Joshua "Josh" Washington is one of the eight main protagonists and a playable character in Until Dawn. He is the older brother of Hannah and Beth Washington. After a prank caused the disappearance of his twin sisters, he invites his friends back to his family lodge a year later in an attempt to forget the tragedy. Unbeknownst to the group, however, Josh planned a night of terror to exact revenge.

He was voiced and motion captured by actor Rami Malek.

Appearance

Josh is a young man with short dark brown hair and green eyes. He has very faint stubble on his face.

One Year Ago

During the Prologue, Josh wears a navy blue sweater with a gray stripe that wraps across his chest and back. Under his sweater, he wears a denim jean flannel over a red t-shirt with a pair of blue jeans and brown boots. On his right (our left) wrist, he wears four bracelets.

Until Dawn

A year later, he is first seen wearing a pale green sleeveless puffer vest and a gray beanie, both of which he removes when he goes inside. Underneath his vest, he wears an unbuttoned blue-and-white plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Under his plaid shirt, he wears a brownish-purple long sleeve undershirt. He wears a pair of blue jeans and brown boots. He still retains the bracelets he was seen wearing the previous year.

Later, he dons the costume of the Psycho. Post-reveal, he removes his mask and gloves, but wears his overalls and utility belt for the rest of the night. His hair appears longer after he removes the mask, likely because it is no longer flattened by it.

Damage and other changes

Josh’s changes in appearance are as follows:

• Bruised face and split lip: from staging his attack by the Psycho (Fake, temporary)
• Wounded/bloodied shoulder: stabbed with scissors by Ashley (Determinant)
• Bruised cheek: hit with a gun by Mike
• Gash on cheek: hit with a wooden plank by Chris (Determinant)
• Gashes on forehead and neck: dragged by the Wendigo

Post-Credits

After the credits, Josh can possibly appear as a partially-transformed Wendigo. His mouth is torn with thin fangs coming out, and one of his eyes is pale and beginning to bulge. He has lost some hair from the back of his head.

Personality

• Original
• Remake

Josh is described as thoughtful, loving and complex in the original game, while in the remake he is described as persistent, creative and playful. Josh's interactions with the other group members tend to be humorous. He cares for his friends, acts as a brotherly figure to his childhood best friend Chris, and likes to make sure everyone is having a good time. Josh has an ISFP personality type.^[2] He loves his family, dislikes being bossed around, and dreams of becoming a film producer.^[1] His dreams of following in his father's footsteps in becoming a film producer make him very knowledgeable about special effects and movie props and as such, he constantly uses phrases and words from movies.

Josh appears to be warm and accommodating, but his outgoing appearance masks a troubled history. After an incident at school, Josh was referred to a psychiatrist in 2006 and diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder at age 11. Over the following years, he was referred to a number of other medical professionals and prescribed a variety of antidepressant medications. However, the effects of the drugs tapered or simply failed to help Josh at all, forcing his doctors to continuously change prescriptions.^[3]

When Josh welcomes his friends back to his family lodge, his warm personality is apparent, though he does often show an inability to 'read the room,' such as when he explicitly pushes Chris to make moves on Ashley, or when he urges the group to "party like porn stars" on the one-year anniversary of his sisters' disappearance, who he had a close bond with. Josh took their disappearance very badly: the event caused him to drop out of college and triggered his existing chronic depression. As this became more and more severe throughout the year before the events of Until Dawn, he turned to Sam for support. Medical records from around this time suggest he came dangerously close to committing suicide, and his delirious state resulted in him being admitted to Ocean View Hospital for observation while his psychiatrist, Dr. Alan Hill, considered possible treatments. Though Josh was discharged two weeks later with a new prescription of the medication Phenelzine, he had changed: while appearing good-humored and sociable, he became consumed with the desire of taking revenge on his friends for causing his sisters' disappearance and stopped taking his medication.

Josh's desire for revenge is eventually put into action through his knowledge of movies and special effects. He fakes his own death and creates an alter ego: the Psycho. As the Psycho, Josh subjects some of his friends to various traps he put together. When he finally reveals himself to his friends, Josh shows a clear disconnect from reality - laughing off his last "prank" on Chris and Ashley, and gleefully telling them they will become internet sensations.

While Dr. Hill does exist, in the game he is a hallucination of Josh: this hallucinatory psychiatrist is an embodiment of Josh's self-loathing and guilt, as seen when he aggressively chastises Josh for his "game" or berates him for not saving his sisters, even though he was physically unable to do so. During Dr. Hill's therapy sessions, the player can choose Josh's anxieties and insecurities, but he has a canon fear of isolation.^[4] This fear eventually becomes reality when Josh is alone in the Wendigo's lair, confronted on all sides by hallucinatory visions of his sisters who accuse him of wanting them dead, which he tearfully denies, once again reflecting his overwhelming feelings of guilt and grief.

Until Dawn

Biography

2015

Josh is the first child of movie mogul Bob Washington and his wife, Melinda. He, along with his family, would frequently travel to the family lodge located on Blackwood Mountain during each summer and winter. As he got older, his father became too busy to hang out with him, which brought him and his sisters closer together.

Josh was studying psychology at college prior to Hannah's and Beth's disappearance, which caused him to drop out. He has struggled to come to terms with the disappearance of his sisters.

A bit older than the rest of the group, Josh is something of an older brother figure to Chris. He loves taking the helm, organizing cool events, and making sure that everybody has an awesome time.

Josh definitely has a bit of a party-animal streak (honed in his freshman year), but his warm and friendly personality will win everybody around in the end.^[1]

2024

Movie-loving Josh is the brother of twin sisters Hannah and Beth Washington, who both went missing from their family lodge in Blackwood Mountain after a prank gone wrong during a winter getaway with friends. A year later, Josh, still struggling with his sisters' disappearance, invites the same friends back to the lodge, promising a night they'll never forget.^[5]

Involvement

One Year Ago

• Original
• Remake

In the original game

Josh and his sisters invited all of their closest friends to the mountain for a weekend of fun. As the night progressed, Josh, along with Chris, passed out from drinking heavily. Due to this, he was unaware of the impending prank on Hannah and was ultimately unable to intervene.

In the remake

Josh, along with his sisters, invited all of their closest friends to the mountain for a weekend of fun. Much like the original game, Josh is passed out on the kitchen counter, having drank too much. Beth remarks "once again brother, you’ve outdone us all." Beth and Hannah lovingly grab their brother and move him to the sofa, where they lay him down to make him comfortable. Josh continues to stay passed out and is unable to stop the prank on Hannah and the eventual disappearance of his sisters.

First Therapy Session

In real life, Josh began therapy sessions with Dr. Hill shortly before the disappearance of his sisters. Throughout the game, he hallucinates sessions with his psychiatrist within his own mind. In the first of these, Josh is reminded by Dr. Hill that the past cannot be changed, only the future. Dr. Hill guides him through an exercise involving a picture of a scarecrow outside a cottage, asking how the image makes him feel and whether he would remain in the cottage if it were haunted. The session reflects Josh’s deteriorating mental state and subconscious fears, and influences later Chapter titles.

Chapter 1

Before the chapter opens, Sam is shown riding a bus to Blackwood Pines, while listening to a radio report of Hannah and Beth on her phone, who are still confirmed missing. After the broadcast, she presses the return button, and the screen cuts to Josh recording a video. After his failed intro, he starts again by happily welcoming all his friends back to the "annual Blackwood winter getaway." He then laments by saying that it won't be easy to return to the mountain after what happened the previous year and that it means so much to him that they're doing this and to Hannah and Beth because they're "all still together, thinking of them." His true goal is to spend some quality time with everyone and make it a night they'll never forget, for the sake of his sisters.

