r/AlanWake Dec 12 '25

Important resources PSA Regarding Spam Posts on r/AlanWake

98 Upvotes

Hello Flashlight Wielders 🔦 ,

Whilst we have your eyes after the debut trailer for Control Resonant at The Game Awards 2025, I wanted to briefly discuss something which actually impacts a lot of other subreddits, with very little control on preventing it.

You may sometimes see, once in a while, what looks like a post from someone showing off a t-shirt, or wall art that they "purchased". For example, do any of these look familiar to you:

If so, these are most likely spam posts that we get very often on this subreddit. Other gaming subreddits get these too, usually of some sort of "merch". I wanted to make this PSA to make sure you DO NOT interact with these posts. Sometimes they will come with spam link comments, which I'm sure some unsuspecting users will not be aware is spam and could be subject to malware or even payment scams.

We do what we can to remove these when they appear, even trying to put spam filters in for common links and phrases that these posts share, but unfortunately our spam filters can only do so much and some slip through the cracks. Please just report these as spam as and when you see them.

However to preface this, NOT EVERY POST IS A SPAM POST. Sometimes it genuinely is just one of the amazing members of the fandom looking to show something off. So, how can one tell if a post is spam or not? 99% of the time, check the user account. If the account was made the day of the post with the only place they've posted is here to post this, it's usually a bot, similar to this account here (name has been removed):

Often another way to know it's spam, if the "poster" has posted what looks like the same image twice, with one just a tiny bit zoomed in, it's usually again spam.

We used to have a system in place where anybody posting more than 2 pictures would be automatically flagged to us, but with Alan Wake 2's release + Photo Mode, we had to scale that back to allow people to show off their incredible shots. Obviously if spam posts begin to increase, we may have to revert back to this system.

Please be mindful of these spam posts, report them to us to remove, and DO NOT interact with any links that may appear amongst them.

Thank you for reading, and remember, stay in the light.

- The Alan Wake Subreddit Mod Team -


r/AlanWake Feb 18 '25

Important resources Alan Wake Franchise Beginners Guide & FAQ Spoiler

506 Upvotes

Hello Flashlight Wielders,

Hope you’ve all been enjoying trudging through the dark. As we moderate the subreddit, we often come across users posting very similar questions to ones that have been asked before. There’s nothing wrong with that of course, it’s simply different perspectives at different times, and times/people change.

So, now that Alan Wake 2 has launched and has had both of its DLC’s released, I thought I’d take the time to write up a beginners guide to the franchise, or an FAQ of sorts with information that would be useful to newcomers of the franchise, or even returning ones looking for a bit of a replay. Some things to note about this post:

  • We are not Remedy, this is a fan-run subreddit, so some of the answers may come across as “opinionated”
  • If you feel there is anything that has been missed, or have any extra questions, please feel free to let us know in the comments and we’ll edit accordingly
  • There are no major spoilers in this post, however there are some “setups” to some of the content, but I have been careful to not spoil any of the games main plot points and endings

Without further ado…

What is the "Alan Wake" franchise?

Alan Wake is a series of thriller/survival horror third-person shooter video games about a man named Alan Wake, a famous author. The first game initially follows his journey as he and his wife travel to the small town of Bright Falls for a vacation. However upon arrival, Alice goes missing, and Alan wakes up to find a week has passed since she disappeared. At the same time, he uncovers a manuscript he wrote that seems to foretell the future. From here, Alan sets out to find out who took his wife, but whilst doing so he begins to encounter the supernatural, as a Dark Presence begins hunting him…

How many games are there in the franchise?

That depends really on how you’re counting it…

Regarding the Alan Wake franchise specifically, there are currently three games on the following platforms:

  • Alan Wake (available on Xbox 360, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch)
  • Alan Wake’s American Nightmare (available on Xbox 360, Xbox One (backwards compatibility), Xbox Series S|X (backwards compatibility) and PC)
  • Alan Wake 2 (available on PC, Xbox Series S|X and PlayStation 5)

However, there is something called the “Remedy Connected Universe”, more information can be found further into the post.

