Best Games Like Little Nightmares

Craving more creepy puzzle platformers? Check out this list of the best games like Little Nightmares on Steam and other platforms.

If you enjoy the Little Nightmares series and need recommendations for what to play next, you’ve come to the right place!

From creepy puzzle platformers to spooky first-person adventure games, you’ll find plenty of games similar to Little Nightmares 1 and 2.

In this list, we’ll highlight the best games like Little Nightmares on Steam, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch platforms.

We hope you’ll stick around to the end and find at least one new game similar to Little Nightmares to add to your collection!

Related:Best Horror Games 2023Best Short Games 2023Best Survival Horror Games 2023

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Our first recommendation to anyone who enjoyed Little Nightmares is the cinematic puzzle platformer White Shadows.

In it, you control a Raven-headed girl as she tries to escape from a harsh dystopia with oppressive and violent tendencies that rely on a rigid social hierarchy.

Her journey is anything but smooth, with shoddily constructed scaffolds, dangerous machinery, and watchful guards standing between her and her freedom.

Much like in Little Nightmares, players will have to sneak around enemies, solve environmental puzzles, and avoid plummeting to their deaths.

The Yomawari series is another solid suggestion for Little Nightmares fans that consists of three games, Night Alone, Midnight Shadows, and Lost in the Dark.

All three games are categorized as survival horror and see you taking on the role of a small girl as she walks through a dark world with just a flashlight.

As she wades through the darkness, aggressive spirits hiding in the shadows will try to attack, causing the girl’s heartbeat to rise until she retreats to the closest light source.

The game’s emphasis on stealth and sinister tone are both very reminiscent of Little Nightmares and other games with creepy atmospheres.

Detention is a survival horror game that pays homage to greats like Silent Hill and Resident Evil while incorporating its own visual flair, atmosphere, and storytelling.

You are playing Wei Chung Ting, a student at Greenwood High who dozes off in class but then wakes up to discover his school empty except for one other student.

Together, the pair makes a series of startling discoveries about Greenwood High and the evil creatures that now run rampant throughout its halls.

It shares many similarities with Little Nightmares 1 in terms of unsettling atmosphere, scary enemies, and two mysterious protagonists whose fates are intertwined.

Next up we have Among the Sleep, an indie survival horror game that’s a bit shorter and less terrifying than some of the games we’ve already discussed.

You play as a baby who gets transported to a strange world filled with menacing toys and fantastical structures that require platforming, puzzle-solving, and some stealth.

Like Little Nightmares, the game tells its creepy story from the perspective of a child while twisting innocent objects like toys into something much darker.

Even though it only takes about 2-3 hours to complete, the enhanced edition includes an alternate ending that raises some thought-provoking questions about the story.

If you enjoyed playing Little Nightmares and its sequel, then there’s a good chance you’ve already played or at least heard of Inside and its predecessor, Limbo.

Developed by Playdead, this creepy puzzle platformer sees you inhabiting a dark and unsettling world, not unlike the Pale City from Little Nightmares 2.

Taking control of an unnamed protagonist, you start in a mysterious forest before venturing inside a sprawling underground facility housing a terrible secret.

Both games place an emphasis on platforming and puzzle mechanics and include several chase/stealth sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat.

While Limbo may not be as visually-polished or mechanically rich as Inside, it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re into spooky puzzle platformers.

Similar to Little Nightmares 2, the story is set in a creepy forest where players must drag, stack, combine, and destroy objects to progress to the next area.

This is all experienced from the perspective of a young boy presented as a silhouette that can’t speak or emote.

Limbo’s simple yet engaging black-and-white visuals paired with layered environmental puzzle-solving make for a satisfying journey that will stick with you.

Set in medieval France, A Plague Tale: Innocence casts you as two siblings on the run after their countryside estate gets raided by English soldiers.

The game’s historical setting coincides with the existence of the Black Plague, with players having to avoid or fight both soldiers and diseased rats.

