Escape the Backrooms Level 1 Guide: The Habitable Zone (Walkthrough & Secrets)

Clear the Garage, Basement, and Final Tunnel

Level 1 takes place in a massive, dim parking garage structure. Follow these steps to escape safely.

1. The Elevator Code & Almond Water Trick

To enter Level 1, you need a 4-digit color code. For a visual reference to this route, see Level 1 Floor 1 Map. For a visual reference to this route, see Level 1 Floor 3 Map.

• The Code: The code is randomized (e.g., Red, Red, Red, Blue). Look at the sticky note inside the elevator or try common combinations.
• Secret Trick: As the elevator doors are closing, sprint out back into the garage. The elevator will "leave" without you, but the game spawns a bottle of Almond Water on the table inside the elevator room. Grab it—you will need it for Sanity.

2. Collecting the Keys (Parking Garage)

The map is shaped like a square within a square (Chinese character "回"). Your goal is to find 4 Keys to unlock the central door.

• Locations: Keys are spawned randomly in lockers or on tables in the side rooms.
• The Skin-Stealer: This entity wanders the garage. It has heavy footsteps and may disguise itself as a teammate.
• Combat Strategy: Do not hide. The Skin-Stealer cannot open doors. Lure it into a room, run out, and close the door to trap it forever. You have infinite stamina, so you can always outrun it.

3. The Medic Room & Sanity

Keep an eye on the Brain Icon in your inventory. If it gets low, your vision blurs. Drink Almond Water or find Medicine in the lockers to restore it. Once you have all 4 keys, go to the central door and turn the lock quickly (all players must interact if playing co-op).

4. The Basement (The "X-Ray" Trick)

After the garage, you enter a pitch-black basement maze.

• Pro Tip: Go to Settings -> Graphics and set everything to "Lowest". This removes the darkness (giving you night vision) and allows you to see doors through walls (X-Ray vision).
• Finding the Exit: Look for an elevator door. It is usually on the 2nd floor (Right side) or 3rd floor (Left side). With the "Lowest" graphics setting, you can see the door outline through the walls to confirm the correct path without checking every floor.

5. Unlocking The Hub (Optional but Recommended)

Before leaving, you can unlock a shortcut to "The Hub".

• The Password Puzzle: Find the door with the keypad. The computer screen shows 4 columns of text. You need to click the text in the first 3 columns so they match the text in the 4th column exactly.
• Power On: Go to the back room and flip the switches until all lights turn green (spam-clicking the last switch usually works).
• Run Program: Go back to the PC and run DOOR.EXE. This unlocks the permanent shortcut door.

6. The Final Tunnel

The final area is a long concrete tunnel with holes on the sides.

• The Exit: Run past the entity (pull it to glitch it if needed). The exit is the 3rd hole on the Left. Look for the white light emitting from it.

What Usually Ends a Level 1 Run

• Low Graphics is OP: Seriously, turning your graphics to "Low" in the dark section is the biggest game-changer. It turns a scary maze into a cakewalk.
• Skin-Stealers are Dumb: They are fast but cannot interact with mechanics. Use doors as weapons to neutralize them early.
• Sanity Matters: This is the first level where Sanity drains. Loot every locker for Almond Water, even if you don't need it yet.
• Co-op Door: The 4-key door requires coordination. If playing with friends, count down "3, 2, 1" and press E together.

Treat the Garage as an Information Puzzle

Before touching the elevator keypad, read the car colours in order and repeat them back once. The sequence changes between runs, so a remembered code from a video is not a solution. We use the same discipline for the four keys: call the room as soon as a key is found, then bring every key to the central lock before anyone starts turning one.

• Skin-Stealer in the search route: keep a closable side room behind you. Once it commits, pull it through the doorway, leave, and shut the door instead of dragging it through every key location.
• Lights fail in the garage: stop looting. The search route immediately becomes a sprint to a permanently lit side hall because Smilers control the dark lanes.
• Four-key door in co-op: put one player at each active lock and count down. If the turns are too far apart, reset calmly rather than continuing to spin already-completed locks.

Do Not Build the Basement Route Around a Graphics Exploit

Low view-distance settings have exposed doors or reduced darkness in some builds, but that visual shortcut is not reliable enough to be the plan. Carry the flashlight, use the ramp and floor layout as landmarks, and stop at the last known doorway if the group splits. The optional Hub terminal can be handled after the route is stable; it is not required to reach the next level.