This article is your ultimate guide to discovering games that are similar to Little Nightmares that will transport you to hauntingly immersive experiences.
Little Nightmares is a fantastic 2.5-D platformer that was released in 2017, in which players had to take control of a girl named Six and guide her through the grim bowels of a massive underwater iron vessel called the Maw, all while trying to avoid numerous humungous nightmarish monstrosities along the way as well.
The game’s visuals, setting, and creepy enemies gave it a truly unique albeit scary feel. It will most definitely be remembered as one of the best 3-D platformers to release in the last decade or so.
But if you, like us, are looking for a new game to play after completing the epic journey of Six in Little Nightmares, we have some good news for you. We at Benettonplay have taken the effort of doing all the research for you and have compiled a list of other awesome games to play which are a lot like Little Nightmares, either in terms of their theme, gameplay, or both.
So without any more delays, let’s jump right into the best games to play like Little Nightmares.
Like playing horror games? Check out our list of top upcoming horror games to play which will give you sleepless nights.
Best Games To Play Like Little Nightmares
1) Limbo
| Developer | Playdead, Double Eleven |
| Publisher | Playdead, Microsoft Game Studios |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Horror, Indie |
| Release Date | 21 July 2010 |
| Platforms | Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch. |
The first game on our list of games which is a lot like Little Nightmares is a 2-D, action-horror platformer called Limbo.
In Limbo, players play as an unnamed small boy who is searching for his lost sister while being stuck in a state of ‘limbo,’ which translates to ‘edge’.
Players will traverse through multiple dangerous locations in 2-D form like a dark and desolate forest, a crumbling urban city, an industrial area, and even a flooded section, all while trying to avoid a selection of enemies along the way which will not stop to think twice before ending your journey abruptly.
As far as like-for-like games are concerned, Limbo is as close as a gamer can hope to come in their search for a game that is a lot like Little Nightmares in terms of its gameplay, story, and overall setting.
Interested in this game? Click here to learn more about it.
2) Inside
| Developer | Playdead |
| Publisher | Playdead |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Horror, Indie |
| Release Date | 7 July 2016 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, iOS, Xbox One, Mac Operating Systems |
Coming from one like-for-like game to another, hailing from the same developers, Inside is another 2-D action-adventure game that closely follows the same dark and gritty theme of our previous game, Limbo.
In this game, players take control of yet another nameless lost boy and it is up to us to help him traverse through an unforgiving, treacherous world full of dark secrets and ruthless beings.
In their quest to stay alive, players will not only have to avoid ruthless guards armed with flashlights, but they will also have to travel through dangerous terrains like flooded sections and also unwillingly get caught up in a horrific and grisly experiment during their journey too.
Interested in this game? Click here to learn more about it.
3) Detention
| Developer | Red Candle Games |
| Publisher | Red Candle Games, AGM PLAYISM |
| Genre | Adventure, Horror, Indie |
| Release Date | 12 January 2017 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, Android, Linux, macOS, Mac Operating Systems |
The third game on our list is a point-and-click, 2-D atmospheric horror game set in fictitious 1960s Taiwan, supposedly during the white terror period.
The game follows the story of Wei and Ray, two students trapped inside a school called Greenwood High School, which is located amidst a remote mountainous region.
In this game, players will have to try and uncover the real dark mysteries surrounding their high school by solving puzzles and finding objects of interest to return the high school to normalcy ultimately.
Additionally, although there is technically no ‘combat’ in this game, while looking for clues, players will have to dodge and escape from various horrific creatures known as the ‘lingered,’ who are hell-bent on killing them.
Although this game is easily one of the most unsettling games we have played over the years, it must be acknowledged that it is also one of the better games that have come out in recent years which has successfully captured the grim story of its setting with unrivaled levels of emotions by using unique Taiwanese/Eastern Cultural references, a type of setting which very few games venture into.
Curious about this game? Dive deeper and explore more by clicking here to uncover all the intriguing details.
4) Unravel
| Developer | Coldwood Interactive |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
| Release Date | 9 February 2016 |
| Platforms | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC |
The fourth game on our list is a physics-based 2.5-D lively and emotional adventure game called Unravel.
