Locate the map and computers
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.
On the street sections, Neighborhood Watch is the reason to choose the next house before opening the door. Its patrol and the Wretch houses create two different problems: break the street sightline first, then enter with an interior exit in mind.
Part 1: The Suburbs Puzzle
Your goal is to find several computer terminals scattered across the houses. The locations are randomized each playthrough. For a visual reference to this route, see Level 9 Map.
- Reading the Map: Locate a main security hub (usually near fences). The screen shows green dots (computers) and your current location.
- The Wall Trick: As demonstrated in the video (01:23), you don't always need to enter a house. Many computers can be "clicked" through the glass or walls from the outside, keeping you safe from entities inside.
- Beishi (Stone Guardian): This entity patrols the interiors. Unlike the blind entities of Level 6, the Beishi can see. If you must enter, use jump-crouches over stair railings to lose its aggro.
Part 2: The Big Eye & Street Safety
A massive, multi-legged "Big Eye" monster patrols the streets. It is extremely fast and can kill you instantly.
- Avoidance: Stay in the shadows and move between houses quickly.
- The Clipping Bug: The video shows a trick where players can "glitch" through the Big Eye or use specific trees to hide their hitbox, making the monster unable to register a kill (08:15).
Part 3: The Underground Laboratory
After all computers are activated, the M.E.G. gate opens, leading to a secret laboratory beneath the suburbs.
- The Crowbar & Vents: Find a crowbar to pry open ventilation shafts. These shafts contain the hidden rooms where the Xingren Water Concentrates are located.
- Collecting Bottles: You need 4 bottles of concentrate. Some are in plain sight, others are behind prying-access doors.
- The Tank Puzzle: Push the large white pressurized tank into the designated slot near the "Emergency Shower" area.
PRO TIP: If the tank is hard to move, lower your game's frame rate in the settings; it often makes the physics interaction much smoother.
Part 4: Obtaining the Exit ID
To leave the level, you must obtain a physical ID badge from an M.E.G. researcher who has been turned into a Beishi.
- Insert the 4 concentrate bottles into the machine.
- Lure a Beishi entity into the center of the treatment platform (the footprint area).
- Quickly run to the control booth and activate the shower.
- The gas will transform the Beishi back into a human. Once the animation finishes, enter the room and grab the Badge from the researcher's chest.
Take the Badge to the final card-swipe terminal at the end of the hall. This will unlock the door to Level 10 (The Fields).
Escape the Backrooms: Level 9 & Lab Walkthrough 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.
Optional wall shortcut
Look around slowly before guessing. Props can hide chairs, switches, notes, and pickups; a second camera angle is usually faster than brute force.
Avoid the Wretch
Call out what was pressed, collected, or opened. It prevents the classic “we all thought somebody did it” reset.
Solve the laboratory puzzle
If a skip behaves inconsistently, leave it and take the intended route. A clean run beats getting stuck in geometry.
Multiplayer tips
In the Suburbs and Lab, keep the key item with a player who is not leading a chase. Regroup before each puzzle; clues are much easier to read once nobody is still running from the previous area.
Encounter file
Entities in this level
What each entity does on this route, and the move that keeps the encounter under control.
Male Deathmoth
How it appears here
Small harmless Deathmoths can appear in Level 9 as an optional source of Moth Jelly.
How to avoid it
Spray only if the resource is useful; do not treat them like the giant female variant or interrupt the route to hide from them.
Wretch
How it appears here
Wretches occupy six houses and the Abandoned Outpost. The house variants can see and open doors; the Outpost Wretch carries the Admin Card and a crowbar.
How to avoid it
Listen for footsteps in houses, close and lock the door after retreating, and use the Outpost locker or vent before collecting the card.
Neighborhood Watch
How it appears here
Neighborhood Watch patrols Level 9’s streets while the team moves between terminal houses. Its footsteps and eye-facing lane decide when a road is safe to cross.
How to avoid it
Plan the next house before stepping out, stay out of its frontal sightline, and reset inside a house or behind solid cover instead of running down the road.
