Top 20 Games Like Little Nightmares

 Capcom’s forecasts anticipate that we probably won’t see the next numbered installment, or even a hypothetical remake, at least until well into 2026.

I think it’s been post-Little Nightmares that I have been hunting for that same kind of eerie emotional high. The whole surreal world, childlike vulnerability, and crushing sense of dread simply stick with you. I am certainly not alone; millions of gamers around the world fell for Six, Mono, and that horrible world of theirs. And once you finish the two big games, that craving doesn’t just stop. That is what made me take up this huge task of finding games like Little Nightmares. The game’s use of 2D environments with beautifully crafted 3D characters makes every moment feel intimate yet overwhelming, as if you’re small, lost, and barely surviving in a towering nightmare.

This is not just any creepy game list. I have played each of the titles here, and they were all selected because they share something real with Little Nightmares, be it the visual tone, the way the story withholds itself from words, or the deep emotional punch with which a player feels while playing it. I wanted to identify the titles in which I would feel little and scared, curious, and strangely much like Little Nightmares formed. 

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List of Best Games Like Little Nightmares

1. Inside By Playdead

After finishing Little Nightmares, it’s as if I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I went looking for something that had the same vibe. That’s when I stumbled upon Inside, and boy, was that amazing. 

As soon as I was able to control that nameless boy, creepy silence suddenly wounded me exactly like Little Nightmares did. There was not even a little bit of dialogue or holding your hand because you were in a bizarre and oppressive place that seemed to hate you. Each step taken was like saying, “I was hiding something deadly,” and the way the game forces you to stay alert without ever telling you what’s happening. That is the kind of tension I love in games like Little Nightmares.

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2. Limbo by Playdead

Before I even played Little Nightmares, I’d already been through the haunting world of Limbo, and once I played both, the connection between them became impossible to ignore. If you haven’t experienced Limbo, I promise you: it’s one of the purest games like Little Nightmares out there.

You play as a small boy wandering through a shadowy, decaying world. Everything is black and white, but that limited palette makes every shape and every movement feel sharper and more alive. Or maybe more dead. Either way, the atmosphere was thick with danger, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was always watching me.

The puzzles are clever and deadly. You’ll die a lot in Limbo, but it’s never frustrating; it’s part of the world’s design. Every death teaches you something, and every moment feels like you’re uncovering a cruel truth.

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3. DARQ by Unfold Games

DARQ wasn’t on my radar until a friend told me it “feels like falling into a Tim Burton fever dream,” and that’s exactly what it is. As someone who couldn’t get enough of the dreamlike horror in games like Little Nightmares, DARQ instantly hooked me.

You play as Lloyd, a boy who realizes he’s dreaming and that the dream has become a nightmare. What makes this game stand out is how it plays with physics. Gravity doesn’t matter here. You’ll walk on walls, rotate rooms, and solve puzzles in completely twisted ways. It’s not just a mechanic; it adds to the surreal horror.

What blew me away was how quiet the terror was. Like Little Nightmares, DARQ doesn’t throw enemies at you nonstop. It builds dread with shadows, sound design, and strange, twitchy figures that appear at just the wrong moment. Every time Lloyd’s face twisted into a silent scream, I felt it in my bones.

For fans of games like Little Nightmares, DARQ offers that same puzzle-horror hybrid wrapped in a world that feels like a Dark Dream. And just like Little Nightmares, it doesn’t explain itself. You’re left to interpret the horror, and that’s exactly what makes it stick with you.

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4. Bendy and the Ink Machine by Joey Drew Studios

Bendy and the Ink Machine was a wild ride, and while it’s more narrative-heavy than Little Nightmares, the vibe is eerily similar in all the right ways. This game is for those of us who love horror rooted in nostalgia and art turned against its creator.

You start as a former animator returning to his old cartoon studio, only to find the characters have come to life and they’re anything but friendly. From the first moment, it’s clear that the inky black creatures oozing out of the walls aren’t just monsters; they’re memories gone wrong. It’s one of those games like Little Nightmares where the horror comes from knowing something innocent has gone wrong.

