PREHISTORIC Generator Guide: How to Refuel and Restart Power at Night

When the house generator runs dry during a night in PREHISTORIC [HORROR], MAINS switches OFF and a red flashing message spells out exactly what happened: 'POWER LOST - the generator ran out of fuel'. Getting the lights back on is a short, repeatable loop: grab a gas can from outside the house, refuel the yellow unit in the garage, and pull the cord to restart it.

Quick answer

Take a GAS CAN from outside the house, return to the yellow generator in the garage, use [E] REFUEL GENERATOR, then [E] PULL THE CORD. The status message 'The generator is running.' confirms power is restored.

• Gas cans are found outside the residence - for example on the lawn - and you can carry two at once.
• While the generator runs, the FUEL meter on the top HUD counts down. At 0% fuel, MAINS switches OFF with the red flashing message 'POWER LOST - the generator ran out of fuel'.
• Refueling and restarting are two separate [E] interactions at the generator: REFUEL GENERATOR first, then PULL THE CORD.

Step by step: from blackout to a running generator

1. Go outside for a gas can. Generator fuel is found outside the house - in one observed night, the cans were sitting on the front lawn. Walk up to a can and take it with the 'TAKE GAS CAN' prompt; the item is described as 'FUEL FOR THE GENERATOR'. Each GAS CAN occupies a slot in your inventory bar, and you can carry two at once, so one trip can bring back a spare.
2. Return to the garage. The generator is the yellow unit in the garage. When its tank is empty, the interaction prompt reads 'F REFUEL / GENERATOR / FUEL 0% / OFF', so you can confirm the dead tank right on the prompt.
3. Refuel. Use [E] REFUEL GENERATOR to fill the tank.
4. Pull the cord. Use [E] PULL THE CORD to start the engine.
5. Watch for the confirmation. The status message 'The generator is running.' appears once power is restored.

The FOSSIL CREEK SECURITY shop also lists a FUEL TANK for R$29.

How much warning you get before the blackout

The generator burns fuel the whole time it runs during a night, and the drain is fast enough to catch you mid-task. In one observed Night 1 sequence, the FUEL meter fell from 54% to 25%, then 5%, then 0% over roughly 51 seconds of gameplay footage, at which point MAINS switched OFF. That was a single observed night, not a confirmed fixed drain rate, so don't count on an exact number of minutes. Instead, use the HUD: the top of the screen shows the clock and the night badge next to three meters - MAINS, which tells you whether power is on or off; FUEL, which shows the generator's tank as a percentage; and SECURE, which tracks how far the house is secured. Watching the FUEL percentage fall gives you time to plan a refuel before the blackout instead of scrambling for a can in the dark.

What happens the moment power fails

At 0% fuel, MAINS switches OFF and the red flashing message 'POWER LOST - the generator ran out of fuel' appears. An emergency broadcast also airs: 'Power failed across Fossil Creek. Residences with generators should restore power now. Keep all lights away from your windows. Restart the generator.' The broadcast gives you both instructions at once: restore power, and keep all lights away from your windows.

The official game description lists keeping the generator running as one of the core survival tasks of a night, right alongside locking every door and boarding every window. Power is therefore worth a glance at the HUD every time you cross the house.

Other machines that need gas

The garage generator is not the only fuel-powered machine in the game. Chapter 2, set at Fossil Lake, includes a separate objective - 'Take the boat to the island. Start the lighthouse generator.' The boathouse there also has a sump pump that runs on gas - in one player's Chapter 2 session, it was found switched off while dinosaurs crowded around it. Those machines are separate from the house generator, so the steps in this guide describe the house-defense loop only.

If you are still learning the rhythm of the nights, the PREHISTORIC beginner guide and the PREHISTORIC survival tips cover the wider survival picture.