When Sam later meets up with Chris, they discuss Josh's state. They express admiration for how he deals with his situation, but Sam also questions if coming back was the right thing to do. Chris argues that he hasn't seen him so excited in forever, and reminisces about meeting Josh in third grade.

Second Therapy Session

In his second therapy session with Dr. Hill, Josh is subjected to a series of psychological tests designed to identify the root of his anxieties. Dr. Hill presents him with various images and asks which ones unsettle him the most, gradually narrowing down his greatest fears, with his chosen fears later influencing manifestations throughout the night.

Chapter 2

Josh returns to the lodge, happy to see that everyone else had decided to return as well. Delighted to see his friend Chris, they discover the door’s lock is frozen and he accompanies Chris to get inside the basement to find a way in. On the path, he talks to Chris about Ashley and partakes in a joke to "rip her parka right off her and make some snow angels," to which Chris can either agree with him or tell him to take it down a notch. Josh then asks him if he could "imagine a more perfect, ripe scenario, just dripping with erotic possibilities" as there are no parents around and that he's laid everything down for this moment, as Chris has been nothing but perfect to Ashley. Chris can then agree with him or disagree. No matter what, Josh finishes his part of the conversation by encouraging him to try.

After finding another entryway, Chris climbs through the basement window and ends up falling flat on his back, assuring Josh that he's okay and that he should have paid more attention in climbing class, to which Josh replies by correcting him. After that, the light bulb suddenly bursts, catching them unaware and confused. Josh hands Chris a lighter and has an idea concerning a deodorant can in the bathroom. He tells Chris that if he uses the can and the lighter, he can make a flamethrower to thaw the lock. Chris understands and says that it reminds him of the plastic army soldiers they used to melt when they were younger.

Josh then tells Chris that he needs to check something and asks if he'll be up for a trip in the dark by himself. Chris responds that he isn't, but he'll still do it, and so, Josh leaves after saluting Chris. When the lodge entrance is open, Josh reappears just as Chris is being teased by Sam and Ashley for being frightened by a baby wolverine, and adds that he shouldn't worry because he's "going to be a big boy soon."

After everyone's inside, Josh begins to light a fire for everyone but ends up having to stop either a physical dispute between Matt and Mike, or a catfight between Emily and Jessica. Irritated, he says that this isn't what he wanted and that if they all can't be together for one night then maybe they need a break. To defuse the tension, he advises Mike and Jessica to find the guest cabin, while Matt and Emily leave the lodge to find Emily’s lost bag. Before Mike and Jess leave the lodge, Josh follows them to the veranda and hands them the keys to the cabin before departing again.

Once the fire's going, Josh asks Ashley and Chris to find a spirit board for a little bit of fun, while he descends into the basement with Sam, who came downstairs as there was no hot water left for her bath. As they attempt to start the water boiler, Sam hears a strange noise after Josh asks her to shine the torch his way so he can find the switch. When the boiler successfully works, the two can either share a high five, or Sam ignores him. Sometime after this, they hear a rhythmic noise which Sam describes as regular. Josh becomes anxious and tells her that there's nothing "regular" about it. Regardless of the choices at this point, a masked man, dressed in an old monk robe, jumps out on them and chases them all the way to the basement door as Sam tries to unlock it, much to her annoyance. Josh replies to her by saying they lock it to "keep out strangers." When the masked man stops in his tracks, Sam, regaining her breath, walks over in disbelief as the man reveals himself to be none other than Chris, who happily declares that they "just got monked." After Sam asks Josh if he was in on it, he denies his involvement by complimenting Chris, saying that it was "too good" and later playfully teases Sam for being frightened by the experience.

Third Therapy Session

In his third therapy session with Dr. Hill, Josh’s hallucinations grow increasingly distorted as the doctor’s office appears more decayed and unsettling. Dr. Hill questions him about deeper personal fears and his views on those who share them, before asking what traits he values most in other people, such as loyalty, honesty, and charity.

Chapter 3

Josh, Chris and Ashley play with the spirit board. Chris chooses Ashley to start them off as she is a "recent convert." After the cursor on the board replies by needing help, a scared Ashley asks who they are, per Chris' request. The board responds with one answer that startles them all: "sister." Now visibly distressed, Josh initially wants to find out more about what the spirit is saying.

Chris becomes very skeptical, but Josh tells him to shut up and tells Ashley to ask which sister they're speaking to. She can either choose to ask for Hannah or Beth, but the answer for either one is "yes." Chris then says that if this truly was one of the twins, they could finally tell them what happened the night they disappeared. When they ask the spirit, the cursor rapidly glides to different letters to make a plethora of words, such as "killed," "proof" and "library" as Chris correctly guesses the answers the spirit spells out. Just as the trio figure out the board's clues, the cursor suddenly flies off the table. The three feel different emotions: Chris is rather entertained while Ashley is shocked. Josh, on the other hand, becomes upset and annoyed with them. He wonders if it was a trick to make him deal with his grief. Ignoring their pleas of denial, Josh calls them "full of it" before storming off. Ashley then asks Chris if they should check up on him, to which he replies that he needs to be left alone for a while.

Understanding his feelings concerning his sisters, Ashley states that she doesn't blame him for it. After some time, they follow the spirit's last words and head to the library, where they are able to pick up a clue in a hidden bookcase that makes them concerned. This makes them wander around the house looking for Josh. Not long after, Josh screams from the kitchen, and Ashley tries to break through the doors, only to be suddenly pulled in. Chris shouts her name and breaks through the seemingly locked doors and looks around for them. He momentarily sees Ashley lying on the floor, but a strange man suddenly appears and knocks him out.

Fourth Therapy Session

In his fourth therapy session with Dr. Hill, Josh’s hallucinations continue to worsen as the office becomes increasingly decrepit. Dr. Hill then presents him with images of his friends and asks him to choose which individuals he likes the most and least, framing the exercise as one of honesty. Josh's choices influence his relationship statuses with the others.

Chapter 4

After waking up, Chris is slightly dazed with a large bruise on the left side of his head. Worried about his friends, he picks up a torch and follows down a pathway seemingly made for him. Along the way, his worries increase as he sees blood splatters on the walls and floorboards, Ashley's bloodied pouch and a pig head. He then approaches a shed and walks inside, shouting out Ashley's name. She then responds, frightened as to what's happening. He tries to reassure her before a light is suddenly turned on, revealing a contraption with Ashley and Josh, who is still unconscious, cuffed and chained to the front of a board. A disembodied voice emanates within the room which thanks the group for "joining him." Ashley, growing terrified, rouses Josh back to consciousness, and he too becomes confused and scared.

The voice then states to Chris that he must kill one of his friends to save the other. As he says this, a large mechanical saw fires up and proceeds across the rail to Ashley and Josh, who are both screaming to Chris to help them. Chris, struggling to focus, then decides to save one of them. At this point, the player's choice doesn't matter; Josh will be chosen to die. Feeling betrayed, Josh yells at Chris, asking why he did this and what he did to deserve it. The saw then dismembers Josh by the waist, his screams echoing within the shed, splattering part of Ashley's body with his blood. Now that the "experiment" has finished, a door opens to let Chris out and help Ashley and tells her not to look, at which she shouts at him and just wants to get out. While walking away from the scene, Ashley accidentally looks at Josh's corpse and becomes racked with grief before the two make their way out of the shed.

Emily and Matt see them as they emerge down the path and run to them. Confused and worried, they ask them what happened. Chris, clearly distraught by the experience, tries to get his words out but just collapses and tells them about the "maniac" and Josh. Now knowing what they're up against, Emily and Matt tell them to go back to the lodge and find the others, while they find help.