What I loved most was the setting. The entire game takes place in a run-down 1930s animation studio. The sound design is phenomenal: old projector reels, eerie music, and distant whispers. It’s not just scary; it’s immersive.

The story unfolds in chapters, and each one adds layers to the mystery. Unlike Little Nightmares, there’s more dialogue and a clearer plot, but it still lets your imagination do a lot of the work. That’s part of the genius.

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5. Among the Sleep by Krillbite Studio

Bendy and the Ink Machine was crazy, and though it is more story-intensive compared to games like Little Nightmares, the atmosphere shares the same scent in very creepy manners. This video game belongs to us, people who like horror with its nostalgic and artistic opposite, aimed at the author.

You begin by walking into a former animator who went back to the same cartoon studio and found that there were glitches in the system because the characters in the cartoons came alive, and they were not the friendly kind. As it begins very early on, it becomes obvious that the inky black creatures that continually ooze out of the walls are not merely monsters; they are memories that have gone awry. It is one of those games that are horror media, such as Little Nightmares, in which the horror is in knowing something pure is going wrong.

The plot is presented in chapters, and even each of them introduces some new colors into the puzzle. There is more dialogue and a better plot compared to Little Nightmares, though, but it still allows your imagination to do much more work. It has genius in that.

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6. Red Candle Games Detention

Upon my initial startup in Detention, I expected I would play a scary game set in high school. What I received was darker, more depressing, and so much more unsettling in a very good sense. It immediately gained the first position in my top games, similar to Little Nightmares.

The anime Detention takes place in a school during the period of martial law in the 1960s in Taiwan. At a deeper level, though, the structure morphs itself into a mental hell. The difference is that this game has a very grounded horror. Yes, there are ghosts and monsters; however, the main fear is on the side of guilt, oppression, and memory.

When I played, solved riddles, and revealed the history of the main character, I began to wonder if I was not only scared but also told a strong story of trauma and repression. The monsters are not out of the blue, but they symbolize pain at a historical level or an individual one.

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7. Fran Bow by Killmonday Games

When I played Fran Bow the first time, I needed breaks. I am not saying because of jump scares, but due to how emotionally driven and disturbing it was. It is a game that runs against mental illness, a traumatic childhood, and the surreal nightmare of a loss of reality. It is one of the most creative and dark games, such as Little Nightmares, I have ever played.

The duality of the world is what hooked me. Suddenly, you are in a wonderful hand-painted room; some time later, you are drifting into a blood-stained dimension of worms and mangled dolls. The game (similar to Little Nightmares) never spells out everything; it strives to leave it to the player to figure out. And all the clues will just burn you when you see what it purposefully means.

And, in case you liked Little Nightmares because of the symbolic horror, creepy atmosphere, and childish eye on a very tough world, Fran Bow will delight you. It was a soul-wrenching and horrific ride, and I will not forget it.

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8. Neverending Nightmares by Infinitap Games

When I talk about games like Little Nightmares, Neverending Nightmares always makes the list. It’s quiet, sad, and terrifying, not in a loud way, but in a deeply personal, psychological way that creeps into your thoughts long after you finish it.

What makes this game so effective is how real it feels. It’s inspired by the developer’s battle with depression and OCD, and it shows. You play as Thomas, a man waking up from a nightmare, only to fall into another. The cycle repeats, each nightmare darker and more twisted than the last. I felt trapped, confused, terrified, and desperate for clarity. Just like in Little Nightmares, that’s exactly the point.

The concept art style is simple but unforgettable. Everything looks like it’s drawn in dark pencil cross-hatched lines that create this sketchy, fragile world. And when does blood appear? It’s bright red, standing out in horrific contrast. It’s minimalism at its most powerful.

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9. Very Little Nightmares

As a mobile prequel, Very Little Nightmares surprised me. I expected a watered-down version of the original, but it completely kept the mood and tension alive. The Girl in the Yellow Raincoat is back, and the world is just as unsettling.

It shifts to a top-down puzzle format, but the eerie sound design, twisted creatures, and hopeless atmosphere are still there. Playing it with headphones in the dark felt just like my first time exploring the Maw.

