxe edition, you can find the ‘Infinite Hole’ in the Narrator’s exhibit during the Sequel Ending. It promises to be what it says on the tin: a hole with no end. However, the longer you fall down it, the more antsy the Narrator becomes, urging you to return to the top. Finally, you hit bottom, and the sad truth is revealed: it’s only a Mostly Infinite Hole.

Should you return to the hole again after this revelation, though, things take a turn for the bizarre. Stanley is lowered into a new layer of reality, and you can hit buttons on your controller to alter his appearance, the music, the background, and more. The Narrator soon intervenes to end this sensory assault and the game restarts.

14

The Skip Button Ending

Existential Horror Sure Can Be Hilarious

Having been thoroughly underwhelmed by the ‘new content’ offered in the Ultra Deluxe port thus far, the Narrator invites Stanley into a secret vent to the ‘Memory Zone’. Here, the pair nostalgically reminisce about how good the original Stanley Parable was… until you find the reviews section.

All the game’s Steam and critic reviews are on display here (props if your review was included!), particularly one that bemoans the lack of a skip button for the Narrator’s dialogue. Incensed, the Narrator invents just such a skip button – but it’s too powerful. If you keep hitting it, you start leaping forward months, years, and centuries, as you witness the environment decay around yo,u and the Narrator goes off the deep end.

13

The Whiteboard Ending

Luck-Based Office Equipment

One of the simpler endings (albeit still a definite fan favorite), The Whiteboard Ending is purely based on luck. There’s no rhyme or reason behind it being triggered – you could either get it on your first run or be restarting for hours to no avail.

Based on a roll of RNG, sometimes you will spawn into a blue office as opposed to the usual off-white, where door number 426 can be opened. Once inside, a whiteboard greets you, bearing the phrase “Welcome to the… WHITEBOARD ENDING!” And… that’s your lot. At least you’ll then get to be one of the elite players who experienced it.

12

Serious Ending

Cheaters Never Prosper

In the Serious Ending, which is quite cleverly hidden, players can turn the lovably sardonic Narrator into a very disappointed parent. In essence, it entails the Narrator sternly telling you off upon discovering you’ve attempted to activate server cheats via the dev console accessible in most Source engine games.

Requiring you to enter “Sv_cheats 1” in said console, you are teleported to the so-called Serious Room, where the Narrator tells you how many tables he had to go through in order to find the most serious-looking one – before he sentences you to a trillion years of solitude. After that, only a hard restart can free you.

This ending isn’t in the Ultra Deluxe version, as that’s a primarily console-based title and excises the Source dev console. You can mod it back in on PC, however.

11

Escape Pod Ending

No, You Haven’t Broken The Game

This ending requires you to back out of the boss’s office at the very last second before the doors automatically close on you. During a frighteningly quiet journey back to the start, the Narrator has seemingly disappeared; all you can do is trudge to Stanley’s office.

Right when the eerie silence really starts getting to you, you’ll discover that the door to the left of Stanley’s office is open. You then have to ascend a huge flight of stairs until you reach a mysterious-looking red escape pod, at which point the game cuts out and reboots. No escape just yet for poor Stanley!

10

The Sequel Ending

We’re Doing A Sequel, Back By Popular Demand

Another one hailing from the Ultra Deluxe version, this ending sees the Narrator outline his ideas for a potential Stanley Parable 2. It takes place in a gigantic, opulent expo hall (which is just through a side door in Stanley’s office, obviously) full of neat bells and whistles to muck around with.

Aside from the aforementioned Infinite Hole, there are achievement machines, collectible figurines, and even a circle that allows you to jump. What a concept! The centerpiece of the expo, though, is the Stanley Parable Reassurance Bucket, which gets permanently added to the game after this ending and which can be carted around for different dialogue. Some of the game’s other endings even change drastically if you’re carrying the little metal bugger.

9

Heaven Ending

Buttons, Glorious Buttons!

Although requiring an obscene amount of resets and a grueling bit of work, the Heaven Ending has a hilarious pay-off. You’ll need Stanley to inspect and interact with computers belonging to employees 419, 423, the secretary, 434 and, finally, Stanley’s own 427 (in this exact order), hard-resetting each time.

After you complete all the inputs, Stanley is transported to ‘Button Heaven’, where he is greeted with a revolving wall of multi-colored buttons to push for all eternity. It’s surely a place that he can feel at peace in.

8

Not Stanley Ending

Say Goodbye To Stanley (And The Fourth Wall)

Completely and utterly meta, the Not Stanley Ending pushes the boundaries of even the Stanley Parable itself. After taking the cargo lift (in the warehouse) and entering the furthest room, the Narrator will ring the phone and tell you that your wife is on the other end.

However, if you exercise good old free will and unplug the phone, the Narrator will realize that you aren’t Stanley, but a real person. Soon you are treated to a hilarious infomercial all about choice (“If you find yourself speaking with a person who does not make sense, in all likelihood, that person is not real”) and have to, again, choose between doors to your left and right. The left ends with the Narrator calling you a coward, while the right involves you destroying all his hard work.