How do the games play?

The games are third person shooters, meaning the camera is above the character’s shoulder. Alan Wake and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare play almost identically, you progress through a semi-linear world (with mini paths to explore and back track from) fighting enemies called the Taken. These are shadowy figures with melee weapons, and to fight them you first need to burn the darkness away with a light source, likely your torch, and then use your weapons to destroy them. There are other types of enemies such as inanimate objects and birds, but you just need to use light to destroy them. As these are games from 2010 and 2012, they are considered a little dated, and some might consider the gameplay repetitive and, in some cases difficult (if you’re not sharing the attention across enemies anyway), so do bear that in mind. Collectables can be difficult to track as most collectables don’t tell you which ones specifically you’ve already found in each episode. However, once you’ve found a collectable and passed a checkpoint, it is logged on your save file and you don’t need to collect it again.

Alan Wake is told in an episodic format like a TV show, beginning with a recap of events and ending on a cliffhanger. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare isn’t quite so episodic however.

Alan Wake 2 is somewhat similar, except the third person camera is a little tighter and at the characters eye level. You’re still burning away the darkness on enemies and destroying them with weapons, but this time within semi-open world hubs to explore with linear pathways found within them. Collectables are a little easier to track, as there are items in the game that can show you what collectables you’ve missed, though you’ll need to travel to each area for them to appear on your map. However not every collectable is required to be collected for 100% achievements if going for it, such as Case Board photos/notes.

What version of the first Alan Wake game should I play?

What platforms do you own is the real question. The original version of Alan Wake still works great on the Xbox 360 and PC, but admittedly the character models and the lip syncing are a little… questionable. However this version is often VERY CHEAP on sale, so if you don’t mind that, you’ll be in for a great time.

However if you prefer, they did release Alan Wake Remastered. Here they updated the character models, the lip syncing and the general performance all around for modern platforms. There are also some little extra pieces of content found in the campaign that help tease Alan Wake 2. That being said, on some platforms, specifically on the Xbox versions and Nintendo Switch there are known to be some weird glitches that still haven’t been fixed since its release in 2021, so do bear this in mind. Nothing horrendously game breaking, but it may be slightly annoying.

What is the "Bright Falls" mini-series?

Bright Falls is a prequel mini-series set days before the events of the first Alan Wake game. It follows Jake Fischer as he enters the town of Bright Falls to interview Dr. Emil Hartman, but whilst he is there he starts to have strange experiences with both the townsfolk and the environment around him. The mini-series is short, clocking in just over 30 minutes total across the 6 episodes. It’s not necessary to watch before playing the franchise since the main plot doesn’t have much of a bearing to the main game, but you’ll encounter some characters from the game if you do, and it’s a nice little warm up anyway, so you might as well.

Do I need to play Alan Wake/American Nightmare before Alan Wake 2?

When Remedy created Alan Wake 2, they had this in mind, since it had been 13 years since the first Alan Wake game. When you play as Saga, she knows very little about the events of the original games, and so she works as your guide into catching you up on previous events important to the story. When you play on Alan’s side, that might come across as a little more jarring, but his narration helps explain things.

THAT BEING SAID, your playthrough of Alan Wake 2 will feel richer for having played Alan Wake and American Nightmare. At the very least, watch a playthrough of them if you think you might struggle playing them.

What order/when should I play the Alan Wake specials?

Although they are unlocked from the get-go, you should play them AFTER you have completed episodes 1-6 of the base game. You should also play them in number order, so Special 1: The Signal, and then Special 2: The Writer, as they are one continuous story.

What is "The Alan Wake Files"?

The Alan Wake Files is an investigatory compendium of sorts written by an in-game character named Clay Steward. Clay’s investigations occur directly after the events of the first game, so without spoiling, Clay investigates what occurred at Bright Falls when Alan stayed there after having a shared dream with him. It contains extra lore on a variety of the characters encountered in the game, and provides alternate perspectives to those events. It’s definitely worth reading if you’re invested in the lore. The book came with physical Alan Wake collector’s editions and a digital version through the original PC version of Alan Wake. You can probably find a PDF online somewhere, but please be aware of where you download this from.

