Gone Home

June 7, 1995. 1:15 AM.

You arrive home after a year abroad. You expect your family to greet you, but the house is empty. Something's not right. Where is everyone? And what's happened here?

To obtain the Gone Home trophy you must: Complete the game and keep on the Voice Diaries.

Strategy:

• Do not use this guide for your first playthrough.
• Do not use modifiers that allow you to turn on all lights and open all doors, as this will spoil the experience.
• Keep the map active to aid in orientation.
• Do not disable the voice diaries, as you cannot end the game if you can't hear the narration.
• Adjust Graphics to increase Brightness and Field of View unless you prefer playing in darkness.
• Keeping the reticule helps with targeting objects to pick them up and put them back.

Walkthrough

This walkthrough is designed as a guide to complete the game quickly and gain the Gone Home Trophy, picking up four secret trophies on the way (identified as A, B, C, D). If you just want to complete the game for the first time, then ignore the Optional sections.

Front Porch

After a long loading screen, the game begins with a voicemail from Katie to her parents. You are facing the front door of the house, but it's locked and there is a message stuck to the door. Turn left and open the right door of the cupboard. Grab the Christmas Duck (linked to a secret trophy) and discard it to one side (press R2). Pick up the Spare Key which was lying underneath the toy. It is added to the Backpack and you can view other items here by pressing L1. With the key, you will be able to open the front door and enter the Foyer of the house.

Optional: Leave the front door open as a reminder to return and pick up the Christmas Duck later to complete a trophy. Or pick it up now and leave it on the rug. Enter the cloakroom to the left and turn on the Faucet (Trophy B). This is the first of 8 faucets inside the house. Turn them all on and leave them running to gain a trophy during this exploration.

Staying on the ground floor, walk up to the telephone table. Switch on the light and listen to the messages on the answer machine. You can view a family painting on the wall to the left of the telephone table.

First Floor - Corridor

Walk up the staircase and turn on lights as you go - there's a lamp at the top of the stairs and the hall light switch is to the right of the entrance to the landing. Most room and corridor switches are in that position, close to a doorway. Follow the corridor past Sam's room to the right, and her parents' bedroom to the left. The room at the far end is a guest room. Turn left at the corner to see some red lights. This marks the entrance to the Attic, but the door is locked.

Sitting and Sewing Rooms - Sketch Map 1

Enter the open door to the right of the corridor and turn on the light switch. Check the map using Triangle to see that you are inside a Sitting Room. Open the door to the Sewing Room and open the Folder on the small table. This reveals a sketch map with a secret passage marked. Check your map and it will now show that secret passage leading from a closet in Mom and Dad's Bedroom.

Optional: There are two cassette tapes inside these rooms. One is an empty case found on the floor next to the table in the Sewing Room, and the playable one is on the chair in the Sitting Room. The cassette player is on the side table in this room. Take the tape to the machine and you will get a prompt to insert it. There are other tapes in the house, usually close to a player.

Mom and Dad's Bedroom - Sketch Map 2

Go inside and turn on the room lights. Enter the door to the left of the bathroom and approach the back wall. You can open the secret panel and go down the stairs. Directly opposite the bottom of the steps is a map on the wall. Examine this to learn of three hidden compartments.

Turn to the right, and walk a few steps to the end of the passage. Turn left and touch the wall to reveal a secret panel that swings outwards into a new room. This is a library on the Ground Floor. But it's dark, and hard to get your bearings on the first visit, so it's better to turn around again, leaving the panel open if you wish, and return through Mom and Dad's room to the corridor.

Optional: Enter the bathroom and turn on both Faucets (B) over the basins. Go through the inner door and do the same with the Faucet (B) over the bath. There are 4 more faucets to turn on.

First Floor - 1st combo scrap

This time go straight ahead into the short side corridor. You'll see a door to the right with a sign *Danger*. Turn so your back is to that door and investigate the panelled wall in front of you. You'll find the loose panel which can be removed. Discard the panel and check out the contents of the compartment. The important item is the 1st combo scrap. This gives you half of the combination for the locker in Sam's room.

Optional: The other two items in the cubbyhole introduce a sub-plot about Oscar. Keep a look out for more information about this mysterious person.

West Wing - 2nd combo scrap

Return down the stairs to the ground floor and go right, into the West Wing. Open the door and move forwards a couple of steps and turn to the right to find the light switch. Check out the loose panel on the same wall - it's the one to the right of the light switch. Take the 2nd combo scrap and you will get a message to say that you have completed the combination to Sam's locker. You can view this in the game.

This section covers the controls and gameplay features for Gone Home on PlayStation 4. Understanding these elements is key to navigating the game effectively and achieving specific goals, especially for speed runs.

Saving Progress: Progress is NOT automatically saved. Use the Options button to access the save and quit menu to manually save. Failure to do so can result in losing significant progress if the game crashes or power is lost.

Options Menu: These settings can be adjusted at any time.

• Graphics: Adjust Brightness, Field of View. Useful for increasing light in dark areas for speed runs.
• Controls: Look Sensitivity, Crouch Style (Toggle/Hold), Sticky Targeting (On/Off), Invert Look (On/Off), Swap Left/Right Sticks (On/Off). Setting Crouch to 'Hold' can prevent accidental crouching.
• Sound: Main Volume, Voice Volume, Music Volume, Sound Effects Volume.
• Gameplay: Show Training Messages, Enable Headbob, Hide Reticule, Disable Interaction Highlight, Disable Interaction Text.
• Language: Overlay Text, Display Subtitles, Current Language selection.

