He had won! He had defeated the machine!
Narrator
The Freedom Ending (also known as the Correct Ending or the Life Ending[1]) is the "definitive" ending of The Stanley Parable, achieved by following along with the Narrator's story.
This ending is in the original mod, HD Remix, and Ultra Deluxe.
Obtaining the ending[]
Exit Stanley's Office. At the Two Doors Room, pick the one on the left. Once you get to the staircase, go up to the Boss's Office. Head straight to the Mind Control Facility, and go to the Facility Power Room. Once you get to the power source, push the "OFF" button.
The Ending[]
Once Stanley presses the "OFF" button, the power goes out in the facility. After a few moments of this, an immense door, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere, slowly opens, revealing a lush, green valley highly evocative of the dales of Yorkshire.
During this, the Narrator will acknowledge that while Stanley never truly solved the many mysteries thrust upon him (such as the whereabouts of his co-workers, why he was freed from the machine's grasp, etc), he is nevertheless content, realizing that he had found the one thing he needs; happiness. Happiness knowing that, from this moment onward, he will lead his own life. Stanley's life.
When the giant door finally opens completely, Stanley walks out into the countryside a different man, finally freed from his office, finally able to think for himself, excited at the new, endless possibilities. As stated at the beginning of the story, "Stanley is happy."
With The Bucket[]
This building did not want the bucket to leave! Even the facility itself recognized the incredible calming presence of the bucket needed the soothing warmth of the bucket!
The Narrator
If Stanley is holding The Bucket, the player will experience its Bucket Variant (also known as the Trapped Ending). The Narrator states what Stanley and The Bucket want to do once they exit the facility. The Bucket wants to learn how to roller skate, Stanley wants to sneeze in every country, and they both want to watch a movie halfway through then watch it in reverse from the end. After The Narrator talks about what Stanley and The Bucket want to do, the door exiting the facility stops halfway through, with the Narrator stating the facility does not want The Bucket to leave due to the calming presence of The Bucket. The door exiting the facility closes itself back up, leaving Stanley and The Bucket in total darkness, though Stanley notes that being trapped in the darkness wont be so bad since he has The Bucket. The game will then restart as normal.
Notes[]
- Although The Narrator stated that Stanley was happy, you will always respawn in Stanley's Office after that, like any other endings.
- The Greenfield in the beta Freedom Ending was different, as seen in the Museum.
- Many fans consider this to be the game's real ending for a number of reasons:
- This is the only ending where Stanley does everything the Narrator says.
- The Achievement given for this ending is called Beat The Game.
- During some of the other endings, the Narrator will state that this is the game's intended ending.
- In the original Half-Life 2 mod, the credits roll and the game will end. The Narrator says in the HD Remake's Demo that he also changed that.
- This is the only ending where it is possible to obtain the Speedrun Achievement.
- Because of the fact that now the Not Stanley Ending got the credits, it could also be considered a true ending.
- By using the source engine developer console, it is possible to teleport past the cutscene trigger and explore the green fields area beyond the door.
- A human skull can be found near the building to the left of the door.
- This could possibly be a reference to the words 'RIP Franz' written on a whiteboard in the Meeting Room.
- This skull is the map object designated as the source of the narrator's dialogue. In most Source Engine games, audio (and especially dialogue) originates from an object placed outside the map, if it doesn't come from a visible NPC the player interacts with.
- In the Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe version of the game, the skull is still there, but now is a widened 2d sprite, and it doesn't manage the Narrator's dialogue anymore.
- A human skull can be found near the building to the left of the door.
- Looking to the left as the giant door opens, a small portion of the building Stanley is in (or a neighboring structure) can be glimpsed, along with part of a parking lot.
- The staircase at the very end of the ending has 16 steps. Which is a number that can be divided by Eight.
Gallery[]
.png "FreedomUD (1).png (68 KB)")
.png "FreedomUD (2).png (488 KB)")
.png "FreedomUD (3).png (448 KB)")
.png "FreedomUD (4).png (706 KB)")
.png "FreedomUD (5).png (875 KB)")
.png "FreedomUD (6).png (1.04 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (7).png (1.4 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (8).png (1.25 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (9).png (1.17 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (10).png (1.88 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (11).png (1.85 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (12).png (1.87 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (13).png (1.77 MB)")
.png "FreedomUD (14).png (803 KB)")
Video Guide[]
| Endings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Left door | Freedom Ending • Countdown Ending • Museum Ending • Mariella Ending • Escape Pod Ending • Heaven Ending • Broom Closet Ending • Press Conference Ending • Bottom of the Mind Control Room Ending | |
| Right door | Confusion Ending • Powerful Ending • Cold Feet Ending • Apartment Ending • Not Stanley Ending • Zending • Games Ending • Art Ending • Tape Recorder Ending • No Buckets Ending | |
| Does not require the two doors room | Coward Ending • Out of Map Ending • Serious Ending • Whiteboard Ending | |
| Progression Endings | Paywall Ending • New Content Ending • Skip Button Ending • Infinite Hole Ending • Sequel Ending • Figurines Ending • Epilogue | |