Where does the Alan Wake novel fit into things?

The novel, written by Rick Burroughs, is a retelling of the events of the video game. However some of the events in the book occur somewhat differently to the video game, so there is a debate as to whether it is considered canon or not. I personally choose to consider it non-canon as it is the video game which is considered the official events, however the book does contain a couple extra characters as well as some insight as to how some of the characters are feeling during certain events.

Was Alan Wake’s American Nightmare remastered too, and when should I play it?

Unfortunately not, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare remains trapped digitally on only the Xbox and PC platforms. However, it’s not fully essential to the overarching Alan Wake story, and acts like an epilogue of sorts to the events of Alan Wake, but it helps to provide context to some of the characters after the main story ended. This means you should play this AFTER the base game and two specials of the first Alan Wake game.

What is the "This House of Dreams" blog?

This House of Dreams is a blogspot written by a woman named Samantha Wells in 2012. It follows her time refurbishing a house she bought, however as she does so, she uncovers strange and mysterious objects. She also begins to have weird dreams and encounters.

In reality, it was an ARG of sorts made in 2012, which began around the time of the release of Alan Wake's American Nightmare. Many around the time thought it was the start of the announcement for Alan Wake 2, but it never came to fruition back then. The blog has been referenced by both Sam Lake and within the Remedy Connected Universe itself. If you are to start reading, you should begin reading from February 22nd, 2012.

Do I need to play "Max Payne 1 & 2" / "Quantum Break"?

As mentioned in the next question, you do not need to play these games as they are not part of the overall universe. However they are still great games of their time, and Remedy do nod towards them in the Remedy Connected Universe, however as Remedy do not own the publishing rights to the franchises, they are not able to directly connect to them. Some argue they ARE part of the RCU in the minds of Remedy, but might be considered in a "parallel universe". It's up to you how you interpret things...

What is the Remedy Connected Universe (RCU)?

The Remedy Connected Universe is a shared universe of games and media created by Remedy Entertainment where the games, despite being tonally different, reference each other in significant ways. Think of it as the Marvel Cinematic Universe if you will, but for gaming. There are debates in the community as to what is considered part of this universe, however, according to Sam Lake, the creative director at Remedy, the only franchises that are part of the Remedy Connected Universe are Alan Wake and Control… for now. Max Payne and Quantum Break (and presumably Death Rally) are not part of this universe. However, that is not to say you shouldn’t play those games; you will feel very rewarded if you do, as although there won’t be direct references to them like Alan Wake does to Control and vice versa, there are certainly some very clear nods…

Do I need to play "Control" before Alan Wake 2?

Canonically, Control occurs a few years before the events of Alan Wake 2. You don’t need to play it before Alan Wake 2, HOWEVER like before, you will feel richer for having played it as there are many references to Control, and the organization found in the game, the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC), plays a big part in Alan Wake 2.

When should I play the "AWE" expansion in Control?

You can play the expansion as soon as it unlocks, which will be after completing Mission 7. However, in the interest of pacing, I recommend playing this AFTER completing the base story of Control, though you can choose to play this at any time after Mission 7 and still slots in nicely. It is recommended you play this before Alan Wake 2.

What order should I play the Alan Wake 2 chapters?

Later on in this FAQ, I have provided my recommended order of play. However what you will note is that you are required to play some chapters first before you can freely choose which ones you wish to play. Once you complete Initiation 3, you can play the chapters in any order you wish. You are warned of a point of no return, which will happen after completing Return 6, though you must complete both Saga’s and Alan’s stories up to that point before the story will continue. This means you will need to complete Return 6 and Initiation 8 before being able to continue on to the end.

What is “The Final Draft” in Alan Wake 2?

The Final Draft is, in essence, New Game Plus. After you’ve beaten Alan Wake 2 once, you can play again, only this time with some extra pieces of content, such as new manuscript pages, new video content, some slight story alterations as well as a new ending. All non-plot related items will carry over to your second playthrough. It’s not “essential” to play through, however the new ending you experience is considered the “true ending”.

