The Backrooms are a large space outside of known reality. Time doesn’t work the same, and there are dangerous entities lurking in the shadows. This guide is to help newcomers prepare physically and mentally for the backrooms. So read up, because there have been no documented escapes. — Basics of the Backrooms: A Guide^[1]

The Backrooms^[2] is a containment fiction format which similarly to the SCP Wiki and RPC Authority originates from 4chan but is currently based elsewhere. The Backrooms format describes supernatural phenomena, contained in the form of floors or “Levels” in a spatially and temporally anomalous building, which constitutes an infinite alternate dimension. Entries in the series each describe one floor of this complex, and abide by a structured template. There are multiple, mostly unrelated communities writing in the Backrooms format, which shall be detailed in full in another section of this article. The tone of the Backrooms is less clinical and more instructive, the intent of the content in-universe being the sharing of information to help ensure survival among those who are trapped there. Backrooms is an intellectual descendant of creepypasta and is not a splinter of or directly inspired by the SCP Foundation, which is another aspect which makes it unique compared to other containment fiction communities. The entries are documentation of the “Backrooms” Levels, which resemble everyday spaces decontextualized to be frightening or inspire other feelings of dread, discomfort, disorientation, and (in the instances of “joke” Levels) even humor. According to the Backrooms/TS Wiki, this is the origin of the Backrooms format: “The first ever picture taken of Level 0, posted to 4chan’s /x/ board in May of 2019. Originally taken on 12/9/1992.” The Liminal Archives are an offshoot of this community.

The name “Backrooms” refers to an anomalous and mysterious alternative dimension consisting of a sole building. This building features disjunct and seemingly random architecture, filled with rooms and hallways. In universe, the participant (“traveler”) has “noclipped” out of reality and found themselves in the alternate dimension. The Wiki is meant to act as a reference guide for the various rooms in the building. The Backrooms are in contrast to the “Frontrooms”, which is the universe’s designation for baseline reality, including Earth.^[4] The human body functions differently while in the Backrooms dimension and can go extraordinary long times without sustenance. Dreams are more tangible and often portend future events. The building has several explorable levels; 0, 1, 2, 3 are the most well-documented and a maximum number of floors has not been confirmed. Likewise, the complex has not been verified to end, and is partially considered an infinite space; the known surface area is said to be “millions of miles”. The highest recorded floor is Level 20000,^[5] although many floors exist with non-conventional numbering, even ones that are fractions.^[6] Each level has specific characteristics that make it unique from the others. Each however is generally defined by an expanse of monotony with respect to the identifying characteristics, while each room attains unique attributes. This generally makes navigation through various levels challenging. Each level has various entrances and exist, nonetheless. Reportedly, no one who has entered into the Backrooms dimension has made it out, alive or dead. Travelers are, however, able to communicate via digital posts describing their encounters on each Level, and these are the various Backrooms entries, with one entry corresponding to one Level. The “Basics of the Backrooms: A Guide” is written with an in-universe tone, and details things like how to get to the Backrooms, what to do once there, and equipment found within the complex that can be useful. Several in-universe theories exist positing the origin and purpose of the Backrooms.^[7]

Level 0 is the first level of the Backrooms, both sequentially (in-universe) and chronologically (out-of-universe). The initial picture accompanying the genesis of the Backrooms project (on /x/, May 2019) was of what is now designated Level 0. Level 0 is the default landing point of individuals who have no-clipped “out-of-bounds in normal reality”, and also of subsequent, higher floors in the building. Level 0’s common attributes are:

• yellowed wallpaper
• damp carpet (dampened by an unknown substance)
• inconsistently placed fluorescent lighting
• a constant hum from the lighting (louder than what is normal)
• non-linear topography

Geolocation and radio communications are unreliable and heavily corrupted in Level 0. Ten known communities/groups exist within this level, and these range from tens to tens-of-thousands of members.

Level 1 resembles an infinite warehouse. Concrete floors, exposed joints and construction materials, dim fluorescent lights, and a low-hanging mist define this level. A ubiquitous water supply means Level 1 is more conducive to prolonged habitation than other floors. However, the electricity supply is labile and when out, hostile entities can spawn. Crates of supplies have also been known to spawn spontaneously, although these can be filled with random and useless items as well. 18 known colonies/communities exist within Level 1.

The 3rd Level of the Backrooms, Level 2 is substantially harder to survive within than the previous two. This level is defined by “long, dim, concrete maintenance hallways with steam pipes lining the walls and ceilings.” The presence of the steam pipes in conjunction with a lack of ventilation and functional doors makes the temperature in Level 2 dangerously and at times lethally high. Level 2 also has a relative increase in count of hostile entities, compared to the first two levels. 5 known groups colonize Level 2.

There are multiple major outlets for writing Backrooms content, of which the two most significant are the Wikidot-hosted “Backrooms/TS Wiki” and the Fandom-hosted “Backrooms Wiki.” “Backrooms/Tech Support” oftentimes shortened to BR/TS, is the community centered around WikiDot. Their primary hub for community activity is their Discord server. Until December 2021, they were led by their head Admin etoisle(ze/hir) who stepped down at that time due to prior allegations of engaging in a cycle of abusive behavior towards minors during hir adolescence. There Backrooms Wiki is hosted on fandom.com and features usernames, profile pictures, comment threads and forums, a code of conduct, a Discord server, voting, and other Wiki-centric features (such as CC BY-SA licensing and the ability to view page sources). As with other styles of containment fiction, the Backrooms uses a template that authors follow when writing their entries. Each Level entry begins with a “Survival Difficulty” classification, then a Description, then known Colonies & Outposts within it, then known entrances and exits, and finally any other relevant information (commonly additional screenshots of the level’s defining characteristics). Level entries are compiled in “Clusters” of 1000. At the time of writing, the fandom Wiki has over 3,700 unique pages. A separate category exists for “joke” levels, as seen in other styles of containment fiction.

By vote, the community established rules for guiding the quality and curation of submitted pages. Among other rules, pages must:

• Have effort put into them – mandating things like page structure and completeness
• No abandonments – progress must be made on a Level’s entry until complete each week, or else it will be deleted
• Compliance with the Backrooms canon – to maintain a sense of immersion, and lack or minimization of internal inconsistencies between Levels

A potential logo for the backrooms from TheBackrooms