How to Sleep and Rest in The Long Dark

The Long Dark doesn’t hold your hand. Well, it holds your hand a little in the story mode, but not at all in the Survival mode. The first time a player spawns in, it could be difficult to figure out how to sleep and rest. Today, we’ll tell you where you can sleep and how you can make sure you get the best rest possible.

How to Sleep – Bedroll

The first way to sleep in The Long Dark is for the survivor that’s on the move. This involves either the common Bedroll, or the less common Bearskin Bedroll you must craft. One will need to be in your inventory if you plan to use them.

Place your Bedroll on the ground by bringing up your radial menu. Chose the Campcraft option, and then click on Bedroll. You will now be able to place your Bedroll on the ground. Once it’s set, click on your Bedroll and you’ll have the option Sleep or Pass Time. Choose the Sleep option at the top, select how long you want to rest, and click the Sleep button.

How to Sleep – Bed

Sleeping in a bed in The Long Dark is much easier. Usually you’ll find a bed indoors. If you see one, approach it and click on it to get the same menu you would if you had clicked on your placed Bedroll. You just need to choose the option to Sleep at the top, set the duration, and click the Sleep button.

How to Sleep – Vehicles

Every now and then we all wander away from our home without our Bedroll or Bearskin Bedroll. It isn’t a problem if you can find a bed, but what if you get caught out in a storm? In that case, your best option is to find a vehicle. Get inside and you can use your radial wheel to bring up Campcraft. Click on the Bedroll icon and you’ll be able to sleep. You don’t have to have a Bedroll with you for this one.

Of course, knowing how to sleep in The Long Dark is easy. The hard part is knowing what your odds are of waking up the next day. For this reason, always sleep indoors if you can. This will almost always see your Feels Like temperature above freezing, meaning you’re safe. Sleeping outside in a Bedroll is risky if you don’t have a campfire going, and sleeping in vehicles can be equally scary. If the temperature (including your bed or Bedroll bonus) is near freezing, only sleep for an hour at a time. Mind your condition.

If you don’t know how to sleep in The Long Dark, you almost certainly don’t know how to craft the survival bow, or how to craft the simple arrow you’ll need to use it.