Fifth Therapy Session

Dr. Hill confronts Josh about the night’s events, questioning whether everything is unfolding as Josh intended and whether he believes the others deserve what is happening to them. Dr. Hill challenges Josh’s grasp on reality and says that he can no longer distinguish what is real from what is not.

Chapter 5

Ashley, Chris, and Josh are briefly mentioned by Matt and Emily as they discuss Josh's death and the mystery surrounding it. Emily asks Matt if they should have checked the shed to see if what they were saying was true. Right before that, Josh, as The Psycho, watches his monitors and locks the gate behind Matt and Emily as they go to the cable car station. He will later be seen in the bathroom, watching Sam in the bathtub, before he leaves, slamming the door in the process, which gets Sam's attention. In the cinema room, he shows a video of his "death" to Sam, causing her to scream out in fear, before chasing her around and into the basement. Depending on the player's choices, Sam will either evade or be captured by the Psycho during the chase.

Sixth Therapy Session

In his sixth therapy session with Dr. Hill, Josh’s hallucination briefly returns to a restored version of the office. Dr. Hill reflects on the progress of the previous sessions and notes that Josh’s fears have been used against the survivors throughout the night, questioning whether it was all worth it. The session culminates in the revelation that the Psycho, and thus Josh himself, is the patient Dr. Hill has been addressing all along.

Chapter 6

Josh is mentioned numerous times by the other protagonists. While at the fire tower, Emily can tell the rangers about the maniac killing "one of her friends." Chris and Ashley will also mention Josh numerous times, most notably when Ashley thanks Chris for saving her life over Josh's. Apart from these mentions, Josh will watch Chris and Ashley closely as they make their way through the lodge and its basement, into the old hotel, in search of Sam. He scares them through props he remotely controls, such as lighting a candle as Ashley walks past it, and controlling a moving "ghost," terrifying Ashley and confusing Chris. When Ashley and Chris later find a tied up Sam, or a dummy in her clothes if she escaped, they will be captured by Josh as the Psycho, who chloroforms Chris with gas, before turning to Ashley. If Ashley has collected scissors from the basement, she will stab her attacker in the shoulder. Enraged, Josh will sucker-punch her unconscious, leaving her with a black eye.

Chris and Ashley then awaken to find themselves strapped into chairs with a gun sitting on the table between them. Once again, Josh contacts them over a loudspeaker and orders Chris to take the gun and either shoot himself or Ashley, telling them the survivor can leave unharmed. The gun, however, has blanks - meaning that Chris shooting himself or Ashley won't be fatal.

Seventh Therapy Session

As Josh’s hallucinations continue, Dr. Hill appears in an altered version of his office now lined with monitors showing camera footage of the Psycho's traps. Growing openly hostile, he condemns Josh for taking his revenge too far, berates him for the suffering he has caused, and demands to know what he has done to his victims, before calling him a psychopath.

Chapter 7

During this time, Sam finds herself in the Psycho's workshop, as a result of evading him or being captured by him. If she escaped him, she investigates the workshop, discovering several clues to the Psycho's true identity, including Josh's phone with a text exchange between him and his psychiatrist, Dr. Hill, a medical report and a voice recording. If she was captured, she is strapped to a chair and has to be rescued by Mike.

Shortly after Chris makes his decision and Sam and Mike burst in, the Psycho enters the room and unmasks himself - revealing himself as Josh. When Josh reveals himself to a shocked Sam, Mike, Chris, and Ashley, he seems completely unaware of the serious impact of his pranks on the group and laughs. He concludes that his horror escapade was a way of getting revenge on his friends after their prank on his sisters the previous year, which caused their disappearance, and explains that he wanted his friends to experience the same feelings his sisters did. He clarifies how he's still alive: he had used a fake body back at the sawmill, and the saw was rigged to go to Josh no matter what Chris did, allowing him to fake his death and proceed as planned. Chris subtly defends Josh, stating "he's definitely off his meds," and "he's sick" when Mike gets angry.

After revealing his plan, which was to prank them on camera and release the footage on the internet to make them "internet sensations," Mike exclaims that Jessica is dead. Josh freezes and is visibly surprised by this, giving Mike the opportunity to knock him unconscious. He is led back to the shed by Chris and Mike and while they argue, Josh tries explaining he has no idea what happened to Jess. Josh slowly displays signs of instability, such as making strange, concerning comments and provoking to the two based on their past choices. He is tied to a support beam in the shed, and Mike stays with him, watching him babble nonsense while Chris returns to the lodge.

Chapter 8

During this time, Emily is fleeing from the Wendigo in the mines, either dying in the attempt or making it back to the lodge. In any event, her screams carry as far as the shed, prompting Mike to investigate and leaving Josh behind in the process. Soon after, the Stranger arrives to explain the true nature of the threat on the mountain.

After the Stranger informs the group about the Wendigo, Mike realizes he left Josh outside with the creature and notifies the group. It becomes clear Chris still considers Josh a friend, as he claims he is "letting him down" and is, regardless of Ashley's attempts to make him stay, convinced to rescue him. When the Stranger and Chris arrive at the shed, however, Josh is nowhere to be seen. The stool he was sitting on is broken, with a bloody puddle around it. Later in the chapter, it is revealed that a Wendigo dragged him away.

While the remaining group bunker down in the Psycho's monitor room in the old hotel, they mention Josh, saying he would have the cable car keys to leave the mountain. Emily points out the Wendigo could have brought him to the mine in its lair.

Eighth Therapy Session

Dr. Hill’s office has merged with the snowy forest around Josh as he is dragged through the mountain by a Wendigo. Dr. Hill harshly condemns Josh for his actions, blaming him for the tragedy surrounding his sisters and the suffering inflicted upon his friends. After this, the dialogue between them can change slightly depending on whether or not the player chose they dislike Josh the most in Chapter 3. If they did, Dr. Hill will confront him over his self-hatred. Josh may either show remorse for his actions or remain unrepentant. His willingness to express remorse is a requirement for his potential human survival in the remake.

Chapter 9

An unconscious Josh is shown falling into a cave and landing on the ground.

Chapter 10

Ninth Therapy Session

Josh was dragged across the mountain and dropped into the mines where he awakens. It becomes clear that his "sessions" with Dr. Hill were hallucinations, twisted out of actual former sessions he had. In Josh’s final hallucination of Dr. Hill, the doctor appears within the cave where Josh has become trapped, signaling that the boundary between Josh’s mind and reality has fully collapsed. Dr. Hill questions whether the sessions ever helped him at all before bitterly informing Josh that he is on his own, warning that the horrors awaiting him are far worse than anything in his imagination. This session marks the end of Dr. Hill’s appearances as Josh is left to face the consequences of his actions alone.

Josh's fear of being alone combined with intense hallucinations cause him to have a complete nervous and mental breakdown, and – following the end of the final therapy session – Josh begins to have graphic visions of his sisters and offal. He screams at them, saying "I don't take orders from you," before seeing the huge head of a Wendigo move towards him.

Later, Sam and Mike rescue him by following his screams and find him in a catatonic state before Mike snaps him out of it. Being unable to climb a rock face in his condition, Sam traverses up while he follows Mike through a room containing the bodies of the deceased and wade back through the underground lake Sam and Mike had. Mike and Josh are ambushed by Hannah, now a Wendigo, as she emerges from the surface and pulls Mike under, then grabs Josh. If Josh recognizes Hannah too late, she will kill him on the spot by crushing his skull. If the Scrawled Journal was found, however, Josh will shout out her name and Hannah recognizes him as well and spares him, dragging him away as Mike retreats.

