Netflix’s ‘Unhinged’ Story and Ending Explained What Happens When You Answer Ben’s Call

Netflix has consistently pushed the boundaries of its gaming library, and ‘Unhinged’ stands out as a unique entry. This interactive horror game transforms a hurricane night into a gripping cat-and-mouse chase, leaving players with a flurry of questions after reaching the credits.

If you’ve just completed the game and are trying to make sense of the events, you’re certainly not alone. The narrative of ‘Unhinged’ features a shocking killer reveal and two distinct endings, all packed into a runtime of just over thirty minutes, sparking widespread discussion online since its launch.

The game kicks off with a phone conversation between Ava, voiced by Zoë Kravitz, and her best friend Claire, voiced by Sadie Sink, as a Category 5 hurricane approaches their area. Both women are restless, the power is out, and Ava decides to check on her neighbor Joyce after sensing something is amiss.

Upon arriving at Joyce’s apartment, Ava finds the door ajar and the fridge open, but Joyce is nowhere to be found. The situation escalates as the building’s stairwells are locked and the elevator is out of service, supposedly for safety during the storm, though the reasoning feels off.

Ava’s message history reveals a tumultuous relationship with her ex-boyfriend Noah, and Claire had sided with Ava during their breakup. When Ava finally reaches Noah’s apartment, she discovers him motionless, wrapped in plastic, and with a severe injury, yet somehow still alive. The presence of duct tape and the storm’s timing suggest a premeditated attack.

The game delivers its most shocking twist when Ava enters the basement security room. Here, she finds a corkboard filled with photos of herself, Noah, and Joyce, with Noah and Joyce’s images crossed out and Ava’s adorned with hearts.

Hidden camera feeds in the same room reveal that someone has been surveilling every inch of Ava’s apartment. Eventually, Ava realizes that the perpetrator is Ben, the building superintendent, who has been watching her for an extended period and even constructed a replica of her apartment in the basement.

The game heavily emphasizes themes of entrapment, with locked stairwells, a non-functional elevator, and the raging storm leaving Ava with no escape. A recurring visual motif of a mouse caught in a trap underscores the notion that Ava is being hunted, while a mannequin found in the basement serves as a stand-in companion for Ben, one that cannot reject him like Ava can.

In a climactic turn, Ava manages to overpower Ben, shooting him multiple times with a nail gun before reuniting with Claire and fleeing into the storm. The narrative then shifts to a future moment where Ava seems to be safe and on the path to recovery.

However, this tranquility is short-lived as Ava’s phone rings with a familiar caller ID, indicating that Ben has survived the encounter. This pivotal choice—whether to answer the call or not—serves as the only significant branching decision in the game.

If players choose not to answer, Ava moves on, and the game concludes without further scenes. Conversely, answering the call leads to Ben stating they will meet again, followed by a slow zoom into an old photograph of Ava, Claire, and Noah from happier times.

In an interview with Variety, Sean Krankel, the general manager of narrative games at Night School Studio, confirmed that the phone call is real and that Ben survived, noting that Ava had incapacitated him with the nail gun before the police arrived too late. Krankel emphasized that the ending was not merely a setup for a sequel but aimed to evoke a lingering sense of unresolved threat.

The symbolism of the ending extends beyond a simple jump scare. The two endings are interpreted as reflective of Ava’s journey and a broader metaphor for toxic relationships, highlighting the necessity of leaving them behind to move forward.

Ignoring Ben’s call signifies that, in Ava’s perspective, he perished that night, while answering reignites her trauma. This interpretation aligns with how the game systematically strips Ava of her control throughout its duration, only to return that control to the player in the final moment.

‘Unhinged’ was crafted by Netflix’s own Night School Studio, known for ‘Oxenfree’ and ‘Oxenfree II: Lost Signals.’ It utilizes players’ smartphones as controllers, flashlights, and communication tools to text and call other characters. The game was released on Netflix on June 30, 2026, featuring voice performances from Kravitz, Sink, and Troy Baker as Ben.

Fans have noted the involvement of filmmakers David Fincher and Zach Cregger, enhancing the perception that ‘Unhinged’ was designed to feel like a genuine horror cinematic experience rather than a standard mobile tie-in.

Whether you chose to answer that final call or let Ben fade away, did ‘Unhinged’ truly unsettle you, or were you already one step ahead of Ben by the time the basement corkboard was revealed?