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Petscop (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 269 mins · English
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Starring
Tony Domenico

In March 2017, a YouTube channel began sharing footage of a peculiar, forgotten pet collection game for the Sony Playstation, known as PETSCOP. Initially intended as a record of his explorations, the narrator Paul quickly discovered a much deeper and more unsettling mystery. The game’s strange imagery and cryptic clues suggest a disturbing narrative involving missing children and a shadowy figure. As Paul delves further, he uncovers a haunting story far beyond what he initially expected.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (15)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Petscop
  6. 6 Every angle
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15 events in order · contains spoilers

Petscop Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Petscop (2017) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Paul Acquires the Unreleased Game Petscop

    Paul finds or receives a copy of Petscop, an unreleased PlayStation game supposedly developed by the fictional company Garalina. The game's mysterious origins hint that it was never meant for public release, setting the stage for the strange events that follow.

  2. First Gameplay Recordings Are Uploaded

    Paul begins uploading recordings of the game's early levels for a silent, unseen person he occasionally speaks with. Despite the viewer never responding audibly, Paul continues narrating his progress as if maintaining a one-sided dialogue.

  3. Petscop Appears to Be a Standard Puzzle Game

    At first, the game presents itself as a standard yet unfinished PlayStation puzzle game. Paul controls a player character named Guardian, whose task is to capture strange creatures known as 'pets' by solving the game's puzzles.

  4. A Mysterious Note Reveals a Hidden Code

    The game box is found to have a note attached, containing a code and a set of instructions. Paul decides to follow the instructions carefully, unaware of the secrets they are about to unlock within the game.

  5. The Newmaker Plane Is Unlocked

    By following the code from the note, Paul gains access to a hidden section of the game known as the Newmaker Plane. This discovery reveals that Petscop contains far more content than its surface appearance ever suggested.

    Where
    The Newmaker Plane
  6. Exploring the Vast and Eerie Newmaker Plane

    The Newmaker Plane is a vast, dark, grassy field with very few landmarks and a large network of underground tunnels. Despite its unsettling emptiness, the area loosely follows puzzle game conventions, and Paul continues to make progress through the new area.

    Where
    The Newmaker Plane
  7. References to Real-World Events Surface

    As Paul uncovers more content, references to 'real-world' events and characters begin to appear throughout the game. It slowly becomes clear that Petscop was designed for a specific person who did something horrible, transforming the game into something far darker.

    Where
    The Newmaker Plane
  8. Marvin's Story: The Kidnapping of Care

    The story's overarching plot involves a man named Marvin who kidnaps his own daughter, Care. After the disappearance of his childhood friend Lina, Marvin comes to believe that Care is Lina reborn, which drives him to take her.

  9. The Failed Rebirth of Belle into Tiara

    A recurring focus of the story is 'rebirthing', including a failed attempt to rebirth a girl named Belle into a girl named Tiara. This disturbing process becomes a key piece of the game's hidden narrative and connects several of its characters.

  10. Paul's Connection to His Family's Past Deepens

    A growing connection emerges between Paul, his family's past, and the game itself. It becomes increasingly apparent that Paul's involvement with Petscop is not coincidental, and that his own history is intertwined with the game and Marvin.

  11. Multiple Perspectives Are Revealed

    It is later implied that some of the uploaded footage is not from Paul's perspective. New viewpoints are introduced from Belle and Marvin, revealing that all of them are playing Petscop simultaneously.

  12. Marvin Solicits Paul's Help

    Marvin asks Paul for his help in finding landmarks scattered across the Newmaker Plane. Paul agrees to assist, drawing himself deeper into the game's disturbing mystery and Marvin's plans.

    Where
    The Newmaker Plane
  13. The Plan to Re-Enact Care's Rebirthing

    With Paul's assistance, Marvin intends to re-enact the process of rebirthing his daughter, Care, within the game. The plan mirrors the earlier failed attempt to rebirth Belle, raising the stakes of Paul's participation.

    Where
    The Newmaker Plane
  14. The Landmarks Match Real-Life Locations

    Paul realizes that the landmarks on the Newmaker Plane may hold significance to real-life locations. This breakthrough blurs the line between the game world and reality, prompting Paul to investigate the sites in person.

