Sora Tanka
I'm a lifelong otaku and pop culture enthusiast who digs into underground animation, cult horror and hidden gems. When I'm not writing, I'm hunting rare retro VHS tapes and tweaking my home theater setup. Find me on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
Published: October 30, 2026 | 8 min read | Last updated: October 30, 2026
Five people, one broken spaceship, and a cargo hold full of mouthwash. Not food. Mouthwash. If you just picked up the game on console this week, welcome aboard the worst workplace in gaming history. This Mouthwashing walkthrough covers every chapter in the order you play it, every keypad code, the stealth section that makes people quit, and the vent that punishes you for turning around. You'll also learn which achievements are easy to miss and what's actually true about the movie rumors. Grab the game on Steam or your console of choice. Then let's get you through it.
⚡ Quick Answer
Mouthwashing is a linear horror game you can finish in about 2.5 to 3 hours. The key codes are 4517 (cargo hold), 2609 (fire axe), 3142, 4213 and 2341 (cake ingredients) and 739 (gun case). Most players get stuck in the stealth cargo hold, the backward walking vent and the Curly feeding puzzle, all covered below.
What Is Mouthwashing and How Long Is This Walkthrough?
Mouthwashing is a first-person psychological horror game from Swedish studio Wrong Organ, published by CRITICAL REFLEX. It launched on PC on September 26, 2024. You follow the crew of the Tulpar, a Pony Express freighter stranded in deep space after a crash. Captain Curly is barely alive, the rations are running out, and everyone is losing it.
The story jumps back and forth between the days before the crash and the months after. That means the chapter headings below follow the order you play them, not story order. Expect about 2.5 hours for the story and around 3 hours if you hunt achievements.
📊 Key Stat: Mouthwashing sold over 500,000 copies within roughly five months of launch and sits at around 95% positive across more than 34,000 Steam user reviews. It also won Best Narrative and Player's Choice at the Horror Game Awards 2024.
"Hope to die, or for goodness' sake, pray that everyone else does."
⚠️ Important: This guide contains full story spoilers. The game itself deals with abuse, self-harm and graphic violence, so play at your own pace.
You might also like
All Mouthwashing Codes in One Place
| What It Opens | Code |
|---|---|
| Cargo hold door | 4517 |
| Fire axe case (utility room) | 2609 |
| Cake: water | 3142 |
| Cake: gelatin | 4213 |
| Cake: sweetener (hidden, use scanner) | 2341 |
| Gun case | 739 |
💡 Pro Tip: Almost every code in the game comes from the captain's scanner. If a keypad stumps you, equip the scanner and point it at the darkened patch nearby before you search anywhere else.
Mouthwashing Walkthrough: Every Chapter Step by Step
Zero Days to the Crash
- Ignore the computer: When the system warns you to turn left, turn right instead.
- Grab the key: Open the locker behind the pilot's chair and take the emergency key above the employee card.
- Kill the autopilot: Unlock the red button with the key, press it, then run through the doors until the lights die.
Two Months After the Crash
- Find the scanner: Visit Anya in the medical bay, then head to the foam-covered cabin at the end of the main corridor. The scanner blinks purple on the floor to the left.
- Open the cargo hold: Scan the dark patch on the door to get 4517.
Seven Days Before the Crash
- Free Daisuke: In the utility room, scan the axe case (2609), take the axe and hack the foam.
- The TV room: Before touching the TV, look between the shelves to unlock Find Curly hiding next to the TV. Then flip channels until the strange ad plays.
Six Days Before the Crash: The Birthday Cake
- Get ingredients: Flip the recipe book in the kitchen and enter 3142, 4213 and 2341 into the dispenser.
- Mix twice: Put water and gelatin under the orange tubes and pull the lever. Then place the cake in the center with the sweetener and icing base, and pull again.
- Serve it: Bring it to the table and cut it with the knife.
Painkillers, Hangovers and the Barricade
- Check with Anya first: Ask her in the cabin before giving Curly the painkillers from the medical bay table.
- Nightmare dinner: There is no knife. Take the axe stuck in the cabin seat and use it at the table.
- Morning after: Take the bottle from Daisuke and drink it for Use a bottle of Mouthwash. Talk to the dancing Swansea for his axe, then break the foam at the corridor's end for painkillers and isopropyl.
- Lock the door: Pull the red lever, then reinforce the door with the cable from the locker and the iron pipe to the left.
You might also like
The Cargo Hold Stealth Section
Scan the tombstone at the cargo hold door to open it. Inside, walk, never run, and move a few steps at a time. Use the scanner to track the monster and freeze whenever it gets close. Reach the Polle statue holding the mouthwash by circling left around the collapsed bridge.
Knocking Out Swansea and Finding the Gun
- Easy achievement: Grab Jimmy's employee card beside the broken Polle statue in the living room.
- The cocktail: Mix mouthwash and isopropyl in the kitchen machine. Add the sweetener hidden in Daisuke's bed. Give it to Swansea and take the utility key.
