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To make the Curator appear in Directive 8020, find the first O Death secret in Episode 8, “The Way Back.” That pickup restores the Curator’s hidden appearances around possible death scenes. Find all five O Death secrets to unlock the complete Curator cutscene in Bonus Content and a teaser for the next Dark Pictures game. Spoilers follow.
What the Curator unlock actually means
Directive 8020 has two separate Curator milestones. The first is a trigger collectible: “This Doesn’t Belong Here,” found during Episode 8’s “The Way Back” section. Once collected, the game can place the Curator around later potential-death moments. The second milestone is the complete five-item O Death set. Finishing that set opens a dedicated Curator return scene that can be replayed from Bonus Content and adds the next Dark Pictures teaser.
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This is hidden Curator content, not a separate Curator’s Cut campaign. The available guide reports describe no alternate Curator’s Cut playthrough for Directive 8020; the unlock is tied to the O Death secrets.
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- Game: Directive 8020.
- Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
- Release date: May 12, 2026, according to Supermassive Games’ published game information.
- Progress: You need to reach Episode 8, “The Way Back,” for the trigger item. The remaining collectibles are placed in earlier episodes.
- Replay option: After the first secret, use the game’s Turning Point system to revisit earlier campaign sections, where available. Published guides also refer to chapter or scene selection; the exact menu wording and availability can vary by platform and save state.
The directions below follow published guide reports rather than an independently played copy. GameSpot is the primary location reference. Another guide confirms the five-secret structure but gives different room-level directions in places, so treat the named rooms, scenes and landmarks as the reliable route markers rather than assuming every corridor turn is identical.
#1 Best Overall
- TRUST NO-ONE - Encounter an alien lifeform that perfectly imitates its prey. Years of training and trust are lost among the crew when their enemy hides in plain sight. Who is human and who is not? Your choices are now more important than ever!
- REWIND DECISION - Rewrite your destiny and change the course of your story with our new Turning Points story tree. Uncover multiple endings, unlock hidden paths, and save your crew from their fateful deaths.
- REAL-TIME ALIEN THREATS - Evade a deadly alien threat that roams the dark corridors of the ship, intent on eradicating human life. Overcome your enemies using improvised weapons, lightning reflexes, and stealth.
- DON’T PLAY ALONE - Recruit up to five players to join you on your mission in couch-co-op movie night mode. Choose which crew members to control and work together with your friends to survive alien infiltrators, deadly dilemmas, and catastrophic system failures.
- DELUXE UPGRADE INCLUDED – For a limited time only, receive with every purchase: The Dark Pictures Outfit Pack, Additional Dark Pictures Collectibles, Cinematic Filter Packs, Digital Artbook and exclusive soundtrack
Plan the unlock in two passes
The cleanest approach is to treat the Curator content as a trigger pass followed by a completion pass. First, play to Episode 8 and collect “This Doesn’t Belong Here.” This turns on the Curator appearances and makes the earlier-episode secrets available according to the guide route. Second, use Turning Point or the available chapter and scene replay tools to collect the four remaining items in Episodes 1, 3 and 5.
You do not need to collect every item in one uninterrupted campaign run. The five secrets are spread across four episodes, with two of them in Episode 5. If you are replaying scenes, note the exact episode, scene and character listed for each item. Selecting only an episode may not place you beside the object, and a different character route can put you in the wrong part of the scene.
Unlock the first Curator appearance in Episode 8
The trigger is in Episode 8, “Come True — The Way Back.” You are looking for the O Death secret titled “This Doesn’t Belong Here.” It is the only item you need before the Curator begins appearing elsewhere.
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Continue through the episode until you have completed the elevator-shaft purge. The objective then changes to “Get to the Hangar.” That objective change is the guide-reported checkpoint for the collectible route. If you are still working through the purge or have not seen the objective update, the power-cell route is not yet the correct path.
2. Restore power and enter the vent route
- Search for the power cell in the area opened by the new objective.
- Carry the cell to the receptacle with the missing cell and insert it.
- Use the newly powered route to crawl through the vent.
- Follow the environmental power-routing and server-room puzzle path. The collectible is not placed at the start of the episode; it is beyond this powered route.
This sequence is useful as a navigation check. If there is no vent route or server-room power-routing section, recheck that you are in “The Way Back” and have reached “Get to the Hangar,” rather than another Episode 8 segment.