  15. Paul's Final Journey and the 'DEMO' Videos

    After presumably traveling to one of the real landmarks, Paul's voice is no longer present in the recordings. Videos continue to be uploaded without narration, with many later videos displaying the text 'DEMO' at the top, deepening the mystery of who is behind them.

Last updated: October 20, 2026 at 01:18

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Timeline questions answered

Petscop Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Petscop (2017): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Paul upload his gameplay recordings to someone who never responds?

Paul maintains a one-sided dialogue with an unseen viewer throughout his exploration of the game, addressing them as if they were actively watching. The silence is intentional and unsettling: it hints that the recipient is not a casual viewer but someone with a direct, personal stake in what Paul is uncovering. This dynamic foreshadows the reveal that multiple people, including Marvin and Belle, are playing the game at the same time, making the silent audience a participant rather than just a witness.

Foreshadowing: Early videos show Paul pausing or addressing the viewer directly even without receiving answers, establishing a pattern that becomes meaningful once simultaneous play is revealed.

  • paul silent viewer
  • one-sided dialogue
  • petscop narrator
  • audience reveal
  • simultaneous gameplay
Q2

What is the Newmaker Plane in Petscop?

The Newmaker Plane is a hidden section of Petscop unlocked by following the code found on a note attached to the game box. Unlike the bright, puzzle-driven early levels, it is a vast, dark, grassy expanse with very few landmarks and an underground tunnel network. The area still loosely follows puzzle game conventions, but its emptiness and hidden landmarks suggest it was not designed for general players, it was built for a specific purpose tied to real events.

Foreshadowing: The note and code are presented as a curiosity before Paul accesses the Plane, hinting that the game contains content far beyond what its surface appearance suggests.

  • newmaker plane
  • hidden game area
  • petscop secret level
  • garalina
  • underground tunnels
Q3

What does the code on the note attached to the game box actually unlock?

The note attached to the Petscop box contains a code and a set of instructions that, when followed, reveal the Newmaker Plane. The note effectively functions as a key to the game's hidden content, suggesting that Petscop was never meant to be a normal consumer release. Whoever wrote the instructions knew about the hidden areas, indicating the game was distributed with a specific recipient in mind.

Foreshadowing: The instructions arrive with the game itself, implying the copy was pre-prepared rather than randomly acquired.

  • petscop note
  • hidden code
  • game instructions
  • unlock newmaker
  • garalina note
Q4

Why does Marvin kidnap his own daughter Care?

Marvin kidnaps Care because he becomes convinced that she is the reincarnation of his childhood friend Lina, who disappeared years earlier. After Lina's disappearance, Marvin's grip on reality deteriorates, and he latches onto the idea that he can bring Lina back through a process called rebirthing. Care's identity as his daughter becomes irrelevant to him once he believes she is actually Lina returned.

Foreshadowing: The series references Lina early on through cryptic in-game text, well before Marvin's motives are spelled out.

  • marvin
  • care kidnapped
  • lina reincarnation
  • petscop motive
  • child abduction
Q5

What happened to Lina in the story?

Lina was Marvin's childhood friend who disappeared at some point before the events of the series. Her vanishing is the root cause of Marvin's obsession with rebirthing and his belief that Care is Lina reborn. The series never confirms exactly how or why Lina disappeared, but her absence drives Marvin's descent and shapes the entire hidden narrative of the game.

Foreshadowing: Lina's name appears repeatedly in cryptic in-game text and recordings before her role in Marvin's motivation is ever explained.

  • lina disappearance
  • childhood friend
  • marvin obsession
  • petscop backstory
  • missing child
Q6

What is "rebirthing" in Petscop?

Rebirthing is the disturbing concept at the heart of the series: a process through which one person is supposedly transformed into, or replaced by, another. In the game, rebirthing manifests as a structured attempt to convert a girl named Belle into a girl named Tiara, which ultimately fails. Outside the game, Marvin uses the same logic to justify his treatment of Care, believing that rebirthing can bring Lina back through another child.

Foreshadowing: The rebirthing theme is hinted at through odd in-game text and terminology before the failed Belle-to-Tiara attempt is shown.