In this game, players take control of Yarny, a lovable character brought to life by a single thread of yarn., and it is through him that players undertake a larger-than-life kind of adventure of love and family, spanning multiple traversable locations across Northern Scandinavia.
Through Yarny, players will try their best to relive a selection of dormant, long-lost memories belonging to a family as best as they can by visiting a few memorable locations by interacting with and going through the many picture frames that are displayed all over the house.
The game has no dialogues per se, but it never felt held back in any way because of it; instead, it conveys an excellent and compelling story through the use of stunning visuals and melodious tunes to give the game a powerful language of its own.
As far as their themes are concerned, Unravel looks livelier than Little Nightmares, but if the similar 2.5-D platforming of the game is something that appealed to you in the first place, you are in for a treat.
Recommended read for you – Top 10 Indie Games of 2023 That Promise Maximum Thrills.
5) Among The Sleep
| Developer | Krillbite Studio |
| Publisher | Krillbite Studio, Soedesco |
| Genre | Adventure, Horror |
| Release Date | 2 November 2017 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PC, Linux, Xbox One, macOS, Mac Operating Systems |
The fifth game on our list of video games similar to Little Nightmares is a first-person, survival horror-adventure game in which players play as a two-year-old toddler named David, who is looking for his mom.
In this game, players will take control of a toddler named David, who along with his light-emitting teddy bear, will have to search and explore an unfamiliar house in search of his mom, who has suddenly gone missing.
While exploring the house, players can do quite a few things like stacking things to access previously inaccessible places and collect various collectibles to use at different points in the game.
Moreover, players will also have to avoid and escape from a couple of pursuing monsters like a feminine figure, which haunts the first three levels, followed by a trenchcoat-wearing figure, who haunts the final few levels, if they hope to complete David’s journey successfully.
Although David generally moves around by crawling on his knees most of the time, there will be instances in the game where he will also be needed to trot for a little bit to move across certain areas quickly, especially when pursued by one of the unnamed monsters.
The main scare factor of this game centers mainly around the various incapabilities of a 2-year-old toddler, giving the game a truly unique but eerie feel, much like Little Nightmares.
Interested in this game? Click here to learn more about it.
6) Fran Bow
| Developer | Killmonday Games AB |
| Publisher | Killmonday Games AB |
| Genre | Adventure, Horror, Point-and-click, Indie |
| Release Date | 27 August 2015 |
| Platforms | PC, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 |
The sixth game on our list is a single-player, psychological horror-adventure game in which players take control of a 10-year-old girl named Fran, who is suffering from a serious mental illness due to witnessing the gruesome murder of her parents.
In this game, players will help Fran by guiding her through unforgiving locations like a nocturnal forest and escape from truly hideous hallucinations.
Moreover, along her journey, Fran will not only collect various usable objects which she will have to combine and utilize to progress further in the story, but she will also be interacting with a few friendly NPCs, who will give her a better understanding of the imaginary world she’s currently in and how to progress through it.
On a few rare instances, players will also have to play as Fran’s cat Mr. Midnight and take part in a few relatively challenging mini-games, which when completed successfully, will help in giving the story of the game a much broader narrative.
Interested in this game? Click here to learn more about it.
7) DarQ: Complete Edition
| Developer | Unfold Games |
| Publisher | Feardemic |
| Genre | Adventure, Horror, Puzzle, Stealth |
| Release Date | 15 August 2019 |
| Platforms | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch |
The seventh game on our list is yet another psychological thriller game like Little Nightmares, especially in terms of its 2.5-D platforming and dark setting.
DarQ is a puzzle-based, psychological horror-adventure, 2-D side-scroller game about a young boy named Lloyd who is stuck in a neverending lucid dream and must face and vanquish his inner demons if he hopes to escape this grim realm alive.
In this game, players will help Lloyd escape his neverending dream, which quickly turns into a nightmare once all the grisly horrors emerge.
To travel through this nightmarish dream realm, players must rely on Lloyd’s physics-bending skills to manipulate the very fabrics of the dream world to find a way out of his helpless state.