Credits

Mentions

While not present for the interrogation himself, Josh can be mentioned by every single protagonist during the police interviews, except for Jessica.

• If Sam survived, she will tell the authorities that she thought that the two of them were close, due to Josh reaching out to Sam after the disappearance of Hannah and Beth.
• If Mike survived, he will tell the rangers that Josh was "out of his fucking mind" and that he thought that Josh attacked Jess.
  • If Mike survived while Sam did not, he will indicate that Josh helped them with the key, but the Wendigo attacked them and then it took and possibly murdered Josh.
• If Matt survived while Sam, Mike and Jess did not, he will report that the "madman" killed Josh, not knowing that Josh himself was the "madman."
• If Emily survived while Sam, Mike, Jess and Matt did not, she will say that she did not see Josh in the lodge, so he must be in the mines instead.
• If Ashley survived and she stabbed Josh, she will express regret over stabbing Josh, but will then defend herself stating that she didn't know that the Psycho was Josh.
  • If Ashley survived while Sam, Mike, Jess, Matt and Emily did not, she will state that the Wendigo most likely took Josh to the mines and that everyone was supposed to meet up.
• If Chris survived and he knocked Josh out in the shed, Chris will justify it by saying that he was acting like a maniac and trying to "fuck with their heads."
  • If Chris survived while Sam, Mike, Jess, Matt, Emily and Ashley did not (or Emily survived but did not find Beth's head in the mines), he will express deep sadness about his unknown whereabouts. He'll state that a Wendigo taking Josh down to the mines is the only thing that makes sense.

In the original game

See the Butterfly Effect Important Discovery.

If he was spared by Hannah, Josh will have no clue how to escape the cavernous mines. Completely mentally broken and isolated from all human contact (which is implied to be his greatest fear), Josh is overwhelmed with hunger as time passes, and he succumbs to the Wendigo spirit. If anyone else survived the night, and thus talked to the police about the mines, Josh is discovered by two rangers cannibalizing the head of The Stranger, while he's in the process of turning into a Wendigo, before turning towards them, growling and presumably killing them. If nobody survived except Josh, the two rangers won't discover him, as they weren't given a lead to investigate the mines, but Josh will still cannibalize the Stranger, in the process of turning into a Wendigo, and look at the camera as the screen fades to black. Unlike in the remake, Josh will always succumb to the curse of the Wendigo if he survives.

In the remake

See the Butterfly Effect A Second Chance.

As opposed to his two endings in the original game – death or his transformation into a Wendigo – Josh can survive in the remake as a human. For this, Josh must show remorse over his actions during the therapy session with Dr. Hill in Chapter 8, where he must pick "They hurt me," which then (depending on earlier made choices) unlocks the following option to say "I'm so sorry."

However, the option for Josh to express remorse does not always appear, and it is unclear which specific decisions trigger this outcome, as the necessary decisions vary significantly and there are multiple different accounts given for how to get it.

Apart from being remorseful in Chapter 8, the following prerequisites must also be met for Josh to survive:

• Sam must find the journal Hannah wrote in the mines, as it will result in Josh being spared by Hannah due to the two recognizing each other.
• All characters, aside from the Stranger, must be alive at the moment when Josh passes through the Wendigo's lair with Mike. Seeing any of their bodies will result in Josh having a breakdown out of remorse, and will result in him turning into a Wendigo regardless of whether he showed remorse earlier - this erroneously includes Emily's safe room death, even though her body will not show up in the lair. However, if a character dies after Josh passed through the lair, his or her death isn't counted against Josh's redemption. This means Matt and Jessica may still die in their Chapter 10 segment. If the player tries to then kill as many people as possible in the lodge, Chris (who has no Chapter 10 deaths) and one person among Sam, Ashley and Emily will still escape.

If the ending is attained, a flashlight beam from a rescue party is shined on the metal door leading into the lair. Josh will then be seen down in the mine, in a dire state but alive, holding his face in his hands. Dr. Hill tells him his game drove him to his deepest fear, isolation, and that he hopes he can find redemption. The scene ends with Josh looking up.

However, if Josh did not show remorse and/or if any of his friends died, but Sam found the Scrawled Journal resulting in him recognizing Hannah, he will be seen partially transformed into a Wendigo, the same ending as the only one he can have in the original game if he survives.

Possible Death

Relationships

Hannah

See Hannah and Josh for more information.

Hannah is Josh's younger sister and the two had a very close bond. He has fond memories of her, along with the rest of their family, playing baseball during summers at the lodge. He is shown to love Hannah very much, as evidenced by the engraved jewelry box he gave her, the mementos he kept of her on the Remembrance Board, and his distress over learning what happened to her. Hannah writes in her diary about Josh's mental struggles and hospital visit, saying that his loneliness makes her want to cry. Due to Hannah and Beth’s disappearances, Josh’s mental health becomes worse and he orchestrates a malicious prank against his friends whom he blamed. His hallucination in Chapter 10 shows that he feels heavy sorrow and guilt over Hannah’s disappearance. This scene in the remake indicates that he had tried to search for both his sisters.

If Sam finds the Scrawled Journal, she will tell Josh about Hannah’s fate. This will cause Josh to recognize the Wendigo as Hannah, she will recognize him as well. Due to this, she will spare him and drag him deeper into the mines, indicating that she still feels sentimentally towards Josh, even after losing most of her humanity. However, if Josh did not hear the truth of what happened to her, he will be too late in recognizing her and she will kill him. Should Josh become a Wendigo at the end of the game, his fate parallels Hannah’s.

Beth

Beth trusted and cared for Josh. They were very close, as evidenced by her fond attitude towards him in the Prologue and a beach photo of Josh with Beth and Hannah. During the Prologue, Beth checks on Josh who is passed out on the counter and finds his drunken state amusing, claiming that he has “outdone [them] all.” In the remake, she and Hannah will carry him to the couch. After Beth discovers Mike's note to Hannah, she has the option to try to wake Josh. In the year following the twins’ disappearance, Josh’s depression worsens, causing Hill to prescribe him stronger medication. Eventually, Josh pulls a sinister prank to, in part, force his friends to empathize with his sisters. He is distraught over his sisters’ disappearance and keeps mementos from them on a Remembrance Board. Beth and Hannah appear to Josh in ghastly, partially decayed forms while he hallucinates in the mines, and, in the remake, he tells them: "I swear I tried to find you.”

Josh is Beth's second-highest relationship, below Hannah.

Ashley

Ashley is the love interest of Josh’s best friend Chris. Josh has a strong fascination with their relationship and often teases Chris about it, both encouraging him to be more forceful and criticizing him for not taking steps to make things official with Ashley. Josh and Ashley get along, and Ashley is attentive to his feelings, becoming guilty when she thinks that the seance has upset him.

Ashley becomes one of the main victims of Josh’s prank. He captures her twice, forcing her into his saw traps. If Ashley stabs Josh while he is trying to knock her out with gas, he will lose his temper and punch her instead, giving her a black eye. After she learns that Josh is the Psycho, Ashley seems to harbor some resentment towards him. If Chris hits Josh in the shed, Ashley will claim that “maybe he deserved it.” She tries to dissuade Chris from rescuing Josh, saying that Josh let Chris and everyone else down. Ashley can talk about Josh during two interviews. If she had stabbed him, she desperately tells the police that she did not know the Psycho was Josh. She may also tell the police that the Wendigo took Josh to the mines.

Based on player choice, Josh may tell Hill that Ashley is his least favorite among the group. If he does, Hill will wonder if Josh believes Ashley deserves what he is about to do to her. Later, Hill will angrily tell Josh that Ashley did nothing to him.

