Alan Wake disappeared in 2010. He was a best-selling author based in New York. On vacation in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, Alice Wake, he encountered a force of supernatural darkness.  This brought to life Wake's written work, a horror story. He fought this dark presence and managed to banish it back to where it came from, a nightmarish dark place hidden beneath a caldera lake outside the small town of Bright Falls. Wake wrote an ending to his horror story and with it freed his wife from the darkness beneath the lake, but he himself became trapped there.

Alan Wake is not dead, though he has wished many times that he were. For 13 years he has been imprisoned in the Dark Place, where his nightmares, fears, and stories manifest as reality around him. For 13 years he has struggled to remain sane and to write a story that will change the reality around him so he can escape. So far, he has failed.

The enchanting landscapes stretch across the state of Washington in the United States' Pacific Northwest. Nature is beautiful and rich here, but there is something very different.

There are three distinct locations to explore.

The quirky and idyllic town of Bright Falls is also home to the annual Deerfest. Nearby is the rundown town of Watery, founded by Finnish immigrants around logging and fishing. Cauldron Lake, a caldera lake outside of Bright Falls, is a striking landmark. It used to be a popular hiking destination, but since it was fenced off by a dark government agency years ago, it has gained a reputation as a place to avoid.