Alan Wake 2: Best order to play the story

Did you know that you can play Saga and Alan’s chapters in any order you’d like? Once you get the ability to switch characters, you’ll probably want to know the best order to play the story in Alan Wake 2.

Although the game allows you the freedom of switching realities, is there a certain way to the play the story that’s better than others? We’ll answer this question below.

Does it matter what order you play the chapters in Alan Wake 2?

I too was wondering whether there was a best order to play the story in Alan Wake 2, or a preferred sequence for understanding the plotline. Fortunately, Remedy promises that there’s no “right or wrong way to play through the content”, according to Molly Maloney, the principal narrative designer on Alan Wake 2.

Comments from this GamesRadar article from a few months ago details how it really doesn’t matter what order you play the chapters in. Apparently, no matter which order you play the content in, it’ll be understandable and enjoyable.

This is good news to hear, as it would get confusing for players who may play it one way and realize they’re not comprehending the plot as well as another player would. Although Remedy explained how it was challenging trying to figure out a cohesive way to tell the story of Alan Wake 2, it seems it pulled it off.

But how do they remedy (pun intended) this issue? Apparently, Saga’s Case Board helps us players understand and remember the heaping amounts of information we receive during the playthrough. I too am noticing while playing that I go back to my Case Board to remember old details. Game Director Kyle Rowley said this about the case board in the same article:

The case board actually acts as a nice re-onboarding for players if they have decided to play a different way. It basically tracks everything you’ve been doing in the game from Saga’s perspective. 

GamesRadar

If you really want to know my opinion of the better way to play the story, I’d say go back and forth between Saga and Alan. This should help balance both stories so you don’t feel tired of playing only one character. But it’s really up to you!

Other Alan Wake 2 articles

Alan Wake 2 is available on the Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.