In Josh’s base stats, Ashley is tied for second with Sam and Jessica, following Chris. In Ashley’s base stats, Josh is tied for second with Sam and Matt, following Chris.

Chris

See Chris and Josh for more information.

Chris is Josh's best friend, and they have a long history together, having met in third grade. Their relationship is brotherly and playful, and Josh has given Chris a nickname, “Cochise.” In Chapter 1, Chris shows concern for Josh, telling Sam that the group's reunion is the first thing he's seen Josh excited for in a while. He may also express his concern to Josh himself who will brush Chris off but gain a relationship boost with him. They often joke around, and Josh encourages Chris to ask Ashley out. In response, Chris can laugh at Josh’s jokes and tell him he’s probably right or tell Josh to cut it out.

As the Psycho, Josh torments Chris. In the death machine trap, he forces Chris to choose between himself [Josh] and Ashley. Either way, Josh is “killed” and Chris tries to avoid talking to Ashley about it, though he later says that he is still thinking about Josh’s death. When Josh reveals himself as the Psycho, Chris is angered and claims Josh is off his meds. However, he’ll remind Mike that Josh is sick.

Chris and Mike decide to keep Josh outside. On the way to the shed, Chris will punch Josh if Josh had punched Ashley prior. Though he is furious with Josh, he can still be skeptical that Josh killed Jessica. Josh is confused and frustrated by Chris’ attitude towards him and tells him that they’re partners. But, if Chris had said he was going to save Ashley in the saw trap, Josh will remember this and antagonizes Chris. When Mike threatens to shoot Josh, Chris can hit Mike, knock Josh out, or do nothing.

Regardless of prior choices, Chris will always risk his life to retrieve Josh from the shed. If Chris had hit Josh, he will express regret, saying he won’t let anything else happen to him. If he didn’t, he will say he needs to help Josh because he’s supposed to be his best friend. If Chris is the sole survivor, he will learn that Josh hasn’t been found and express sadness, telling the police to search the mines. If he chose to hit Josh in the shed and survives the night, he will defend his actions, saying that "he was trying to fuck with our heads."

Based on player choice, Josh may tell Hill that Chris is his least favorite among the group. If he does, Hill will wonder if Josh believes Chris deserves what he is about to do to him. Later, Hill will angrily question Josh why he despised Chris, as he was his best friend.

In Chris’ base stats, Josh is tied with Ashley for first. In Josh’s base stats, Chris is first.

Emily

Josh is the only protagonist who doesn't directly interact with Emily throughout the game. During the Prologue, she participated in the prank which led to the disappearance of Josh’s sisters. However, he invites her back to the lodge the following year and counts her among the group’s “four lovely ladies” in a conversation with Chris. In the lodge, he will become angry when Emily engages in an argument with Jessica and say that they didn’t come back to the lodge to fight. Josh, as part of his Psycho prank, leaves a pig head—along with a threatening note—on the trail for Emily and Matt to find. When Chris and Ashley tell Emily about Josh’s “death,” Emily reacts with disbelief and wonders if she and Matt should check the shed to confirm the story. However, Matt convinces her not to, saying there are some things people can’t unsee. When Emily and Matt go to the cable car station for help, Josh locks the gate behind them, watching them through monitors. They arrive at the station to find that it has been sinisterly trashed, something Josh had done to frighten them. In the ending interviews, Emily can tell the police that Josh is in the mines, likely dead.

If the player chooses to make Emily his least favorite member of the group, Hill will guess that Emily is a little bitchy for Josh’s tastes. However, he points out that Josh relates to Emily because they both mask their lack of confidence with overconfidence.

In Josh’s base stats, Emily is tied with Mike, placing only above Matt. In Emily’s base stats, Josh is tied with Chris and Ashley, placing only above Jess.

Jessica

Josh has a fairly amicable relationship with Jessica, despite her being the one who organized the prank on Hannah. He often implies that he finds Jessica attractive, and the two share traits such as their love of partying. However, Josh will become angry with Jessica if she engages in an argument with Emily at the lodge. He sends her and Mike to the guest cabin, perhaps with the intention of pranking them, though this never happens due to Jessica being abducted (and potentially killed) by a Wendigo. He teases Jessica as he gives her the key to the cabin, and Jessica tells Mike that she suspects Josh was flirting with her. When Mike jokingly suggests that they should invite Josh to come with them, she seems okay with the idea. After Josh reveals himself to be the Psycho, Mike accuses him of murdering Jessica. Josh does exhibit genuine concern for Jessica, telling Mike he’s sorry something happened to her. However, when Mike continues to disbelieve him, Josh uses Jessica as a way to taunt Mike. He claims he would recall killing her because she’s soft and has a "tight bod."

It is possible, based on the player’s choice, for Josh to tell Hill that Jessica is his least favorite member of the group. Hill will respond by saying that Jessica is a little dumb, but that Josh doesn’t have to worry about her for the time being.

In Josh’s base stats, Jessica is tied with Sam and Ashley for second place, below Chris. In Jessica’s base stats, Josh is ranked third place, below Mike and Matt.

Matt

Matt and Josh’s interactions range from warm to unfriendly. The remake shows that they spent time together during the party in the Prologue, as evidenced by a photo which shows them hanging out with Sam, Chris, and Mike. Matt ultimately takes part in the prank they pulled on Josh’s sister Hannah, by filming the incident. Josh gets a hold of this tape and uses it in his prank.

A year later, Josh welcomes Matt back to the lodge, and Matt’s response can be friendly or moody depending on whether or not he saw Emily and Mike through the telescope. If he is moody, Josh appears a little offended, asking Chris, “what’s up with him?” If Matt attacks Mike in the lodge, Josh will pull him off Mike and snap at them both. Josh may also break up a fight between Emily and Jessica in which Matt is involved. After whichever fight takes place, Matt offers to help Josh get the fire going.

Josh pranks Matt and Emily by leaving a pig head and threatening letter in the woods. When they hurry back to the lodge, they run into Chris and Ashley who claim Josh has been killed in a saw trap. Matt expresses horror at Josh’s supposed death and, saying he does not want see Josh’s body, prevents Emily from going to check the shed. When Matt and Emily go to the cable car station for help, Josh locks the gate behind them and watches them through the monitors. They arrive at the station which Josh has trashed to scare them. Matt can mention Josh during his interview, believing he had been killed by the "Psycho" (as he is unaware that Josh actually is the Psycho).

It is possible, based on player choices, for Josh to tell Hill that Matt is his least favorite person in the group. Hill will say that Matt is a nice guy and that he cannot see what’s not to like.

In Josh’s base stats, Matt ranks last. In Matt’s base stats, Josh is tied with Mike and Chris for last.

Mike

Mike and Josh’s interactions are varied; while they are friends, there is often bad blood between them. In the Prologue, Mike was a key participant in the prank that caused Josh’s sisters to go missing. However, Josh greets Mike cordially when they return to the lodge the following year. Josh becomes angered if Matt attacks Mike and will help pull Matt off Mike, demanding that everyone stop fighting. He will encourage Mike and Jessica to go up to the guest cabin to be alone, which benefits Mike’s goals to hook up with Jessica but also serves to further Josh’s own plans.

After Josh is revealed to be the Psycho, Mike becomes enraged—believing that Josh murdered Jessica—and attacks him, knocking him out with the side of a gun. Mike and Chris then bring Josh to a shed in order to keep him secured. Josh’s behavior towards Mike becomes snide and erratic here. Josh expresses fury at what he considers unfair treatment from Mike but also toys with him. While he initially apologizes sincerely for Jessica’s death and claims to know nothing about it, he later talks about her body which antagonizes Mike. His attitude towards Mike is both amused and resentful. He eventually slips so far into insanity that he seems not to mind staying in the shed with Mike on guard, and stating it’s a sleepover.

