How to Solve The Witness

Some games are mysterious, but The Witness is that to the extreme. You’re alone on a strange island, with no instructions about what to do next. What are you a witness to? The game’s not saying. In fact, this dialogue-free experience isn’t saying anything at all.

The joy of The Witness is in discovery—exploring the island and its puzzles within interconnected puzzles. However, in the game’s earliest moments, as you emerge from a tunnel into a garden strewn with thick cables, you might feel lost. Here are some tips to help you get started (without giving too much away).

The Witness may be wordless, but there’s a grammar and vocabulary to it. Once you figure out how one puzzle works, you’ll apply that knowledge to later tasks. Just like learning a foreign tongue, over time you’ll gain proficiency. Keep this in mind as you explore.

Though it’s sprawling, the island is full of landmarks to help you find your way to key locations (and back again). So grab paper and pencil (or iPad and Apple Pencil) and sketch as you explore, noting whatever might be important.

Even if something seems insignificant now, you may find it useful further in your journey.

Little in The Witness is accidental—the challenge is often figuring out why an object is there. If you spot cables coming out of a panel, follow them to see where they lead. If you notice a gap in the tree line, squeeze through to investigate what may be lurking in the woods. The Witness, very much an open world, rewards curiosity.

“There’s nothing arbitrary,” says game director Jonathan Blow. “Everything in the game has a purpose. Sometimes things have two or three or five purposes.”

If you were exploring an island in real life, you’d photograph anything that caught your eye. Do the same here, taking screenshots (Command-Shift-3) of important scenes and puzzles. And don’t forget to snap completed puzzles. You’ll appreciate having them when you play through the game a second (or third) time.

While early puzzles are fairly straightforward, those you come across later are impossible to solve without context. Solutions may be echoes of something you’ve already seen or heard. Shadows, reflections, and worn pathways can be vital clues. Observe deliberately, and when stumped try viewing a puzzle from a new direction–or location.

“You can always wander around and try something else, and you might run into something that gives you new ideas about how to solve the thing you were stuck on,” says Blow.

Walked so much that your virtual legs ache? Head to the beach at the southeast corner of the island, where you’ll find a simple puzzle at the end of a rock pier. Completing it summons a small boat from beneath the waves.

Hop into it to easily (if slowly) to visit any dock on the island. The map you use to steer the boat (simply draw the path you want to sail) also serves as a handy navigational aid when you’re on land. Remember the previous tip: Take screenshots.

One of the goals of the game—and this isn’t a spoiler—is to activate turrets that blast beams of light at a mountain. While there are 11 turrets on the island, you need to activate only seven to access the mountain—and technically finish the game.

But if you rush to the mountain early, you’ll miss a big chunk of The Witness. To unearth all the game’s secrets, return to areas you haven’t completed. You’ll be glad you did.