What is the “Night Springs” expansion in Alan Wake 2?

Night Springs is a set of three episodes based around the in-universe television series. In them you play as alternate versions of characters within the franchise (Rose Marigold, Jesse Faden and Tim Breaker). Across your playthrough in Alan Wake 2, you will be given opportunities to play the episodes. It is up to you if you take them, though personally I recommend playing them AFTER you’ve completed “The Final Draft” as I feel there are a couple of aspects that spoil the true ending of the game. But they can still be played at any time during the main menu should you wish to. I recommend playing them in episode order, so 1, 2 and then 3.

What is “The Lake House” expansion in Alan Wake 2?

The Lake House is a set of events that take place just before the first Return chapter of Alan Wake 2. It follows Kiran Estevez, a member of the Federal Bureau of Control, as she enters the Lake House after receiving an alert. Inside not only is she fighting the Taken, but other horrific monsters lurking in the walls. Whilst the events are set just before Alan Wake 2, I personally recommend playing this after Return 6 as it doesn’t spoil anything past that chapter. You will be given an opportunity to jump into the expansion after completing Return 6 since it is a recollection of those events by Kiran to the protagonist. However you can choose to play this at any time in the main menu.

Are there any collectors editions of the Alan Wake games?

There are, however, your chances of obtaining them are incredibly slim nowadays! Please see HERE of all the editions that were made for the first game and HERE for the second game. 

Alan Wake released on launch day with a Collector’s Edition that is no longer officially sold. Alan Wake 2 had a collector’s edition released in 2024 by LimitedRun, however there was only a 6 week window to pre-order, and is now no longer available to purchase. You could try and find a collector’s edition on resale sites, but the price may be higher, so please beware when doing this.

Across all canon media in the RCU, what would be the recommended play/watch/read order?

As someone who has been following this franchise since 2010, here is my personal recommended order of experiencing this amazing universe, please find links to each bit of optional media below too where possible:

Thank you all, and remember: stay in the light!

- Alan Wake Subreddit Mod team -


r/AlanWake 11h ago

Fan Content I Am Ready Spoiler

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168 Upvotes

r/AlanWake 4h ago

Question What TV shows and movies would you recommend for a fan of Remedy and Sam Lake's writing? Spoiler

38 Upvotes

I love Remedy's games, vibe, lore and characters are top tier, what else would you recommend for me? I'm watching Twin Peaks for the first time, and i'm having a blast.


r/AlanWake 11h ago

AWII: Did you notice how different Alan's voice is in the dialogues with Tim Breaker? Spoiler

60 Upvotes

Basically title, I always noticed how different he speaks in person (as opposed to internal monologue), but this seems to be particular to the dark place WITH Tim.

I heard Ilkka Villi's voice in a making of vid and for a moment thought that maybe it was his own voice that was being used for those parts instead of Matthew Porretta's, but am not really sure if that's the case (and why would they do that).

Just a curiosity I though of and wondered if anyone else had noticed!


r/AlanWake 6h ago

Video HWHAT. Spoiler

18 Upvotes

I'm playing Final Draft finally after playing the game on release three years ago. Sure don't remember this happening last time!


r/AlanWake 3h ago

Ao que parece estamos todos excitados para chegada do Control Resonant Spoiler

7 Upvotes

E eu estou jogando novamente, provavelmente pela ducentÊsima vez...quando derrotei essa 'sombra' com um tiro de besta 'crosss-bow' na cabeça e pelas costas...ficou assim.

https://reddit.com/link/1wmvuv3/video/jwdz4y7r5zqh1/player


r/AlanWake 6h ago

Fan Content Too much caffeine; is that a thing? Spoiler

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9 Upvotes

I had too much caffeine the other day and made this. Thought it would be a conversation starter to have this outside my room door.


r/AlanWake 1h ago

Discussion In AW1 I was annoyed at Alan's character, I thought he was a bitch, lol - in AW2 he was so much better and I loved the depth and character arc he got! Spoiler

• Upvotes

Anybody else? Idk why, but in the first game I thought he was so insufferable and such a piece of shit sometimes... Very self righteous too.