7

Out Of Map Ending

The Ultimate Fake-Out

No ending is more deceptive than the Out Of Map Ending (also referred to as the Window Ending). After leaving Stanley’s office, you are required to ‘glitch’ onto the desk in the next office by clipping into the chair, getting on top of the table, and finally out of the window. You might feel like you’ve broken the map – but of course, the game has thought of this too.

The Narrator will then chime in and mock you for thinking that you managed to get out of bounds, and then praise himself for always being two steps ahead. Laughing at the fact that you’re stuck, the Narrator will refuse to help you and begins to sing about how stupid you were. It continues ad nauseam until you get the opportunity to tell him you’re sick of the gag.

6

Figurines Ending

McGuffins, McGuffins Everywhere

After the Sequel Ending, Stanley figurines (Stanlurines or Figleys, take your pick) begin spawning all over the map. There are six in total, and some are pretty devilishly hidden. Each one comes with a wistful comment from the Narrator, whose initial cynicism over cheap collectibles in video games soon gives way to a dopamine-fuelled fervor.

Once you have them all, the Narrator isn’t ready for the fun to be over, so he sends you on a trip down memory lane to recollect them. There’s even a hysterical Windows Movie Maker ‘tribute video’ that the Narrator makes to honor the brilliance of the figurines. Finally, once back in Stanley’s office, the Narrator ruminates on the relationship between himself and the player, and thanks you personally for enabling him to tell his story. It’s an oddly heartwarming denouement.

5

Museum Ending

An Inside Look

This ending simply requires you to follow the Narrator’s instructions (we know, how ludicrous!); but instead of going to the Mind Control Facility, follow the crude ‘Escape’ sign. Moments before you meet your demise at the hands of a spiked crusher, a female narrator will take over and freeze time.

Stanley is transported to a white museum displaying elements of the game’s beta and original versions, along with changes that never made it to release. It’s a great way to get an insight into the development (and an even better way to avoid death). Of course, you inevitably have to leave the museum… and that crusher is still waiting for you back outside.

4

Games Ending

Outsmart The Narrator Via His Own Medium

“Iconic” can’t even begin to describe how great the Games Ending is. Requiring the player to enter the blue door three times in the warehouse (after taking the lift onto the catwalk and being told to enter the red one), you’re at last able to corner the Narrator by wandering into an as-yet unrendered portion of the world.

Forcing the Narrator to think on his feet, as the map “isn’t finished,” he gets the idea to use someone else’s game in the meantime. You and The Narrator soon travel to Minecraft, Portal and the original concept version of The Stanley Parable. It’s a laugh riot, particularly for gaming nerds – and the Ultra Deluxe version goes even further, with you dropping in on Rocket League and Firewatch to boot.

3

Confusion Ending

Wait, Where Did Stanley Go?

To get this deliciously offbeat ending, you need to take the door on your left at the start and walk through the maintenance room. While inside the maintenance room, take the elevator; this will confuse the Narrator as to where you are and how you got there. Deciding you should just restart, he does so – and the fun begins.

After you reset, the Narrator realises that everything has gone wrong with the story, and introduces hilarious features like The Stanley Parable Adventure Line, complete with a jaunty musical bop, in order to try and keep you on track. Finally, the Narrator realises the Adventure Line is leading you astray, and you stumble onto the Confusion Ending Schedule room, where it’s revealed all the madness was pre-ordained. The Narrator insists he won’t go through with any more of it… but then the game resets anyway.

2

The Epilogue

As its name would suggest, this is an epilogue of sorts to the Ultra Deluxe edition; the ending to end all endings, if you will. Getting to it necessitates a fair bit of setup. First, you need to boot the game no less than six times, ensuring that you set the correct time and brightness level when prompted on each occasion. If done right, the settings menu itself will commend your dedication, and cryptically states that you and it might ‘talk again soon.’

From there, you’ll need to clear every other story path, gather all the figurines, and witness the Sequel Ending. At this point, resetting one last time will reveal an ‘Epilogue’ option on the menu. It involves a somber wander through a wilderness littered with various detritus from throughout the game; and culminates in a message from the settings guy again, who thanks you for your time and offers to let you customise the title screen. Consider it your completion reward!

1

Art Ending

True Art Comes To Those Who Wait

The Art Ending represents the peak of Davey Wreden’s trolling tendencies. You need to drop off the warehouse lift, walk across the catwalk and then through the blue door three times. The Narrator will then task you with playing the Baby Game, a ‘meaningful art piece’ of his own creation. It entails you preventing a cardboard cutout baby from crawling into a raging fire… for two hours straight.

Should you be so naive as to believe you can just set up an auto-clicker for those two hours, the Narrator will show up at the halfway mark and introduce a puppy you have to prevent from being eaten by piranhas, which requires additional inputs. After another two hours, you at last ascend to another cosmic plane. There, Stanley is greeted by an entity calling itself the Essence of Divine Art, and is spoken to in a cryptic language until the screen fades to white. Trippy!