Freight vs. Passenger Elevators:
Make sure this is actually the step you are on. If an item or prompt is missing, backtrack one room and check the inventory first.
1. The Standard Route: The TV-Elevator Sorting Puzzle
Normally, you must locate three heavy CRT TVs labeled A, B, and C scattered across Floors 2 and 3 of the hotel. Your objective is to return them to their designated labeled spots in the central hub.
Freight vs. Passenger Elevators:
The layout features two distinct elevator shafts.
* The Rule: You are not allowed to push the TV carts into the Passenger Elevator (the game physically blocks entry). You must push them into the Freight Elevator to transport them between floors.
Movement Optimization (Slide-Tackling):
Manually pushing the TV carts is painfully slow. To move them efficiently, do not just walk behind them:
- The Sprint: Hold
Shiftto sprint-push, but monitor your stamina closely. Drink soda cans if you run out of energy. - The Slide-Tackle Method: For maximum speed, hold
Shift+Left Clickto perform a slide-tackle directly into the back of the TV cart. This will kick-slide the cart across the carpeted corridors at triple the normal speed.
2. Entity Hazard Profiles
While hunting for the TVs, you will navigate dangerous corridors patrolled by three distinct threats:
The Ceiling Spider (Hole Entity)
Watch the ceiling. You will see dark, open ventilation holes. If you walk directly under them, a massive, hyper-fast spider will drop down to kill you. You cannot outrun it in a straight line.
- Multiplayer Proximity Baiting: In co-op mode, the spider will always descend from the hole of the player who reaches their respective corridor hole first. Have one player step near a hole to bait the drop, then quickly retreat while the second player dashes past.
The Curtain Spirit
Do not enter hotel rooms with closed curtains showing glowing red eyes. Getting too close triggers an instant-kill attack where the entity pulls you through the curtain.
The Smiling Eye
Dispel them by shining your flashlight beam directly on their face.
3. The God-Tier 1-TV Diagonal Skip
Why waste time hunting for all three TVs when you only need one? You can completely bypass the sorting puzzle and the high-floor entities using this collision exploit:
How to execute the 1-TV skip:
- Locate just one TV cart (any letter) on the lower floors.
- Push it inside the Freight Elevator.
- Instead of parking it normally, wedge the cart diagonally into the corner of the elevator wall.
- Hold your sprint/accelerate key and spam your push input (
F) to shove the cart forcefully into the wall collision boundaries. - Your character model or the elevator's transition trigger will glitch through the floor boundaries, instantly loading you into the next level.
By executing this clip, you will bypass the need to collect the remaining TVs, entirely avoiding the dangerous upper floors. Once through, walk down the corridor to transition safely into the next stage.
Escape the Backrooms Level 188 Guide: 1-TV Puzzle & Glitch Video
Video chapters
Player route notes
Things we check before pushing ahead
We use this as the quick “don’t make the same mistake twice” checklist. If your room, spawn, or prompt does not match the video, stop and check the normal route first—patches and co-op timing can make an old shortcut look tempting when it simply will not work.
Movement Optimization (Slide-Tackling):
Look around slowly before guessing. Props can hide chairs, switches, notes, and pickups; a second camera angle is usually faster than brute force.
The Ceiling Spider (Hole Entity)
Call out what was pressed, collected, or opened. It prevents the classic “we all thought somebody did it” reset.
The Curtain Spirit
If a skip behaves inconsistently, leave it and take the intended route. A clean run beats getting stuck in geometry.
Multiplayer tips
For the Courtyard TVs, one player remembers which window is A, B, and C while the others search the floors. Bring each set back to the main room before splitting again.