3. Take “This Doesn’t Belong Here”
Continue until you reach the area around the Simms’ Recording terminal. The guide-reported position is on the ground near that terminal. Pick up the item before moving on. A brief screen flicker and a Curator desk scene follow the pickup, signaling that the hidden Curator appearances have been enabled.
Do not expect the Curator to be present from the opening chapters. The published routes place the first activation behind this Episode 8 collectible. Examining the area without actually taking the item does not serve as confirmation; wait for the flicker and desk sequence to finish.
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Rank #2
- TRUST NO-ONE - Encounter an alien lifeform that perfectly imitates its prey. Years of training and trust are lost among the crew when their enemy hides in plain sight. Who is human and who is not? Your choices are now more important than ever!
- REWIND DECISION - Rewrite your destiny and change the course of your story with our new Turning Points story tree. Uncover multiple endings, unlock hidden paths, and save your crew from their fateful deaths.
- REAL-TIME ALIEN THREATS - Evade a deadly alien threat that roams the dark corridors of the ship, intent on eradicating human life. Overcome your enemies using improvised weapons, lightning reflexes, and stealth.
- DON’T PLAY ALONE - Recruit up to five players to join you on your mission in couch-co-op movie night mode. Choose which crew members to control and work together with your friends to survive alien infiltrators, deadly dilemmas, and catastrophic system failures.
- DELUXE UPGRADE INCLUDED – For a limited time only, receive with every purchase: The Dark Pictures Outfit Pack, Additional Dark Pictures Collectibles, Cinematic Filter Packs, Digital Artbook and exclusive soundtrack
What changes after the Episode 8 pickup
The first item changes the game’s encounter track rather than completing the whole secret quest. After the flicker and desk sequence, the Curator can appear around scenes in which a character might die. These appearances are contextual interruptions or observations, not a new playable route and not a replacement for the normal scene outcomes.
If your goal is only to see the Curator return, you can stop after confirming that scene. If you want the dedicated ending to this hidden thread and the bonus teaser, continue through all five O Death secrets. The first pickup and the full set therefore answer different questions: “When does he start appearing?” is answered by Episode 8, while “How do I unlock the complete Curator scene?” requires every listed secret.
Use Turning Point to revisit earlier episodes
The remaining four items are distributed through Episodes 1, 3 and 5. After the Episode 8 trigger has been collected, the guides report that Turning Point can rewind the campaign to the necessary sections. The game may expose the same function through chapter or scene selection, depending on the current save and platform.
- Open the replay feature from the game’s available campaign or scene-selection menu.
- Choose the episode and scene named in the location table below.
- Play far enough to reach the collectible instead of assuming that selecting an episode places you beside it.
- Collect the secret, then allow the game to save before leaving or selecting another scene.
- Repeat for every remaining entry. If the final cutscene does not appear, replay the episode containing the item you may have skipped and verify that the collectible was actually picked up.
Because the cited guides do not establish one universal menu label for every platform, use the visible Turning Point, chapter or scene-replay option in your build rather than relying on an exact button sequence. The important requirement is reaching the named scene after the Episode 8 trigger, not finding a particular menu phrase.
All five O Death secret locations
| Secret | Episode and scene | Guide-reported landmark | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| This Doesn’t Belong Here | Episode 8: Come True — The Way Back | On the ground near the Simms’ Recording terminal, after the power-cell, vent and power-routing/server-room route | Episode 8 trigger for Curator appearances |
| The Man in the Bowler Hat | Episode 1: Little Star — Medical | As Carter, lift the lockdown. The datapad is by the station, before the door that starts the spacewalk segment | One of the four additional secrets |
| Paranoia | Episode 3: The Sample — Search | A newly available terminal to the left of the food and drinks machines in the Mess Hall | One of the four additional secrets |
| O_DTH | Episode 5: Mr. Williams — Radio Silence | On Cernan’s route, along the corridor leading toward the cockpit | One of the two Episode 5 secrets |
| Bloodlines | Episode 5: Mr. Williams — Radio Silence | After leaving the bridge, take the elevator to the upper deck. Follow the hallway and steps toward the Crew Lounge; the item is reported on a bench just before the door | Completes the five-secret set when the other four are collected |
The room-level descriptions in the table are guide-reported landmarks. A second published walkthrough corroborates the first-item trigger and the five-secret structure but differs on some precise room directions. If an object is not where the landmark suggests, confirm that you selected the stated scene and are following the correct character route before assuming the collectible is unavailable.