  • rebirthing
  • belle tiara
  • petscop ritual
  • marvin rebirthing
  • reincarnation scheme
Q7

Why did the attempt to rebirth Belle into Tiara fail?

The attempt to rebirth Belle into Tiara collapses because, within the game's logic, the transformation requires conditions that are ultimately not met. The exact failure point is left ambiguous, but the game treats the botched process as a real traumatic event tied to Belle's lived experience, not just a puzzle. The failed rebirth is what gives Marvin, and whoever else is involved, a reason to attempt the process again with Care.

Foreshadowing: Belle's distress signals in the game text appear before her role in the rebirthing attempt is made explicit.

  • belle tiara fail
  • rebirthing failed
  • petscop failed attempt
  • transformation error
Q8

Why does Paul agree to help Marvin find landmarks on the Newmaker Plane?

Paul helps Marvin search the Newmaker Plane because Marvin actively solicits his assistance, drawing Paul deeper into the game's hidden narrative. Paul likely does not yet understand the real-world stakes, specifically, that finding the landmarks is preparation for re-enacting the rebirthing of Care. By the time the implications become clear, Paul is already entangled, which is precisely what Marvin intended.

Foreshadowing: Marvin's sudden interest in Paul's exploration coincides with the discovery of the Newmaker Plane, hinting that he has been waiting for someone to unlock it.

  • paul helps marvin
  • landmark search
  • newmaker plane
  • paul manipulation
  • petscoop cooperation
Q9

Why are Paul, Belle, and Marvin all playing Petscop at the same time?

The series eventually implies that not all of the uploaded footage is from Paul's perspective, videos from Belle and Marvin are mixed in, showing that all three are playing Petscop simultaneously without necessarily knowing each other is doing the same. This shared activity turns the game into a kind of linked space where the characters' actions and real-life situations bleed into one another. The simultaneous play is central to how the rebirthing and landmark mechanics function across the narrative.

Foreshadowing: Tonal shifts and unidentified voices in certain videos hint that not every clip belongs to Paul long before the full reveal.

  • simultaneous gameplay
  • belle marvin paul
  • multiple perspectives
  • shared game session
  • petscop viewpoints
Q10

What do the landmarks on the Newmaker Plane have to do with real locations?

Paul eventually realizes that the scattered landmarks across the Newmaker Plane correspond to actual physical locations in the real world. This realization blurs the line between the game's environment and reality, suggesting Petscop was deliberately constructed as a map of sites connected to Marvin's crimes and the missing children. The discovery is what prompts Paul to leave the game and travel to one of these locations in person.

Foreshadowing: Earlier videos show Paul noting that certain landmarks feel out of place, long before the real-world connection is confirmed.

  • real landmarks
  • newmaker locations
  • petscop real world
  • game to reality
  • landmark investigation
Q11

How is Paul connected to his own family's past through the game?

As the series progresses, it becomes clear that Paul's involvement with Petscop is not coincidental, his family has a history tied to the game, to Garalina, and to the people involved in the rebirthing scheme. While the specifics are left ambiguous, the implication is that Paul is closer to the events surrounding Lina, Belle, and Care than he realized. His discovery of the Newmaker Plane is effectively an uncovering of his own hidden family history.

Foreshadowing: Paul reacts unusually to certain in-game text and locations early on, suggesting a personal connection he cannot yet articulate.

  • paul family
  • garalina connection
  • petscop family past
  • hidden history
  • personal involvement
Q12

Why does Paul's voice disappear from the recordings near the end?

After Paul presumably travels to one of the real-world landmarks identified on the Newmaker Plane, his narration stops appearing in the uploaded videos. His disappearance strongly implies that something happened to him at the site, consistent with the series' themes of missing children and implied violence. The absence of his voice is the narrative's pivot from Paul's guided exploration to an unexplained, ongoing upload stream.

Foreshadowing: Paul explicitly mentions preparing to visit one of the landmark sites shortly before the videos lose his voice.

  • paul disappears
  • narrator vanishes
  • voice missing
  • paul fate
  • real world landmark visit
Q13

What do the silent "DEMO" videos after Paul vanishes mean?