From dark sewers to decayed streets and thick forests, there’s a lot of environmental diversity present throughout A Plague Tale’s engaging puzzles and chase sequences.

Little Nightmares fans who enjoy the first game should move on to its equally fantastic sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem.

Bendy and the Ink Machine is a first-person survival horror game about a cursed animation studio where cartoon characters come to life.

You play as Henry, the studio’s founder and creator of various characters who returns only to discover his creations are both sentient and want him dead.

To stay alive, you must navigate through the studio and battle the cartoon monsters that wander about.

Like Little Nightmares, the game does a great job of building and maintaining tension while presenting themes not typically explored by horror games.

Developed by Team Cherry, Hollow Knight is a widely beloved indie Metroidvania with gorgeous hand-drawn art and refined action-platforming controls.

In it, you take on the role of a silent knight tasked with exploring a dark and dreary world called Hallownest and conquering its numerous dangers.

Throughout the story, the knight must outrun monsters as well as stand their ground and fight using a host of upgradeable skills with room for personalization.

The game sets up a similar atmosphere to that of Little Nightmares and relies on environmental storytelling to reveal more about the history of its world.

Switching over to less scary, more cerebral games, GRIS is a 2D adventure platformer about a young girl’s quest to reclaim her voice and restore color to the world.

Each level sees you traversing tricky environments and solving puzzles using the protagonist’s ever-expanding repertoire of abilities.

Over time, you’ll gain the ability to glide, slide, and leap high in the sky to reach new areas and escape pursuers during scripted boss chases.

Though it delivers a much more relaxing experience compared to Little Nightmares, you’ll find both games excel at immersing you in their vividly distinct settings.

Unravel is another 2D adventure platformer that features similar gameplay as Little Nightmares despite having a drastically different tone and look.

In it, you control a magical creature made out of yarn called Yarny as they explore the memories of an elderly woman reminiscing on life.

Levels can range from bright and cheery landscapes teeming with joy and whimsy, to hazardous thunderstorms with treacherous footing.

There are also several scripted chase sequences that demand quick reflexes as you try to utilize Yarny’s unique thread-weaving abilities.

While its first-person POV greatly differs from that of Little Nightmares, Hello Neighbor explores similar themes of children in dangerous predicaments.

You’re cast as a young boy who decides to sneak into his neighbor’s house after he witnesses some suspicious behavior.

What he finds is anything but ordinary as the neighbor’s house transforms into a labyrinth filled with hidden passageways, locked rooms, and deadly contraptions.

Like Little Nightmares, the goal of the game is to escape in the face of a hostile AI that’s constantly adapting and reacting to your actions.

Getting back to more horror-centric experiences, SOMA is a first-person walking sim with elements of horror and puzzle platforming a la Little Nightmares.

You play as a man named Simon who awakes suddenly to find himself in a dystopian future where the remnants of humankind have fled to underwater bunkers.

Looking for answers, he sets off on a harrowing adventure to uncover the truth while avoiding run-ins with a host of mechanical monstrosities.

There are plenty of close calls, head-scratching puzzles, and philosophical questions to ponder over as you try to survive in a world on the brink of collapse.

Our last recommendation is another 2D puzzle platformer that does a great job of mirroring Little Nightmare’s look and gameplay.

In Contrast, you seize control of Dawn, an elegant acrobatic with a unique power that lets her transcend physical space and jump into shadows.

Joining Dawn is Didi, a small girl who can manipulate light in order to help Dawn overcome challenges similar to Six and Mono’s teamwork in Little Nightmare 2.

This mechanic is explored in different ways throughout the story, with many puzzles centering on the idea of light versus dark across 2D and 3D perspectives.

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Justin Fernandez

As a fan of both indie and triple-A games, Justin finds joy in discovering and sharing hidden gems with other passionate gamers. In addition to reporting on the latest and greatest titles, he manages GamingScan’s social media channels.

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