Can Carter Survive in Directive 8020?
No. Carter's death is scripted — it happens on every single playthrough.
Here's exactly what happens, why the game makes you feel like it was your fault, and which characters you can actually save.
The Straight Answer
Carter dies. There is no QTE, dialogue option, or hidden path that prevents it. He dies in a scripted event at the end of Episode 1 and it is going to happen every single time you play. Do not waste time reloading checkpoints trying to save him.
Why the Game Makes You Think You Could Have Saved Him
This is deliberate. The game frames Carter's death like a consequence of a choice you made, and plenty of players spend an hour reloading checkpoints before they accept the truth. That feeling of “maybe I could have saved him” is exactly what Supermassive wanted — it's how the game establishes stakes for the five characters who can die by your choices.
What Actually Happens to Carter and Simms
⚠ Spoilers — click to expand the death scene details
Both deaths are hard-coded into the Episode 1 narrative. Carter dies in a scripted event at the end of the chapter, no matter what you do earlier. Simms is corrupted by the alien Growth and her death is equally unavoidable.
Simms's story doesn't end there, though — she appears in later episodes as a mimic, not the real Simms. That reveal only works because she actually died in Episode 1.
This is intentional design. The Dark Pictures Anthology games feature 5 playable characters in co-op mode, and Directive 8020 has 6 crew members total. Carter and Simms exist as narrative catalysts — their deaths establish the stakes and motivate the surviving five. The math doesn't work any other way.
The 5 Characters You Can Save
Focus your energy on the five playable characters — all of them can reach the end alive:
Osmond
Can survive
Stafford
Can survive
Eisele
Can survive
Cernan
Can survive
Cooper
Can survive
Keeping all five alive — plus identifying the duplicate Eisele in Episode 6 and exposing the clone program in Episode 8 — unlocks the true ending, “Eisele the Humanitarian.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Carter survive in Directive 8020?
No. Carter dies in a scripted event at the end of Episode 1 on every playthrough. There is no QTE, dialogue option, or hidden path that prevents it.
Can you save Carter and Simms?
No. Both have scripted deaths in Episode 1. Simms is corrupted by the alien Growth, and she later appears as a mimic — not the real Simms.
Which characters can survive in Directive 8020?
The 5 playable characters: Osmond, Stafford, Eisele, Cernan, and Cooper. All five can reach the end alive and unlock the true ending.
Ready to keep the right five characters alive?