After Paul's voice disappears, videos continue to be uploaded without narration, and many later clips display the word "DEMO" at the top of the screen. These uploads suggest someone, or some system, is still actively playing Petscop even though Paul is gone. The "DEMO" label reinforces the idea that the game is being treated as a demonstration of rebirthing, with Paul possibly reduced to a subject within someone else's process.

Foreshadowing: The "DEMO" text first appears alongside footage that no longer matches Paul's commentary, signaling a shift in control.

  • demo videos
  • silent uploads
  • paul gone
  • ongoing recordings
  • post-disappearance footage
Q14

Why was Petscop never meant to be a publicly released game?

Petscop was developed by Garalina not as a commercial title but as a custom-built project tied to a specific person and a specific set of real-world events. The game's hidden content, the rebirthing mechanics, the Newmaker Plane, and the coded references to missing children all indicate it was a private instrument rather than a consumer product. Its resurfacing years later is precisely what triggers the unraveling of the story Paul's family and others are entangled in.

Foreshadowing: Even the surface-level game feels unfinished, hinting early on that it was never designed for a normal audience.

  • unreleased game
  • garalina
  • custom built game
  • never for sale
  • petscop purpose

Movie threads

More Movies Like Petscop, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Petscop tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Slow burn horror like Petscop that uncovers devastating truths

Quietly devastating stories where each discovery tightens the noose of dread. If you liked Petscop and crave more movies and series with the same creeping, investigative dread, this section is for you. These are similar psychological horror and mystery stories where an ordinary protagonist slowly uncovers something deeply disturbing, with each revelation tightening the grip. Expect high intensity, complex narratives, and endings that leave you staring at the ceiling wondering what you just witnessed.

  • slow burn
  • creeping dread
  • investigative
  • psychological
  • oppressive
  • ambiguous
  • Tone: dark, unsettling, oppressive
  • Pacing: slow burn, deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread usually begin with a seemingly small, curious premise: a haunted recording, a forgotten file, a quiet town, a strange new neighbor. The protagonist investigates out of curiosity or compulsion, and what initially feels intellectual gradually turns personal. Each clue reframes what came before, pulling the story deeper into trauma, conspiracy, or moral rot. The ending rarely resolves cleanly. The most powerful entries leave the central horror unspoken, forcing the viewer to piece together the implications long after the credits.

Why they belong together: They share Petscop's commitment to atmosphere over shock, building dread through patient observation, ambiguity, and a steadily worsening sense of what is being uncovered. Pacing is deliberate, tone is dark, and the emotional weight never lets up. The viewer experience is not about being startled but about being slowly, uncomfortably convinced that something is very wrong.

Movies like Petscop with haunted games, tapes, and cursed recordings

Nightmarish discoveries hidden inside games, recordings, and digital artifacts. Searching for movies like Petscop where horror lives inside a game, tape, or recording? This thread gathers similar eerie, atmospheric horror stories built around cursed or haunted media. Think unsettling found footage, digital mysteries, and analog artifacts hiding disturbing secrets. If you loved unearthing the darkest corners of an obscure PlayStation title in Petscop, you will feel right at home in this collection of media-driven horror films.

  • haunted media
  • paranoid
  • surreal
  • found footage
  • digital dread
  • mysterious
  • Tone: eerie, paranoid, unsettling
  • Pacing: slow and deliberate
Why these movies?

The story pattern: These stories use a medium as both setting and antagonist. A character engages with something ordinary, a game, a video, a phone call, a signal, and begins noticing that the content does not behave as it should. The medium becomes a map to real suffering, a portal into someone else's trauma, or a record of something that should never have been made. The horror often lives in the gap between what is shown and what is implied, and the protagonist's growing obsession with the artifact mirrors the viewer's growing dread.

Why they belong together: They share Petscop's fascination with media as a vehicle for horror rather than mere scenery. The tone is consistently eerie and paranoid, with slow pacing that lets each haunting detail sink in. Whether the medium is analog or digital, these films treat recorded content as something alive, unreliable, and dangerous, giving the viewer the same 'nothing should be showing this' chill that Petscop delivers so quietly.

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Every angle

Petscop (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

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