Modifiers: Accessible only from the main menu before starting a new game. These can unlock all doors and turn on all lights, but are not recommended for a first playthrough as they reduce tension. Modifiers cannot be used for speed trophies.

Grab and Put Back: The game allows you to pick up and return objects to their original positions, maintaining order in the house. You can also move items around to group them.

Map: The in-game map reveals the house layout as you explore. Three hidden sketch maps reveal additional areas and hidden compartments:

1. Sewing Room (First Floor): Inside a folder on a small table by the door.
2. Greenhouse (East Wing): On a small table by the door.
3. Mom and Dad's Bedroom (First Floor): Inside the closet, push open a secret panel near the back wall. The map is on the wall near the light string.

Buttons: Collectible buttons (badges in the UK) are found throughout the house but have no gameplay significance.

Playing Cassettes: Find cassette tapes and insert them into players to listen to music. The sound lowers slightly if developer commentary is active.

These letters from Sam to Katie are listed as Journals in the game, and there are a total of 24 dated entries. You can read the entries or listen to them all again from the menu. The final one requires some slightly more complicated movement than simply finding an object and interacting with it, but it is NOT required for the Letters to Katie trophy. This list is shown in chronological order, as recorded in the game.

It's a good plan to turn on all house lights and open all doors while completing this trophy, and take your time exploring every nook and cranny if you want to find everything, before doing the speed trophies.

ALERT! Make sure to finish the game after finding all the entries. That means clicking on the green diary inside the Attic.

1. Aug. 20, 1994: At the New House
   Inside the folder on a pile of boxes outside the downstairs toilet, to the left of the front door, when facing the stairs.
2. Sept. 6, 1994: First Day of School
   Note on the backpack inside the closet at the left side of the West Wing corridor.
3. Sept. 13, 1994: Big Gold Star
   “Making Friends” book to the left of the large TV in the TV room.
4. Sept. 15, 1994: Default Friends
   Music Room closet: read the letter sticking out of the pocket of the blue jacket.
5. Oct. 3, 1994: Best-Laid Plans
   West Wing: Corridor to Basement inside the bottom drawer of the 3 drawer cabinet.
6. Oct. 4, 1994: Hanging Out with Girls
   First Floor Corridor: Bookcase at the left of the corridor on the way to Sam's room. Open the lower door to find a cassette case.
7. Oct 22, 1994: Dealing With Roots
   Inside Sam's Bathroom. Pick up the red hair dye by the bath.
8. Oct. 29, 1994: Lie-to-Mom-and-Dad Situation
   First Floor: Sitting Room (next to the Sewing Room.) Examine the note inside the top drawer of the wooden cupboard behind the easel.
9. Oct. 29, 1994: Adjusting to the Dark
   Inside the Library off Dad's Office is a secret panel in the lower left corner of the room, as marked on the secrets map. On the ground it's around the bookcases, heading left and then in the upper right corner of the room. Open it to reveal a Missfits flyer.
10. Nov. 1, 1994: There Was Nothing Wrong
    Inside Sam's room, open the locker and examine Lonnie's photo. (Code 0501 to unlock it)
11. Dec. 8, 1994: It's Different Now
    Inside the Basement Junk Room there is a pink slip on a small table. It's partly hidden under cardboard box.
12. Jan 12, 1995: Ship Date
    In the Basement there is a letter lying on a box to the left of the furnace.
13. Feb. 11, 1995: I Can Sing
    Inside the Basement, Servant's room, check the set list pinned to the wall next to the door to the corridor.
14. Mar.11, 1995: Stick with the group
    This is found inside the Junk Room in the Basement. It's a postcard on a table near the old newspapers.
15. Apr. 5, 1995: The Nunnery
    East Wing hallway. Examine the scrap paper at the lower left edge of the coffee table next to the couch. Close the folder first to reveal the paper.
16. Apr.10, 1995: Getting Lonnie
    Inside the secret room in the Basement. There's a letter fro Sam's school on the large table.
17. Apr. 22, 1995: A Very Long Phase
    Inside the Dining Room, there's a colourful folder on the dining room table. Inside it is a pink paper from the school and a note. Check out both pieces of paper.
18. May 1, 1995: Just Gone
    Inside the garage, grab the hat hanging from the bicycle and return it.
19. May 19, 1995: Daniel
    A note with a story is found on the table in the Kitchen.
20. Jun. 3, 1995: Dedication
    This note is found in the secret panel cubbyhole in the corridor in the East Wing. The panel is next to the table at the end of the corridor, and the note is a crumpled piece of paper.
21. Jun. 5, 1995: Life Moves On
    This is the map which is found inside the Greenhouse. It's at the far end, on a small table next to the door that cannot be opened.
22. Jun. 6, 1995: In The Attic
    Open the secret panel to the right of the staircase to find a secret room.Step back as the panel opens to allow it to open fully.) Inside is the Attic Key on a large cardboard box. Pick it up to trigger the narration.
23. Jun. 6, 1995: I Said Yes
    Inside the Attic is a camp bed covered with a green blanket. Examine the drawing on the bed to obtain this diary entry.
24. Aug. 30, 1994: Meow, meow, meow
    The Final entry is not included in the Letters to Katie trophy, but it IS required for the Speedrunner trophy. See the separate section on this.