That's Not My Neighbor: Beginner's Guide (2024)

If you're wondering where to find and how to play That's Not My Neighbor, we've got you covered. That's Not My Neighbor has done its rounds on the internet, with artwork of the Milkman, lore on the Neighbors, and theories circling the airwaves everywhere. As an indie game not on any major game or app store, it can be a little confusing to figure out how to start playing.

If you want to download or learn the rules of how to play, look no further. We've compiled everything you need to know about downloading, playing, and winning That's Not My Neighbor.

How To Download That's Not My Neighbor

You won't find That's Not My Neighbor on any app store or game launcher, as the release is entirely indie. Nacho Sama (Ignacio Alverado) released the game for purchase on itch.io. You can buy the game here.

You can buy That's Not My Neighbor for $2.99 on itch.io, but there's an option to pay more than that as a donation to the developer.

Before you commit to buying the game, Nacho Sama has released a free demo version for you to download and test with your computer specs. We recommend trying the demo before buying the game, but we have a hunch you'll like the real deal anyway.

Once you have purchased That's Not My Neighbor on itch.io, you will receive a download of three different files. The only file you need to use is the .exe file.

Opening the .exe file will launch the game. You can drag the file to your desktop to create a desktop shortcut for easier access the next time you want to play.

Before You Start Playing

Even though That's Not My Neighbor has a cartoonish style, it is still a horror game. As such, Nacho Sama has played on certain phobias to increase the scare factor of some of the Doppelgangers.

Nacho Sama recognized that some players with trypophobia may be uncomfortable while playing the game, so they created a setting to turn off trypophobia triggers.

If you have trypophobia and want to avoid triggering your fears, head to the settings menu at the beginning of the game before you click play. Toggling the trypophobia setting will ensure that you don't see any triggering images.

How To Play That's Not My Neighbor

The premise of That's Not My Neighbor is that you are a security guard employed by the Doppelganger Detection Department (the D.D.D.) to identify and detect Doppelgangers who are trying to enter your building.

Through the use of various tools, you can question visitors about who they are, why they're visiting, and if they were expected at the apartment building. Based on their answers and the documents they do or do not provide, you can determine whether they are who they say they are.

The goal is to verify the identity of Neighbors and let them into the building while weeding out any Doppelganger imposters and reporting them to the D.D.D.

To determine who is a Doppelganger and who is a Neighbor, you are given a series of tools to use.

At your security station, you have a Rotary phone, three file folders with resident information, a checklist, a list of approved visitors, an observation window, and a document slot.

Every visitor to the building must present their photo I.D. and Entry Request Form to you, and be listed on the day's list of expected visitors. Additional tools at your disposal are the calendar on the wall, door lock buttons, and a sticky note with the D.D.D. emergency number.

If one or more criteria are incorrect, you are speaking to a Doppelganger. You won't know whether you've successfully caught a Doppelganger until the end of the round, at which point you will either be eaten or allowed to go home.

At the end of the game, you are given a rank for how well you performed with the highest rank being 'S' rank and the lowest being 'F' rank. You get an achievement for reaching both of these ranks at least once.

How To Check Appearances

Checking a visitor's appearance may seem like the easiest step to determining who is a Doppelganger, but sometimes, the difference is only in the color of an eye, a different hairstyle, the shape of a nose, or something less obvious.

Some visitors — Doppelgangers — will have obvious defects in their appearance. Sometimes, they'll have extra body parts, missing body parts, the wrong hair, or the inability to speak. These are all dead giveaways that you're not talking to a Neighbor.

Occasionally, you'll get neighbors who have convincing excuses for why their appearance is off, and you'll have to use your judgment.

How To Use The Daily Visitor List

At the left of your workstation, on the wall, is the Daily Visitor List. This is the list of all approved visitors to the building.

Some Doppelgangers won't know who is on the list, and may impersonate someone who is already in the building! Always check the list before the beginning of the round to ensure that you are only letting in people who you are expecting.

How To Check I.D.s

Each visitor must have a valid photo I.D. to present to you. When you are given their I.D. to check, you need to ensure that their photo, I.D. number, I.D. expiration date, D.D.D logo, and name are all correct.

At a glance, most I.D.s will look correct, but the devil is in the details. Some Doppelgangers will present I.D.s with incorrect information or missing expiration dates, photos, logos, identification numbers, or names.

The expiration dates should all be after February of 1955. Any expiration date before that is suspicious. And remember, there are only 12 months in a year!

Make sure you check the spelling of the name on the I.D. carefully. Some neighbors like Izaak Gauss, Francis Mosses, and Rafttellyn Cappuccin have double letters in their names for a reason. Check all the doubles!

