Dig To Escape Keycard Guide: How To Get It and Unlock the Janitor's Ending

Most players in Dig To Escape spend their first runs digging straight down and wondering why the escape never comes. The faster route is buying the Dig To Escape keycard, a 200 Toilet Paper item that unlocks the janitor's room and the game's second ending. If you want a clean, repeatable escape in roughly ten in-game days, the Dig To Escape keycard is the single most important purchase you will make — and this guide covers how to earn it, where to use it, and how to survive the battery hunt that follows.

What the Dig To Escape Keycard Unlocks

Dig To Escape is built around a simple choice: keep shoveling dirt until you break out, or find a smarter route. The keycard opens the second path, known as the Janitor's Ending. Instead of grinding through layer after layer of soil, you save Toilet Paper, buy the card, scan the lock, and slip into the janitor's room where a vent and a switchboard puzzle are waiting.

The card also does double duty during the finale. One of the rooms you search for Batteries is locked and only opens with the keycard, so the same purchase that gets you out of your cell keeps paying off right up to the final seconds of the run.

The trade-off is obvious: the digging route is slow but forgiving, while the keycard route is fast but punishes mistakes. The guard in the battery area moves quickly and has unusual pathing, so the Janitor's Ending rewards players who plan their route before they step into the hall.

How To Get the Keycard in Dig To Escape

The Dig To Escape keycard costs 200 Toilet Paper, and you earn that currency by digging up items and selling them. The trick is how you dig. Clear the ground in a rectangular pattern instead of boring a single vertical shaft — a wider sweep exposes far more items, which translates to roughly 20 to 30 Toilet Paper per in-game day.

Spend your earnings on energy-based food only. Digging stamina is the engine that keeps your income flowing, and a hungry prisoner digs slowly, sells less, and falls behind schedule. With consistent digging, eating, and selling, community reports suggest you can bank the full 200 Toilet Paper in about ten in-game days.

Resist the urge to spend on anything else. Energy Surge upgrades, extra Storage, and new Shovels are all unnecessary for this specific escape route, and every Toilet Paper you divert delays your keycard by a full day or more.

Where To Trade and Sell Safely

Never trespass at night to trade or sell. The guard patrols aggressively after dark and catching you ends the run instantly. Instead, move during the "Afternoon" hour, when patrols are looser, and use the vent in the main hallway — it connects to four nearby cells and gives you a discreet route to and from the trading area. Patience here protects the entire run.

Timing, Vents, and Guard Patrols

Timing is the difference between a clean escape and a wasted keycard. The vent inside your own cell leads to the prison restroom, and from that restroom you can reach both the janitor's room and the security room next door. Knowing this layout before you commit saves you from wandering the halls while a flashlight sweeps toward you.

Escaping at night is one of the most common ways players lose a fully funded run. Wait until morning, when the guard's movement is easier to read, and make your move then.

The Janitor's Ending Walkthrough

Once you own the card and it is morning, the sequence is short and precise. Every step below assumes you are already carrying the keycard and the ladder.

Finding the 12 Batteries

You need 12 Batteries inserted into the switchboard to restore power. They do not have fixed spawn points — they appear in random spots throughout the hall and the rooms branching off it. That randomness means you should pre-plan your route before you leave the switchboard room, because the guard is fast and hesitation is expensive.

One of those rooms requires the keycard, so keep it equipped and be ready to scan immediately. Player experience also mentions a handy quirk: you can insert Batteries through the wall by standing in the room next to the switchboard, which skips a trip into the switchboard room entirely. Treat that as a community-reported trick rather than a guaranteed mechanic, and always have a backup plan.

Restoring Power and Reaching the Elevator

Once all 12 Batteries are in place, the power returns and the exit opens. Wait for the guard to move away from the left side of the hall, then sprint toward the bright open elevator. Entering it triggers the "JANITOR ENDING" screen along with your total gameplay time, and your run is complete.

Common Mistakes That Ruin a Keycard Run

Even players who successfully buy the Dig To Escape keycard often lose the run in the final minutes. These are the errors that show up most often:

• Digging a single vertical shaft. You miss most of the items that fund your keycard.
• Buying upgrades first. Energy Surge, Storage, and Shovels drain the Toilet Paper you need.
• Trading at night. The patrol pattern after dark is unforgiving.
• Escaping at night. Same problem, higher stakes — wait for morning.
• Wasting time on interactions. The battery area guard closes distance quickly; know your route in advance.
• Forgetting the keycard opens a battery room. Have it equipped and scan instantly.

For a second, community-verified reference on the route, Insider Gaming's Janitor's Ending walkthrough for Dig To Escape covers the same sequence and confirms the 200 Toilet Paper and 12 Battery requirements.

FAQ

How much does the Dig To Escape keycard cost? It costs 200 Toilet Paper. Most players reach that total in about ten in-game days by digging in a rectangular pattern, selling everything they find, and spending only on energy-based food.

Can I use the Dig To Escape keycard at night? You can, but you should not. The guard patrols aggressively after dark, and getting caught ends your run. Wait until morning before scanning the lock and heading into the janitor's room.

What happens after I insert all 12 Batteries? The power comes back on and the elevator opens. Wait for the guard to leave the left side of the hall, run to the elevator, and the "JANITOR ENDING" screen will appear with your completion time.

Do the Batteries always spawn in the same place? No. Battery spawns are randomized across the hall and the connected rooms, though certain spots — the middle table near the monitor, the circular table at the end of the hall, and the cabin path — come up often in player reports.

Is the Dig To Escape keycard worth buying over just digging out? If you want speed, yes. Digging is safer but takes far longer, while the keycard route gets you to a second ending in roughly ten in-game days of preparation followed by one focused escape run.