Episode 1: The Man in the Bowler Hat
Replay Episode 1, “Little Star,” scene “Medical.” The guide route uses Carter. Progress until you can lift the lockdown. The collectible is a datapad positioned by the station, before the door that triggers the spacewalk segment.
The timing matters: passing through that door can move the scene into the spacewalk sequence, so search the station area first. If the datapad is missing, check that the lockdown has been lifted and that you are controlling Carter in the Medical scene rather than entering through a different replay point. The item is one of the four follow-up secrets, so finding it does not by itself produce the full Curator scene.
Rank #3
- TRUST NO-ONE - Encounter an alien lifeform that perfectly imitates its prey. Years of training and trust are lost among the crew when their enemy hides in plain sight. Who is human and who is not? Your choices are now more important than ever!
- REWIND DECISION - Rewrite your destiny and change the course of your story with our new Turning Points story tree. Uncover multiple endings, unlock hidden paths, and save your crew from their fateful deaths.
- REAL-TIME ALIEN THREATS - Evade a deadly alien threat that roams the dark corridors of the ship, intent on eradicating human life. Overcome your enemies using improvised weapons, lightning reflexes, and stealth.
- DON’T PLAY ALONE - Recruit up to five players to join you on your mission in couch-co-op movie night mode. Choose which crew members to control and work together with your friends to survive alien infiltrators, deadly dilemmas, and catastrophic system failures.
Episode 3: Paranoia
Replay Episode 3, “The Sample,” scene “Search.” In the Mess Hall, look for a new terminal to the left of the food and drinks machines. “New” refers to the terminal’s availability after the Curator track has been activated; it is not necessarily an object you would have used during the first pass through the episode.
Approach the terminal and collect “Paranoia.” If you cannot see it, orient yourself by the food and drinks machines rather than by a generic room name, since the guides differ on some finer navigation details. Make sure you have entered “Search,” not another Episode 3 scene, before troubleshooting the terminal.
Episode 5: O_DTH and Bloodlines
Both remaining secrets are in Episode 5, “Mr. Williams,” scene “Radio Silence.” They are separate pickups, so finishing one does not complete the episode’s contribution by itself. Plan to search both parts of the route before leaving the scene.
O_DTH
Follow Cernan’s route. GameSpot places “O_DTH” along the corridor leading to the cockpit. Search the corridor before moving into the cockpit area so you do not leave the item behind while advancing the scene. The character matters here: the guide specifically identifies Cernan’s route.
Bloodlines
After leaving the bridge, take the elevator to the upper deck. Follow the hallway and steps toward the Crew Lounge. The guide-reported position for “Bloodlines” is on a bench immediately before the Crew Lounge door. Check the bench before crossing the doorway. Because both Episode 5 items share the same scene name, use the landmarks and progression points to verify that you have collected both.
How to confirm the full unlock
Once all five secrets have been collected, the game unlocks the complete Curator return cutscene. The scene is replayable through Bonus Content, and the same completion also reveals the next Dark Pictures teaser. The bonus scene is the confirmation that the entire O Death set is registered; the earlier flicker and desk sequence only confirms the Episode 8 trigger.
- Episode 8 item collected: Curator appearances are enabled.
- Episodes 1, 3 and 5 items collected as well: the five-secret set is complete.
- Bonus Content contains the dedicated Curator scene after completion.
- The completion reward includes the next Dark Pictures teaser.
If you see the Curator during potential-death scenes but Bonus Content remains locked, that is consistent with having only the trigger item. Recheck the four earlier-episode entries rather than repeating Episode 8 alone.
Missed a secret? Recovery options
You finished an episode without seeing the item
Use Turning Point or the available chapter/scene replay function to return to the named section. The guides report that earlier campaign segments can be revisited this way after the first Episode 8 secret is found. You may need to replay a short stretch before the landmark appears.
The collectible is not at the landmark
First verify the episode, scene and playable character. The locations are route-dependent: Carter is specified for “The Man in the Bowler Hat,” and Cernan’s route is specified for “O_DTH.” Then check that you have completed the preceding objective, such as lifting the lockdown in Episode 1 or reaching the upper deck in Episode 5.
The Curator scene did not trigger
Make sure “This Doesn’t Belong Here” was actually picked up near Simms’ Recording rather than merely examined from a distance. Allow the brief flicker and desk sequence to finish, then continue or reload the relevant scene. If you are checking for the full cutscene, remember that the first item alone does not complete the five-secret set.
