Games From The Grave - The Elevator Game

Originally known as the 'Elevator to Another World', the origins of the Elevator Game are muddy at best. According to research by The Ghost In My Machine, the first appearance of this game was in 2008 on Japan's 2ch messaging board. Since then, it has skyrocketed in popularity, earning itself a feature film in 2023.  
One also cannot ignore the relation of the game to the tragic death of Elisa Lam in the Cecil Hotel. The likelihood that Elisa was playing the game is so incredibly slim, it is practically none existent. Nonetheless, it is difficult to have a conversation about one without mentioning the other anymore. 

This game must be played alone and you will need: 

• A building of at least 10 stories high, with an elevator able to reach all of these floors. 

The rules for playing are long and complex and can differ depending on your source. So here we go.  

You can play at any time. You must enter your chosen building and head straight for the elevator. Call it to you using only the 'up' button. Do not press the 'down' button if one is present! 

When the doors open, enter the elevator. You must do this on the first floor and you absolutely must be alone. If anybody else is in the elevator with you, do not proceed with the game. 

This is where it gets complicated. Press the button for the fourth floor, but do not get out when it stops here. Instead, remain inside the elevator and press the button for the second floor. Again, do not get out here and instead press the button for the sixth floor. Do not get out and instead press the button for the second floor. Then the tenth, then the fifth.  

When the elevator reaches the fifth floor, a young woman may get on with you. Do not look or speak to her. She is not as she seems. Do not get out. Press the button for the first floor.  

At this point, one of two things will happen. Either the elevator will begin to ascend to the tenth floor or it will descend to the first floor.  

If it descends – the ritual has failed. Do not attempt to proceed. Leave the elevator the moment that the doors open. Do not look back and do not speak. Exit the building. You may try again another time.  

If it ascends – the ritual has succeeded and you may proceed. This is also your last chance to back out if you are having second thoughts. To do this, press the button for any floor besides the first or tenth to cancel the ascension. You must do this before the elevator passes the ninth floor, else it is too late.  

When you reach the tenth floor, you can choose to exit or remain inside the elevator. If you choose to leave and the woman from the fifth floor is with you, she may ask you where you are going. Do not answer her. Do not look at her. Instead, exit the elevator without a word. You may now look around at the other world that you have entered. However, do not lose sight of the elevator that brought you here. Though there may be many strange things about the world you find yourself in, the key thing is that the only person there is you.  

Returning from the other world is entirely dependent on the choices you have made up until this point.  

If you did not exit the elevator at the 10th floor: 

• Press the button for the first floor. If the doors do not close and the elevator does not begin to descend, continue to press the button until it does.  

• When you arrive on the first floor, leave the building immediately and return home. Do not look back and do not speak. 

If you did exit at the 10th floor: 

• Return to the same elevator that brought you here to begin with 

• Press the button for the fourth floor 

• From here, repeat the same process as you did to begin the game. Press the buttons for and visit the second floor, then the sixth, then the second, then the tenth (which will take you to the fifth floor) and then the first. 

• The elevator will begin to rise to the tenth floor again. You MUST cancel this ascent before you pass the ninth floor by pressing the button for any floor other than the tenth or first.  

• If you have done this correctly, the elevator will begin to descend to the first floor. When the doors open, do NOT get out. Instead, look outside and fully observe your surroundings 

• If anything seems at all 'off', do not exit the elevator. Instead, press the button for the fourth floor and repeat the previous steps. Each time you arrive back on the first floor, make sure to thoroughly check before exiting.  

• It is vital that you are 100% confident that you have returned to your own world before you exit the elevator. 

• If you do leave the elevator whilst still in the wrong world, there is a good chance that you will never return home again. 

Reports regarding the other world on the 10th floor vary from story to story. Some say that it is almost exactly identical to our own world except for two things. 1). All of the lights on the floor will be off. 2). The only thing visible from the windows is a red cross in the distance. 

Some people also say that electronics do not work while in this world, whereas others say that they function as normal. 

The only thing that never wavers in each of these stories is the fact that you will be in this world entirely alone. 

Returning to your own world is also reported to be a lot harder than you may first think. If you choose to leave the elevator on the tenth floor, it is possible that you will become disoriented and lose track of which elevator you came in. Equally, it may appear as though the elevator is getting further and further away from you the more you attempt to reach it. 

In addition to this, some sources state that the method of returning safely if you don't exit the elevator only works if the woman also did not enter at the fifth floor. These sources do not state what you should do instead, if this is the situation you end up in. 

Another inconsistency can be found in reports about the order in which you must press the buttons to return home. Whilst most reports now state the above, others claim that you have to visit the floors in reverse order to how you arrived.  

One more thing to note is that, if you find yourself losing consciousness at any point throughout the ritual, it is likely that you will find yourself waking up in your own home. It is vital that you carefully check your surroundings here, though, as this may not be the home you left prior to beginning the ritual.