Eventually, Mike and Sam find Josh in the mines, and Mike will hit him to snap him out of his trance. The group splits, and Mike goes back through the mines with Josh. As they walk, Josh tells Mike he did not have to hit him so many times, and Mike apologizes, saying he was wrong about Josh killing Jessica. Hannah, as a Wendigo, attacks the pair and Mike hides as she either kills or kidnaps Josh. In Mike’s interview, he can tell the police that he heard screaming but that it was too dark to see anything, and he didn’t see any point to him and Josh both dying.

It is possible, by the player’s choice, for Josh to tell Hill that Mike is his least favorite member of the group. Hill will agree that Mike comes across as a jerk.

In Josh’s base stats, Mike is tied with Emily for second-to-last place, above Matt. In Mike’s base stats, Josh is tied with Sam and Chris for third place, following Jessica and Emily.

Sam

See Josh and Sam for more information.

Sam and Josh know each other well, and Sam is best friends with Josh’s sister Hannah. Sam and Chris are the only protagonists besides Josh to not participate in pranking Hannah. In the remake, a digital camera picture shows Sam and Josh hanging out with Matt, Chris, and Mike during the party.

At the lodge the following year, Josh tells Sam that he is glad she came back to the lodge. He shows concern for her a few times while the two are in the basement. He states that he wouldn't want her to be down there alone and can go with her to explore the source of a strange noise. When the two are chased by a disguised Chris, Josh will try to shield Sam when they reach a locked door. Sam is supportive of Josh, assuring him that she and the others are there for him. They can potentially talk about Josh’s memories of his family, and they enjoy teasing each other, such as when Sam tricks Josh into looking behind him.

As the Psycho, Josh torments Sam. He eventually chases her through the lodge while taunting her efforts to escape. If he does not capture her, she will discover his workshop and read his medical file. When he reveals himself, she will then argue that he wanted to get caught as a cry for help. While Sam goes along with the plan to keep Josh outside, she will become upset if Chris admits to having hit him.

Sam and Mike see Josh again in the mines, and he gives her the key to the cable car. She can potentially tell him what became of his sister which saves his life later. In an interview with police officers, Sam admits to feeling betrayed by Josh, saying that she talked to him after he lost his sisters and that he had said that they had a connection.

It is possible, through the player’s choice, for Josh to tell Hill that Sam is his least favorite of the group. Hill responds by saying Sam is feisty but that he otherwise cannot see what’s not to like. He wonders if Josh is intimidated by Sam’s strength and beauty.

In Josh’s base stats, Sam is tied with Jessica and Ashley, lower than Chris, but higher than Emily, Mike, and Matt. In Sam’s base stats, Josh is tied with Chris, Ashley, Emily, and Matt, placing higher than Jessica and Mike.

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood

In the virtual reality spin-off Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, an arcade-style shooter, Josh appears multiple times throughout the levels as the Psycho. Completing the game on Psychotic difficulty unlocks an ending scene from Until Dawn, shown from a first-person viewpoint, in which police officers find the protagonist feeding on a corpse.^[6] This confirms that the player character is Josh and suggests that the events of Rush of Blood occur within his mind. This is supported by the locations and imagery drawn from the events of Until Dawn, including of his twin sisters Hannah and Beth, who call out his name and appear several times throughout the game. The game is therefore believed to take place in Josh's mind after he is spared by the Wendigo-transformed Hannah.

Until Dawn (Film)

In the Until Dawn film, Josh's psychiatrist, Dr. Hill, is revealed to be the antagonist behind the death loop in Glore Valley, where he experiments on his subjects by putting them through the death loop in order to study their fears. When Clover confronts him during the film's final moments, Hill’s patient file of Josh can be seen (different from the Psychiatric Report), and Josh's "revenge plot" is mentioned in the document. The events of the game and the film exist within the same universe, with the film taking place after the game in continuity.^[7]

Trivia

Playability

• Josh is the last character able to be played.
• Josh is only playable in one chapter (Chapter 10).
  • He also has 2 playable segments: two in Chapter 10 (06:10 and 06:14).
  • This makes him the least playable protagonist, if you don't count his therapy sessions.
• Josh physically appears in 9 chapters, including his appearances as the Psycho. However, Josh himself only makes full appearances in 6 chapters, not counting cameos or videos.
  • Josh is the only protagonist to not make a physical appearance in Chapter 1, but he appears in video form before the Chapter 1 title card appears.
• Josh has the seventh most playtime of the protagonists, just above Jess, with around 6 minutes (not counting the therapy sessions).^[8]
  • Beth has more playtime, with 9 minutes in the remake.

Totems

• Josh can find one totem in Chapter 10.
  • In the remake, however, Josh can find two totems in Chapter 10.

Clues

• Josh doesn't find any clues throughout the game, same as Jess.

Facts

• His dream job is a film producer.
• He loves his family and hates being bossed around.
• He is voted most likely to work in the film industry.^[9]
• In ten years, he sees himself having a good time.^[9]
• Josh's favorite quote is by Francis Ford Coppola: "It takes no imagination to live within your means."^[9]
• His highest trait is funny.
• His intermediate traits are honest, charitable, and curious.
• His lowest traits are brave and romantic.
  • Josh is the most funny and one of the least brave and romantic out of all the protagonists.
• His highest base relationship status is with Chris.
• His lowest base relationship status is with Matt.
• Josh is the oldest member of the group, at 20 years old.
• Depending on the player's choices, Josh has a fear of isolation, darkness, failure, or the supernatural.
  • His fear of isolation is canonical, as stated by Dr. Hill in Josh’s ending segment if he survived in the remake.
• Josh is affected by 3 Butterfly Effect segments.
  • This makes him the least affected protagonist.

Medical History

• As seen in the Psychiatric Report found by Sam (if she successfully evades capture), Josh was referred to a psychiatrist due to an incident at his school at age 11. From then on, he began to take multiple types of antidepressants: Fluoxetine, Duloxetine and Amitriptyline. Josh, however, reported that none of the medication was working and that he was experiencing side effects. Nine years later, after the disappearance of his sisters, his depression worsened, to the point that his psychiatrists recommended ECT. Instead, he began taking stronger medication, Phenelzine, which he later stopped taking, causing him to suffer withdrawal symptoms.
• The same psychiatric report shows that Josh attempted suicide and began overdosing on his medication after Hannah and Beth's disappearance.
• Josh's eventual prescribed dose of Phenelzine was 90 mg, which is higher than the average dose (60 mg) as well as the highest possible (maximum) dose in general.^[10]
• Josh shows additional symptoms that are not typical of depression, such as suffering from delusion/detachment from reality, disorganized speech, and visual and auditory hallucinations. The cause of Josh's symptoms is likely his withdrawal from his medicine, as they match the withdrawal symptoms of Phenelzine. Josh dismisses Dr. Hill’s question if he still takes his medication, and Chris notes “he’s definitely off his meds.” It can be assumed that Josh stopped taking his medication, and that is where most, if not all, of his later behavior comes from. Given that Phenelzine's half-life is approximately 11 hours, it is likely that he stopped taking his medication sometime before the events on Blackwood Mountain.
  • A popular fan theory is that Josh could also have been misdiagnosed. The Psychiatric Report states that Josh complained to his doctors that his medications weren’t working, which could have been ineffective due to him possessing a second mental illness that the psychiatrists weren't entirely aware of. Many fans theorize that his second mental illness is schizophrenia, a brain disorder that involves disassociation from reality. Its symptoms are also visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal/paranoia, and disorganized speech. However, this theory has never been confirmed, and the game suggests that Josh's symptoms were more likely a result of withdrawal rather than an additional mental illness.