The final scene is still locked
Review the five names one by one: “This Doesn’t Belong Here,” “The Man in the Bowler Hat,” “Paranoia,” “O_DTH” and “Bloodlines.” Revisit any episode whose item is uncertain, save after collecting it, and then check Bonus Content again. Exact replay behavior can differ by platform and save state, and the published guides do not document a universal recovery menu for every version.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Curator appearances versus Curator’s Cut
The wording can cause confusion because other Dark Pictures entries use “Curator’s Cut” for an alternate campaign perspective. That is not what this unlock describes. In Directive 8020, the Curator content is a hidden collectible sequence: one O Death secret activates appearances, while all five open the dedicated return scene and teaser. There is no evidence in the cited guides of a separate alternate campaign under the Curator’s Cut name.
Platform and purchase notes
Supermassive Games lists Directive 8020 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, with a May 12, 2026 release date on its published information. Those platform listings establish where the game is available, but they do not establish a current price, a physical edition or a particular retailer’s stock. If you are buying the game specifically to follow this guide, verify the platform, edition and region on the store page before purchasing.
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The unlock itself does not require a separate add-on according to the guide descriptions. The Curator appearances, five O Death secrets, Bonus Content scene and teaser are presented as parts of the game’s hidden collectible track. No exact price or retailer listing is necessary to complete the route.
Quick completion checklist
- Reach Episode 8’s “Get to the Hangar” objective after the elevator-shaft purge.
- Find the power cell, insert it into the missing-cell receptacle, crawl through the vent and complete the power-routing/server-room route.
- Pick up “This Doesn’t Belong Here” near Simms’ Recording.
- Wait for the screen flicker and Curator desk scene, confirming that appearances are enabled.
- Replay Episode 1, “Little Star — Medical,” as Carter; lift the lockdown and collect “The Man in the Bowler Hat” by the station before the spacewalk door.
- Replay Episode 3, “The Sample — Search,” and collect “Paranoia” from the terminal left of the Mess Hall food and drinks machines.
- Replay Episode 5, “Mr. Williams — Radio Silence,” on Cernan’s route and collect “O_DTH” in the corridor toward the cockpit.
- In the same Episode 5 scene, leave the bridge, ride to the upper deck and collect “Bloodlines” from the bench before the Crew Lounge door.
- Allow each replay to save, then open Bonus Content and verify the Curator return scene.
- Watch the newly unlocked Dark Pictures teaser.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I unlock the Curator in Directive 8020?
Find “This Doesn’t Belong Here” near the Simms’ Recording terminal in Episode 8, “Come True — The Way Back.” After the screen flicker and Curator desk scene, Curator appearances can occur around potential-death scenes.
Do I need all five O Death secrets to see the Curator?
No. The Episode 8 secret activates the appearances. All five secrets are required for the complete Curator return cutscene, its Bonus Content replay, and the next Dark Pictures teaser.
Where is the first O Death secret?
In Episode 8, progress to the “Get to the Hangar” objective after the elevator-shaft purge. Find the power cell, restore the missing-cell receptacle, crawl through the vent and complete the power-routing/server-room route. “This Doesn’t Belong Here” is reported on the ground near Simms’ Recording.
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Published guides report that Turning Point, chapter selection or scene replay can revisit the earlier sections after the Episode 8 trigger is found. Menu names and availability may vary by platform and save state.
What are the four secrets after Episode 8?
Episode 1 has “The Man in the Bowler Hat,” Episode 3 has “Paranoia,” and Episode 5 has both “O_DTH” and “Bloodlines.”
Is there a Curator’s Cut alternate campaign?
The guide reports describe no separate Curator’s Cut playthrough for Directive 8020. The Curator unlock is the O Death collectible sequence and its hidden scenes.
What if the final Curator scene is still locked?
Check all five names, confirm the correct episode, scene and character route, allow the game to save after each pickup, and then check Bonus Content. If one item is uncertain, replay that scene through Turning Point or the available chapter-selection option.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe Bottom Line
Collect “This Doesn’t Belong Here” in Episode 8 to turn on Curator appearances. Then use Turning Point or scene replay to find “The Man in the Bowler Hat,” “Paranoia,” “O_DTH” and “Bloodlines.” All five unlock the full Curator scene in Bonus Content and the next Dark Pictures teaser.
Quick Recap
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