The enemies in the game which Lloyd will encounter will be stronger and faster than him; hence fighting is out of the question for him. Instead, Lloyd will have to rely on his gravity-defying skills, stealth, and careful planning to make his way around them.
Lloyd can also change the perspective of the game by ‘rotating’ sections of the dream to solve interesting puzzles and plot his escape from certain tight spots he might end up in during his travels through the dream realm.
Curious about this captivating game? Click here to delve into the intriguing world and uncover all the details.
8) Sally Face
| Developer | Portable Moose |
| Publisher | Portable Moose |
| Genre | Adventure, Horror, Indie |
| Release Date | 15 December 2016 |
| Platforms | PC, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 |
The next game on our list is a 2-D, point-and-click, horror-adventure game in which a boy with a prosthetic face named Sal Fisher, or ‘Sally Face’, explores the world around him, trying his best to unearth the various malicious mysteries hiding below the shadows.
Apart from traveling from one point of interest to another and solving mysteries, Sal will speak with other various characters in-game for more insights into the world and uncover more hidden parts of the story to shed more light on the lore of the game.
The story of the game is spread across five episodes, with each subsequent episode continuing the flow of the story forwards. Across the five episodes, Sal will be seen solving murder mysteries and puzzles, interacting with NPCs, getting possessed by a demon, eating funny-tasting bologna, and much more.
If you’re looking to play an eerie, unsettling game that shares a lot of similarities with Little Nightmares, then this game is a must-try for you.
Learn more about this game here.
9) Bendy And The Ink Machine
| Developer | Joey Drew Studios Inc. |
| Publisher | Joey Drew Studios Inc., Rooster Teeth Games (Console) |
| Genre | Adventure,Horror |
| Release Date | 10 February 2017 |
| Platforms | macOS, PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS |
The next game on our list is a first-person, survival horror game in which players will play as Henry Stein, an animator who must try an escape inner demons from his past which have scarily manifested themselves not only into various animated cartoon enemies like Alice, Boris but also into more vile-looking, deformed creatures as well, all initially created at Joey Drew Studios by none other than the animator Henry himself.
In this game, players will have to explore the entire studio and solve puzzles, defeat monstrous evil entities, and collect various useful objects and audio logs to help unravel the mystery, to ultimately help in stopping this madness, once and for all.
Although this game is a first-person title, the dark undertone of its story resembles the gritty tone of Little Nightmares very well and it is a game one should definitely try if they enjoy horror games like the latter.
10) Bramble: The Mountain King
| Developer | Dimfrost Studios |
| Publisher | Merge Games |
| Genre | Adventure, Indie, Horror |
| Release Date | 27 April 2023 |
| Platforms | Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |
The final game on our list of Atmospheric horror games like Little Nightmares is a third-person, action-adventure horror game that follows the story of Olle, a brother who must embark on a grim quest through the unknown wilderness to rescue his kidnapped sister from a dreaded troll.
During his journey, Olle will travel through diverse, beautiful locations and solve puzzles, but he will have to be extra cautious and vigilant of the unforgiving terrain when traveling through it as the environment around him is volatile and ever-changing in nature, with nasty surprises lurking around every corner, looking to strike at a moment’s notice.
Moreover, Olle will have access to something called a spark of courage, an enchanted magical fragment that bestows upon the wielder various gifts and buffs which will assist them in facing the unknown horrors and trials that await them.
Additionally, through Olle, players will not only battle horrid beasts and creatures during their playthrough, but they will also be able to take part in epic-scale battles against mythical creatures taken out straight from Nordic Folklore.
Conclusion
There you have it. These were some of the best games available today, which are a lot like Little Nightmares, either through their gameplay or tone, or setting.
Fans adore this kind of gameplay and setting and we are sure more games like these will keep popping up in the future as well, so be sure to come back to this article from time to time as we’ll be sure to update it with newer titles like these in the future.
Good Show Anmol you are adding tremendous value in educating the young minds of Gaming.
All the Best
Cheers!
Dr Karunakar Jha
thank you for the kind words, sir!