Deaths

• Josh is the sixth protagonist who can die.
• Josh is one of three characters that can only be killed in Chapter 10. The other two are Sam and Mike.
• Josh is one of the four protagonists - the others being Chris, Jessica, and Matt - who may only be killed outside the lodge, meaning that their bodies won't be found unless the police go down to the mines, which requires at least one protagonist to survive (except Josh).
• Josh can only be killed one way; having his head crushed by Hannah.
• Josh is one of the six protagonists - the others being Emily, Chris, Jessica, Mike and Ashley - whose death can be caused by another protagonist. In Josh's case, Sam can miss the Scrawled Journal in Chapter 10.
  • Finding the aforementioned clue is essential to ensure Josh's survival.
    • He is the only character that requires a clue for him to live.

Trophies

• In the original game, Josh has no trophies relating to him.
  • "The Psycho Path" relates to his Psycho persona.
• In the remake, he has two:
  • "We Need To Talk About Josh," given if the player gives Josh his best ending (an ending only possible in the remake).
    • This is a reference to the film We Need to Talk About Kevin.
  • "Our Host," given when Josh is revealed as the Psycho.
    • This is a reference to the film The Host.

Chapter Titles

Josh can affect six chapter titles: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 9 and Chapter 10.

• To obtain Friendship in Chapter 1, the player (as Josh) must be willing to stay in the haunted cottage, or admit to a fear of darkness during Dr. Hill's first therapy session.
• To obtain Memento Mori in Chapter 1, the player must make any other choice but the requirements of Friendship during the first therapy session.
• To obtain Jealousy in Chapter 2, the player must say he/she wouldn't stay at the barn if it was haunted in the first therapy session.
• To obtain Darkness in Chapter 2, the player must say he/she is afraid of darkness or would stay at the barn if it was haunted in the first therapy session.
• To obtain Isolation in Chapter 3, the player must say he/she wouldn't stay at the barn because they would be lonely in the first therapy session.
• To obtain Haunted in Chapter 3, the player must say he/she would be scared to stay at the barn if it was haunted in the first therapy session.
• To obtain Malevolence in Chapter 4, the player must say he/she disliked Mike, Josh, Chris or Ashley the most during Dr. Hill's fourth therapy session.
• To obtain Loyalty in Chapter 4, the player must say he/she disliked Sam, Emily, Matt or Jessica the most during Dr. Hill’s fourth therapy session.
• To obtain Karma in Chapter 9, the player must choose "It was just a game" in Dr. Hill's eighth therapy session.
• To obtain Despair in Chapter 9, the player must choose "I'm so sorry" or "They need to change" in Dr. Hill's eighth therapy session.
• To obtain Resolution in Chapter 10, the player must choose "It was just a game" in Dr. Hill's eighth therapy session.
• To obtain Repentance in Chapter 10, the player must choose "I'm so sorry" or "They need to change" in Dr. Hill's eighth therapy session.

Other

• Josh is the only protagonist not interviewed by the police if he survives.
• Josh is the only protagonist who does not directly interact with Emily throughout the game.
• The developers have stated that the game's story is ultimately a tragedy about Josh.^[11]
• Despite committing violence against some of his friends, Josh is the only protagonist without the potential to have killed victims.
  • Will Byles, the director of the game, has stated that it was important to him that Josh was not killing people. He feels that this would have been lazy writing as well as perpetuating a stereotype against the mentally ill: "I was actually very deliberate in making sure there wasn't a psycho hitting people. A very lazy way of giving jeopardy is putting somebody who's mentally ill into a position of killing people... I've had close relationships with people who've struggled with mental illness and I thought, 'I'm not going to be part of something that's perpetuating a level of stereotyping.' [The character of Josh] is suffering badly from the trauma of losing his sisters and is reacting to it in a way that's maybe not quite proportional, but he certainly isn't murdering people."^[12]
• Josh is Galadriel Stineman's (Ashley's actress) favorite character, not counting Ashley.^[13]
• Josh is the only protagonist who, while still human, cannot have a sole survivor ending.
  • He can be a sole survivor as a Wendigo in both versions of the game.
  • His human survival is included in the remake only and cannot be a sole survival ending.
    • The lowest possible number of survivors required for Josh's good ending is three and must be done this way: Josh surviving alongside Chris and one character among Sam, Ashley, and Emily.^[14]
    • All characters must be alive at the moment when Josh passes through the Wendigo's lair with Mike. However, if a character dies after this, his or her death isn't counted against Josh's redemption. This means Matt and Jessica may still die in their Chapter 10 segment. If the player tries to then kill as many people as possible in the lodge, Chris (who has no Chapter 10 deaths) and one person among Sam, Ashley and Emily will still escape.
      • Oddly, Emily's safe room death still counts against Josh's survival, even though he does not see her body in the mines and is never told about her death.
• Josh tried to convince his friends that the true identity of the Psycho was a former hotel janitor named Victor Milgram. The Inpatient shows that Victor is a man who truly existed, and this revelation could imply Josh had researched the real hotel and sanatorium staff while developing lore for his killer. His costume for the Psycho is also an exact replica of Victor’s real appearance, down to the hair style.
• Josh has several lines of dialogue that serve as subtle foreshadowing:
  • In Chapter 2, when talking to Chris about Ashley, Josh remarks, "She won't even know what hit her" which is ironic, as Josh himself can later punch Ashley in the face and give her a black eye.
  • Also in Chapter 2, while speaking with Sam, Josh suggests that Chris and Ashley need "some sort of traumatic event to bond over." This hints at the situations they will later face together at the hands of Josh as the Psycho, simultaneously revealing his motivations behind targeting the pair for his prank.
  • If Chris chose to save Ashley over Josh at the first trap and then chose to shoot Ashley, Josh will comment that "she's better off with Mike" in Chapter 7, as he "knows how to treat a lady. [...] Hint: It's not shoot her in the face." Mike may later shoot Emily in the face if she's been bitten by a Wendigo.
• If you choose Josh as your most disliked character in the fourth therapy session, Dr. Hill will comment on you "being full of surprises." During the eighth therapy session, Hill will hold Josh accountable for that, claiming he despises himself.
  • Josh, Ashley and Chris are the only characters that Dr. Hill addresses in the eighth session for being picked as the most disliked.
• Josh and Ashley are the only characters without Don't Move segments. Although, according to the cut dialogue, it is possible that he was supposed to receive one in the lake just before Mike is pulled under.
• Josh's psychiatric report indicates the Washingtons live in or near Burbank, as it was sent to Bob Washington's film corporation, Washington Pictures Incorporated, in Valley Town, Burbank California.
• In Chapter 2, Josh may tell Sam that he and his dad used to play baseball together before he got too busy to hang out with Josh. In the remake, his lost baseball can be found by Mike on his way to the guest cabin.
• In Chapter 1 of the remake, Sam or Chris can find writing on a truck that says "Chris 4 Josh" encircled by a heart.
  • The truck belongs to Josh; it is labeled "JoshCar" in the game's vehicle files.^[15]
• In the PS4 alpha version of Until Dawn, Josh wore a necklace with a J-shaped pendant. This can be seen in early press presentations and renders, but was removed during development.^[16]
• In an early PS4 build, Josh wore dark makeup around his eyes to black out the skin that would be visible under his mask. Some developer photos of him in the mines show him with these black circles around his eyes.^[17]
• Josh's fake death in the first saw trap appears to have perhaps initially worked by employing a whole dummy rather than a false body and real head. In the PlayStation 3 beta version, Ashley is not in the trap and "Josh" is suspended by chains and has a burlap sack over his head. A development sketch for the death machine shows both Josh and Ashley almost as they are in the final version, but Josh has a bag over his head.^[18]
• One of his quotes, "Godspeed, pilgrim!" and his nickname for Chris, “Cochise,” are both references to famous western actor John Wayne.
  • Some cut dialogue shows Chris and Josh having fun talking about John Wayne and imitating characters from his films.
• Josh has numerous pieces of unused dialogue, including (but not limited to):
  • A scene where Chris asks to borrow Josh’s phone and them acting like Chris is a zombie addicted to apps before they break into the lodge.
  • More dialogue between him and Sam in the basement, and with Chris about the old movie props lying around.
  • More dialogue as the Psycho tormenting Sam in Chapter 5.
  • Josh trying to guilt-trip Chris for tying him up in the shed.
  • Josh telling himself to stay still in the lake in Chapter 10.
• In the remake, while hallucinating his sisters in the mine, Josh also says "I swear I tried to find you", while in the original game he only says "I didn't want you to die, I swear."
• If the Scrawled Journal is found, he along with Sam and Mike are the only characters to explicitly find out that the Wendigo hunting and potentially killing their friends is Hannah.
• Josh’s voice and motion capture actor, Rami Malek, coincidentally played a man named Dr. Hill in Oppenheimer.
• The 2014 teaser trailer features a clip of Josh, Ashley and Chris during the first saw trap; however, Josh is erroneously depicted without his head in the first shot.
• Josh has won several sporting awards: "MVP 2009" in basketball, "US High School Bowl Runner Up 2009" in American football, and "State All-Star Team 2010" in soccer.^[19]
• The plotline of the main character of the Until Dawn film, Clover, parallels Josh’s: both characters are driven by the traumatic disappearance of one or more sisters (and eventually learn that their sister has become a Wendigo). Both characters have attempted suicide and have connections to Dr. Hill.