Finally, you need to ensure that the image on the I.D. not only corresponds with the person in front of you but with the photo in the visitor's file and/or the daily list of visitors.

How To Use The Entry Request Form

Presented alongside the I.D. is the Entry Request Form. All visitors must present both of these items to you.

The Entry Request form will tell you which apartment the visitor is from, their reason for returning home, their name, their photo, and the D.D.D. logo.

Some Entry Request Forms won't have an image or will present an incorrect image. Sometimes the image matches the file, but not the I.D. or the visitor in front of you.

You also need to pay close attention to the reason that a visitor is returning. Sometimes, incorrect grammar or an incorrect profession is a giveaway that you're talking to a Doppelganger.

Finally, you need to check that the name, apartment number, and D.D.D. logo are correct on the form. If a form or I.D. is missing a logo, it's invalid.

How To Check The Files

On the right side of your workspace are three file folders containing dossiers of information for each Neighbor. Inside are images, I.D. numbers, phone numbers, descriptions, and which apartment they are from.

When a visitor approaches your window with documents, you must check the documents for authenticity against the correct information found in the file folders. Any discrepancy is a clue that who you are speaking to is a Doppelganger.

How To Use The Checklist

The Checklist is designed to remind you of the tools at your disposal and to give you a method for asking visitors questions about missing or abnormal documentation.

When a visitor forgets to present you with a document or doesn't have one at all, you can check the 'x' box on the checklist and then select 'Question the individual' at the bottom of the form.

When you close the checklist, you'll ask the visitor why they are missing a document. At this point, they will either present you with the missing document, claim they don't have one, or have an excuse prepared for why it's missing.

You will also use the checklist to ask visitors about issues with their appearance. Sometimes, visitors will deny that anything is different, even when it is, and other times they will have an excuse lined up.

How To Use The Phone

There are two occasions when you need to use the phone — when you're confirming a Neighbor's visitation status or when you're calling the D.D.D. to 'cleanse' a Doppelganger.

Sometimes, all of a visitor's documents and their appearance are correct, and they'll be on the Daily Visitor List, but not be a real Neighbor. Essentially, if you can check off every item on the checklist as correct, there is still a chance that you are talking to a Doppelganger.

When this is the case, the last thing you can do to certify a visitor's identity is call their apartment.

If the visitor is a Neighbor who lives alone, is on the Daily Visitor List, all other criteria check out, and no one picks up the phone at their apartment, they're a Neighbor.

However, the real Neighbor may be in the apartment, and the visitor at the window is a Doppelganger.

In some cases, a visitor may be on the list, have everything correct, and still be missing a physical item. For instance, Mclooy Rudboys ALWAYS wears a hat according to his file, but if you call his son, his son may say that Mclooy forgot his hat at home.

Finally, you need to use the phone when you've detected a Doppelganger and need to have them 'cleansed.'

If you suspect that you're talking to a Doppelganger, press the red button on the left of your screen. This will trigger the alarm protocol and lock the security office. You can either cancel the alarm or call the D.D.D. to remove the Doppelganger.

To call the D.D.D., use the number on the sticky note, '3312.' Dialing that number will start the cleaning procedure. When the procedure is complete, you can continue with your job.

Tips For Catching Doppelgangers

There are so many tools at your disposal as you weed through the visitation list, but there are more ways to detect Doppelgangers than by simply following the basics. Here are some tips for how to catch Doppelgangers that are hiding in plain sight.

The most important tip is that you should always hit the lock button after letting a Neighbor inside. Visitors won't even stop at the window to speak with you if the door is left unlocked, they'll just go straight through.

You should always call the apartments, even when you're pretty sure you're talking to a Neighbor and not a Doppelganger. Sometimes, a visitor's story and documents all add up, but calling the apartment will reveal that the real Neighbor has been home the whole time.

You should also never trust the I.D. image that a visitor gives you as the sole means of assessing their appearance. Some Doppelgangers who don't look like their real Neighbor will change the I.D. image to look like their current disguise.

For example, if Mia Stone (who has freckles) comes up to the window, she may be missing freckles. Her folder will show that Mia always has freckles, but her Doppelganger may present you with an I.D. image that also does not have freckles.

Thus, comparing the freckle-less Mia to her I.D. would result in a wrong decision.

In cases where the I.D. and Doppelganger match appearances, questioning the Doppelganger will result in them claiming that they see no issue with their appearance. It will come down to the file image and your better judgment.

Because appearances can be so tricky, and the difference between a Doppelganger and a Neighbor can be as simple as a slightly different nose, it's best to check a visitor's appearance twice. Once at the beginning of the interaction, and again at the end, to double-check.