- Gun case: Scan the bottom of the cabin locker for 739, then open the case in the medical bay.
The Final Stretch
- The cake that isn't cake: Seat Curly at the table and use the knife, then take the utility key by the hatch and drop down.
- "No way back" vent: Do not turn around. Hold S to back up, face the lit vent when you reach it, and keep backing.
- Axe vent: Forward, right, right, left, left. Crawl toward the light, go left, follow the bend right, and pass the glowing flower until you fall.
- Graveyard fight: Back against a wall and land three shots on Swansea as he closes in.
- Feeding Curly: Turn each valve until its monitor line points the food the right way. A wrong valve makes him gag.
- Ultrasound and chase: Follow the dog shape on the scanner, then keep moving and switching paths to escape the creature. Talk to the Polle statue, carry Curly to the utility room and place him in the cryo pod.
Where Do Players Get Stuck in the Mouthwashing Walkthrough?
The first time I hit the "No way back" note, I did the most natural thing a human can do and turned around. Three times. The game teleported me back to the note every single time, and I sat there feeling personally judged by an air vent. Once it clicked, moonwalking through a horror game with the S key felt ridiculous and brilliant at the same time. That is honestly the Mouthwashing experience in one sentence.
The other common snags are easier to dodge:
- Running in the cargo hold. The monster hears you, so slow down.
- Searching for a cake knife that does not exist in the nightmare dinner. The axe is the knife.
- Fighting Swansea in the open. A wall at your back cuts his attack angles in half.
- Rushing past the TV shelves and the broken statue, which locks you out of two achievements until a replay.
Is Mouthwashing on PS5, Xbox and Switch Now?
Yes. After two years as a PC exclusive, Mouthwashing launched on October 29, 2026 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch, with a Microsoft Store PC version the same day. A physical edition is coming for PS5 and Switch only. The walkthrough above works the same on every platform. On a controller, the backward vent uses the left stick pulled down instead of S.
As for the movie: an industry insider reported in late October 2026 that Sony's Screen Gems label is developing a Mouthwashing film. Nothing is confirmed. No director, writer or cast has been announced, so treat any specific names floating around social media as fan speculation for now.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to beat Mouthwashing?
Most players finish Mouthwashing in about two and a half to three hours on a first run. Chasing every achievement adds roughly thirty minutes. The game is fully linear, so there are no branching routes to replay, and a no commentary playthrough of the full story runs just under two hours.
Is Mouthwashing on PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch?
Yes. Mouthwashing launched on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch on October 29, 2026, alongside a Microsoft Store version for PC. The original PC version has been on Steam since September 26, 2024. A physical edition is planned for PS5 and Switch only.
Why do the characters drink mouthwash in the game?
After the crash, the crew opens the cargo hold hoping for food and finds nothing but crates of mouthwash. With rations running out, they start drinking it for the alcohol. In the story, the mouthwash also works as a symbol: a cheap way to rinse away guilt instead of facing it.
Does Mouthwashing have multiple endings?
No. Mouthwashing has a single ending, and every player sees the same story beats in the same order. Exploring changes small things like which achievements you unlock, but nothing alters the outcome. That linear design is intentional, since the whole game is about consequences that cannot be undone.
Is a Mouthwashing movie being made?
Nothing is official yet. In October 2026 an industry insider reported that Sony's Screen Gems label is developing a Mouthwashing film. Sony, Wrong Organ and CRITICAL REFLEX have not confirmed it, and no director, writer or cast has been announced. Treat specific casting or director claims as rumor for now.
Who is the main character in Mouthwashing?
You spend most of the game as Jimmy, the Tulpar's second in command, who takes charge after Captain Curly is critically injured in the crash. The story jumps between before and after the crash, and Jimmy's version of events is not always reliable, which is exactly the point.
Final Thoughts
Mouthwashing is short, linear and absolutely merciless, which makes it the perfect Halloween week playthrough for anyone who just grabbed it on console. Keep the codes table handy, walk slowly in the cargo hold, and never, ever turn around in that vent. The puzzles will not stop you for long. The story will stay with you for weeks. Brush your teeth afterward. With toothpaste.
📚 Sources & References
- Mouthwashing Store Page, Steam
- Story-Driven Psychological Horror Game Mouthwashing Lands on Steam September 26, Gamespress, September 2024
- Mouthwashing Coming to PS5, Xbox Series and Switch; Sales Top 500,000, Gematsu, February 2025
- Mouthwashing Hits PS5 and Consoles October 29, Gameluster, October 2026
- Mouthwashing Releases on PlayStation, Xbox Series X|S and Switch on October 29, Final Weapon, October 2026
- Complete Mouthwashing Walkthrough Guide, VGTimes, November 2024
- Mouthwashing Horror Game Could Get a Sony Movie Adaptation, Report Claims, Samlover, October 2026
- Mouthwashing: A Story That May or May Not Have Happened, Indie Games EU
- Mouthwashing Review, PC Gamer, 2024