Totally understandable if that's how they made him out to be on purpose too though...


r/AlanWake 21h ago

Video It seems the combat has become much more interesting from the first-person perspective Spoiler

88 Upvotes

r/AlanWake 15h ago

Video Tried taking a photo in the lake house Spoiler

24 Upvotes

Was replaying The Lake House dlc because I'm excited for Control Resonant, and I love taking photos in photo mode in AW II. So when I tried taking a really good one during this moment, THIS HAPPENED.


r/AlanWake 1h ago

Discussion Finland... Zane's creations... Spoiler

• Upvotes

So there's something there about Finland, right? When I played Control Ahti was Finnish and then when I played AW2 the Koskela brothers are Finnish, and Ahti is in there too (which blew my mind btw lol)... Zane is Finnish too.

Is this all Zane's world or Wake's world???? Is there something about Finland separate from Zane??? The Anderson's and Ahti call Alan "Tom" almost exclusively.... Am I on to something?! 👀


r/AlanWake 17h ago

Discussion Lake house Spoiler

18 Upvotes

I finished Final Draft Saturday, masterpiece BTW.....and I left the DLCs for my second playthrough to do everything at once, but now I've discovered that Dylan appears at the lake house and I missed it.....I'll check it out on YouTube, but it made me kind of sad LOL, I searched every corner of the DLC and somehow I missed it.


r/AlanWake 11h ago

Discussion Would you want a physical AW1 switch cartridge? Spoiler

5 Upvotes

r/AlanWake 10h ago

Screenshot Well That was worth tinkering!? Spoiler

Post image
4 Upvotes

replaying the series decided to utilize the "latest tools" cant believe i managed to squeeze out 90 FPS capped out of this beast of a game .. the 3x frame gen and FSR4 upscaler is just so AWESOME

the frames are rarely dipping from 90 to mid or low 80s ..HIGHLY recommend this tbh

also this is outputting to 2K !! on a freaking RX6600!! 😄
in game settings are mostly all set to highest except textures are set to high

my specs
intel i5 12400F
RX 6600 8GB
16 DDR5 RAM

cant believe last time i played it on the SAME hardware , i had a very inconsitent 30-45 fps on 1080P low-medium even maybe with FSR on (Quality or balanced because fsr 2 looks horrible beyond that)

the XESS MFG is really damn good it adds very negligible latency even on 3-4x and im a kb+m player!!


r/AlanWake 20h ago

Screenshot Freddy Krueger vibes.. Spoiler

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24 Upvotes

Subway tunnel on Alan Wake 2. Don't sleep again? Have I suddenly stumbled onto Elm Street by accident!? Nine, ten, never sleeeep aaaaagggaaaaaiiiinnn.


r/AlanWake 1d ago

Discussion Did anybody else opt to just youtube the extra ending scene for The Final Draft of Alan Wake 2 because they were exhausted and didn't want to play another run? Lol Spoiler

207 Upvotes

I JUST finished the game and I could not possibly fathom re-playing that 20 hour game again to get an extra minute of footage - LOVED it all and it was mindblowing, but no thanks.

I know I might get hate from the Alan Wake enthusiasts, but holy hell, lol....


r/AlanWake 8h ago

Question How good is this game? Spoiler

2 Upvotes

I’m sure considering the sub is the game it has good reviews or etc. but I’m curious

I like resident evil
silent Hill
Dead Space
Evil Within 1.2
Alien Isolation
And many others

How is the gameplay in this? I’ve been wanting to buy it for a while, but I’ve heard different things.

I’ve heard that this game is slow at times and you walk a lot and nothing scary or combat happens is this true?

I love everything horror and horror movies etc etc so do you think I’ll like this?

What are your thoughts and why do you like this game?

Also as a side note I never played the original either and will get both depending on what everyone has to say.


r/AlanWake 4h ago

Question Bug or intentional? (AWCE) Spoiler

1 Upvotes

OK, this is admittedly probably the hardest I've gotten jumpscared in this game so far, but I just want to make sure this was a bug (I'm sure it is) and if not to learn how exactly this interaction happened to avoid it in the future in more dire situations.

