How to Restore Sanity in Escape the Backrooms

Escape the Backrooms is not just about dodging monsters or finding the exit; it’s about keeping your mind intact. Unlike most horror games, Escape the Backrooms doesn’t rely on a simple health bar. Instead, your Sanity is your main survival metric. When it drops too low, hallucinations begin, reality bends, and before long, your character completely breaks down, resulting in death. Read on to learn how to restore your Sanity and stay alive in Escape the Backrooms.

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By Rachael Phillips

What is Sanity in Escape the Backrooms?

You can track your Sanity by opening your inventory and looking at the brain icon on the right side. Your Sanity drains with every flicker of a dying light and every echo in those yellow halls. When the brain icon starts to distort, it’s your cue that things are getting bad.

Each level drains your sanity at a different pace. Darker and more creepy environments drain your Sanity quicker. For example, some levels can rapidly deplete your Sanity, while a few levels like Level 0 lets you breathe easily with little to no Sanity drain.

You can even find computer files scattered around a few levels that show exactly how much sanity you’ll lose in that area.

Once your Sanity meter hits zero, your character loses grip on reality completely, and you’re sent back to the lobby or your last checkpoint. If you’re playing co-op, it’s even trickier. Each player has their own sanity meter, so one teammate’s collapse can drag everyone down (in higher difficulties).

How to Restore Sanity in Escape the Backrooms

The most reliable way to restore sanity is by consuming Almond Water. Each bottle restores about 50% of your sanit y, making it an absolute must-have. You can find Almond Water by searching office rooms, filing cabinets, and shelves, especially in early levels like the yellow offices or hotel-themed areas.

Even though you’ll be tempted, don’t waste them too early. The best time to drink Almond Water is when your sanity falls below 50%. Using it at full or near-full sanity wastes valuable recovery, particularly in later stages.

Besides Almond Water, other consumables like Juice and Energy Bars can also restore your sanity. They’re less powerful but can still save your life when you’re running low.

It’s also worth mentioning that sanity levels work differently across difficulty settings. For example, on Nightmare difficulty, sanity drains up to 150%, while there’s no sanity loss at all on Easy difficulty.

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