Quotes

• "Let's party like we're fucking porn stars!"
• "When are you gonna take her to the bone zone?"
• "I DID something! I made you believe in the world I created, and I showed you parts of yourself you were too afraid to visit!"
• "I said you're a dummy, dummy."
• "Oooh! Sleepover! C-can we order pizza?"

Prologue

The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

Chapter 1

• "Let’s party like we’re fucking porn stars, okay?" - Josh in Sam's video.

Chapter 2

• "Ashley was looking pretty hot today, right? She's like a "sleeper hit" kinda gal, you know?... Now I just wanna rip that parka right off her... make some snow angels. Right? (...) When are you gonna take her to the bone zone?" - Josh teasing Chris.

• "So how are we planning on breaking into my parents' lodge, bud?"
  • "Wait, I didn't say I had a plan-" - Chris.
  • "You sounded like you had a plan. You better deliver, Cochise, or else you got four lovely ladies who are gonna be freezing their buns off, and last time I checked, that's not a good way to get laid."

• "I swear, they just need like, something to bond over, ya' know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other's arms. And, knowing Chris, we'll be in the geriatric ward before Chris makes a move." - Josh conversing about Ashley and Chris' relationship with Sam.

• "Um... I want us to have a good time, you know..."

• "Nah, nah, come on, I've been down here plenty of times, big ole' lodge has got to belch out sometimes."

Chapter 3

• "Listen, I don't know... I don't know if you think messing with me is somehow going to help me with my grief or whatever but this is not cool. I don't need this right now, okay?!! You guys are full of it!" - Josh upset over the Ouija Board.

Chapter 4

• "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! LET ME DOWN FROM HERE YOU MANIAC! Shit... shit... no! Okay... okay... okay... okay, this is gonna be okay... Dude... buddy... Let's just think about this for a minute..." - Josh in The Psycho's trap.

• "Bro! Bro, we've been through so much, come on... I don't wanna go out like this...! I know... I know we haven't been the best of friends lately... and I've been kinda messed up and everything... but I'm getting better, man... I swear!"

• "I thought we were FRIENDS man! I thought we were FRIENDS why would you DO THIS!?" - before his death.

Chapter 5

The character does not appear in this chapter.

Chapter 6

The character does not appear in this chapter.

Chapter 7

• "How does it feel? Do you enjoy feeling terrorized? Humiliated? I mean, panicked? All those emotions that my sisters got to feel once one year ago! Only guess what? They didn't get to laugh it off! No! Nope! No no no! They're gone!" - Josh after revealing himself as the Psycho.

• "Hook, line and sinker, for every little stinker!"

• "Oh sure. I'm totally just crying out for help. 'Help me! Oh help me! Help help!'"

• "Revenge is the best medicine!"

• "I'm a healer, man! I bring people together! Not like you assholes."

• "I DID something- I MADE you believe in the world I created and I showed you parts of yourself you were too afraid to visit!"

• "Right, right right right... still... can't tie 'em up if they just wiggle around. Leave me a little wiggle room, huh." - after being tied up in the Shed.

• "'I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you liked me...!'"
  • "Stop." - Chris.
  • "You know what that sound is? It's the sound of never kissing Ashley, you pussy!"
  • "Stop!" - Chris.
  • "Yeah, you know? You might as well let Ashley sleep with Mike, I mean, at least he's got some notches on his belt, you know? He'll treat her right! You're fucking pathetic, Christopher!" - Josh antagonizing Chris.

• "Oh, you poor little piggies, can't even get their good cop bad cop routine to work. Leave it to the pros, bros."

• "Oooh! Sleepover! C-can we order pizza?"

Chapter 8

The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

Chapter 9

The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

Chapter 10

• "No! You're dead! You're dead!!! Shut up! I don't take orders from you... you can't tell me what to do... okay... okay... I trust you... I trust you..." - Josh hallucinating in the mines.

• "I didn't want you to die- I swear!!" - Josh expressing sorrow and guilt when being tormented by hallucinations of his sisters.

• "NO! NO! Why are you doing this?! Leave me alone!! Why are you doing this?!"

• "NO you're not real! No, you're not... Hannah!" - Josh recognizing his sister.

Credits

The character has no notable quotes in this chapter.

Gallery

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} According to his character profile in the Your Companion app.
2. ↑ According to Dr. Hill's notes. ISFP is a personality type standing for the Introverted, Sensing, Feeling and Perceiving traits.
3. ↑ As seen in the Psychiatric Report.
4. ↑ As said by Dr. Hill in Josh's best ending: "But it's a game that has driven you to one of your own deepest fears, Joshua. Isolation."
5. ↑ PlayStation Store
6. ↑ Rush of Blood ending
7. ↑ Until Dawn film's connectivity to the game
8. ↑ Character Playtimes
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2} According to his yearbook page in the Press Kit Edition of the game.
10. ↑ Mayo Clinic: "The dose is usually not more than 90 mg per day."
11. ↑ Developers on the game's story
12. ↑ 10th Anniversary Article with Eurogamer
13. ↑ Galadriel Stineman Q&A
14. ↑ Minimum Survivors with Josh
15. ↑ Vehicle file name
16. ↑ Josh's necklace
17. ↑ Robert Craig's ArtStation
18. ↑ Death Machine with Josh's face covered
19. ↑ Found in the basement with freecam in the remake

Characters
Protagonists
Sam	Mike	Josh	Ashley	Chris	Emily	Matt	Jessica
Supporting Characters
Hannah	Beth	The Psycho	Wendigos	Dr. Hill	The Stranger	Wolfie	Minor Characters