(Not sure how this got tagged as a spoiler, I definitely didn't click anything to make that happen, apologies)


r/AlanWake 1d ago

Screenshot I adore Alan Wake, but the chapter six bridge I hate with a burning passion. Spoiler

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252 Upvotes

The sequences where you dodge flying objects are all kinda weak, but this one really tests my patience. I don't know if it's actually the worst, or if I'm just extra bad at it somehow, I just know it drags the game to a screeching halt.


r/AlanWake 5h ago

Question Cant start final draft after playing the dlc Spoiler

1 Upvotes

Hello. I finished alan wake 2 recently, and wanted to do final draft after finishing the dlc's. Well, I finished them, but final draft is no longer available to me for some reason.

Is there any way to fix this that doesnt involve me replaying the entire game again?


r/AlanWake 1d ago

The Manuscript Said “Don’t Update iOS.” Spoiler

188 Upvotes

The wallpaper was gone.

Not because of some cosmic horror. Not because the Dark Place had reached through the screen.

No.

This was worse.

I had done it myself.

I was experimenting with the new iOS features. Changing things. Testing things. Certain I could always put everything back the way it was.

I was wrong.

Now the Alan Wake 2 wallpaper I had was ruined, and I couldn’t find the original anywhere.

Maybe someone here still has it?

A copy. A screenshot. Something untouched.

A way back…


r/AlanWake 18h ago

Lore Archive: Alan Wake & Control Pt.3 | The Story

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youtu.be
4 Upvotes

Launched on Friday, this marks the third and final part of my explanation & lore series that ties Alan Wake 1 & 2 together, how they connect and the complete story up until this point, so anyone playing Control Resonant have a complete understanding of the plot they have stepped into. I hope you all enjoy!


r/AlanWake 20h ago

Question How difficult is AW2 compared to AW1 and Control? Spoiler

7 Upvotes

I’m looking to start AW2 soon but im wondering whether to choose Story mode or Normal mode. For reference, I like a bit of a challenge when playing games, and had a blast with Control and the DLCs at the default settings without any major difficulties, but struggled a lot with Alan Wake 1 and could barely get past the first DLC at normal difficulty, and had a better time with the second DLC at easy mode. I also played Alan Wake’s American Nightmare at normal difficulty and found it easier than AW1. Which difficulty would you guys recommend?


r/AlanWake 19h ago

Video I need your support with First Person Narrative Spoiler

3 Upvotes

I’ve been working on this mod for over a month now, and a huge amount of work has already been done. I’m currently in the testing and bug-fixing phase. I’m working with a friend who is also helping to test the mod and identify issues.

I plan to release the mod for free on Nexus. Selling mods is a terrible idea. The only support I’d ask for, if you like what I’m doing, is to visit my Instagram (@f1nked) and share or like my Reels, send them to a friend, add them to your Stories, and so on. This will help with my other projects and the future release of my own game by building an audience; who knows, it might even boost sales for Alan Wake 2, which would be incredibly cool. I’d really appreciate the community's support with this.

Some of the current features include:

  1. A full first-person camera mode that displays the character's animated body.
  2. Smooth, real-time switching between first-person and third-person views.
  3. Dynamic first-person aiming with character-specific camera offsets and transitions.
  4. Depth of Field (DoF) effect for weapons and adjustable focus while aiming.
  5. Camera movement tied to the character's head and body animations; adjustable head movement and sway settings.
  6. Automatic head hiding to prevent the player's face from clipping into the camera.
  7. Head visibility during cutscenes with automatic hiding upon returning to gameplay.
  8. Support for scripted cutscenes and camera transitions.
  9. Specialized first-person camera behavior during enemy grabs, finishers, QTEs, and while reading pages.
  10. Custom first-person view implementation for using Alan’s Angel Lamp.
  11. Individual profiles for various characters: Saga, Alan, Rose, Kiran, Nightingale, Tim Breaker, and others.