QR codes

A QR code found in level A1 in The Talos Principle: Reawakened. It is one of the first such examples the player would encounter in the game.

QR codes are a type of matrix barcode which encodes text. They are a recurring element in The Talos Principle series, with players able to read pieces of text containing messages from other beings, quotations, or other details.

The Talos Principle

Main Game

In The Talos Principle, the Child encounters numerous QR codes left throughout areas of the game. These were left by programs in the Simulation, and usually contain messages left by them. They can also mark the location of a program's termination, describing how and why they ended and the child programs that succeeded them.

Most QR codes are automatically decoded when examined by the player, but can also be read with the use of a phone camera. This is sometimes necessary for certain codes which won't automatically decode, either containing a secret message (Such as a message from Uriel4 in level A2), a secret for a puzzle (Such as one found in level A3 necessary for solving one of the level's stars), or an easter egg. Players themselves, if they find paint buckets in the levels, can use them to write their own messages.

In the game's original release, they were also a part of its hint system. After releasing a messenger, players stuck on a puzzle that had an altar could use it to ask for help from a messenger. The messenger then manifest and paint a QR code on the altar wall, providing a hint on how to solve the puzzle. This system was replaced in Reawakened with one based around Messenger Tokens, taken from a similar system provided in The Talos Principle 2.

Road to Gehenna

QR codes in Road to Gehenna serve a similar purpose to the use of terminals in the main game. Rather than containing messages from other programs, they instead carry quotations and fragments of works from the Archives, even referencing specific file names.

The Talos Principle 2

Main Game

QR codes are rarely found in the main game, typically only appearing in areas that directly allude to the first game and the Simulation. During 1K's Booting Process, a few can be found around the area, containing quotes or sayings from programs. Later, in the Museum of the Simulation, the player can find a large gallery containing QR codes from the original game.

Road to Elysium

QR codes return in a minor role in the DLC. In Orpheus Ascending, several QR codes are left by programs. They can also be found in Into the Abyss, left by Prometheus, Pandora, and the Sphinx.