If you’re looking for official games like Little Nightmares, this is an obvious pick. It expands the story while keeping that same quiet horror I love.

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10. Yomawari: Night Alone

Yomawari caught me off guard. With its cutesy art style, I thought I was in for something light. But once I stepped into the haunted streets, I realized this was serious horror.

You play as a young girl searching for her sister, dodging terrifying spirits inspired by Japanese folklore. You can’t fight; just run, hide, and survive. That helplessness? It gave me the same tension I felt in games like Little Nightmares.

The world is quiet, the enemies are bizarre, and the fear builds slowly. It’s emotional, creepy, and surprisingly heavy. An underrated gem if you want horror with heart.

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11. Detained: Too Good for School

While Detained: Too Good for School isn’t horror in the traditional sense, it gave me that same sense of oppression and rebellion I felt in games like Little Nightmares. It’s a gritty side-scrolling beat ’em up with heavy themes about control, surveillance, and emotional suppression.

Playing as a student caught between resistance and conformity, I was reminded of how Little Nightmares uses silent rebellion against overwhelming power. Though combat is more direct here, the emotional weight and visual metaphors still feel very familiar.

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12. Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor is psychological survival horror at its best. You wake up in a decaying apartment block after some world-ending event, unsure if what you see is real. The visuals are pixelated, but the tension is razor-sharp.

It reminded me of games like Little Nightmares with its side-scrolling exploration, focus on loneliness, and hallucination-driven story. You sneak, survive, and question your sanity. A haunting gem with multiple endings that hit differently depending on your choices.

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13. Cat Lady

I was shaken afterward by the Cat Lady. It is an extremely emotional horror story of depression, suicide, and redemption. You are the character called Susan Ashworth, a woman who cannot die at all, and she has to fight some symbolic monsters, which are called Parasites.

It has very different mechanics, but aesthetically, the symbolic horror and the slow-burn nature of the story make it feel like it has a place in the same family of games as Little Nightmares. As long as you can tolerate adult content and explicit scenes, this one is heavy in all the right ways.

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14. White Night

The thing that attracted me to White Night was its brash appearance in pure black-and-white, similar to an old noir movie. It is a survival horror game based on puzzles and takes place in a haunted mansion, all about lights to survive.

Throughout the time I was playing, I continued thinking about games such as Little Nightmares due to its isolative and cold atmosphere. Environmental storytelling and exploration are carried out to tell the story. This is a good choice in case you enjoy gloomy, atmospheric horror with a distinct style.

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15. Black The Fall

Black The Fall is a dystopian horror in a mechanical world. It is all filled with puzzles, machines of oppression, and silence; you are a factory worker trying to escape an authoritarian regime.

You get the feeling of being small, vulnerable, and hunted, as in games such as Little Nightmares. The world is a giant yet frightening place, and nothing is ever told as it is. You are the learner of visuals, as it is my great love. In an emotional sense, it is depressing yet strong. A directing sleeper in the field of dark puzzle platformers.

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16. Pinstripe

Pinstripe is one of these video game-like paintings. You have a father who walks into a surreal, frozen sort of hell to rescue his daughter. Sounds familiar, right? Immediately, that same desperate feeling reminded me of something like Little Nightmares.

The art is essentially hand-drawn, creepy, and beautiful. But most important for me was the emotional heft behind the game: it’s not purely puzzle exploration but about an actual road of grief. There’s some light combat, but it never intrudes on the tone. If you are looking for a weird, emotional trip along that way, here it is.

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17. Bramble: The Mountain King

I did not see this coming at all. Bramble seems innocent, like a fairy tale adventure, but it twists into something dark, brutal, and unforgettable. You’re playing a boy trying to rescue his sister in a world inspired by Scandinavian folklore.

“This is seriously one of the best new Little Nightmares games,” I kept theorizing, mainly due to its fearsome creature design and tragically brilliant storytelling. There is a kind of childlike wonder mixed in with really terrible folklore monsters. That fusion hit everything just damn perfectly for me.

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18. Steve Gabry, Sally Face

Sally Face knocked me off guard. I jumped into it believing that it would be another typical spooky indie, but soon understood that it can be quite deep and even disturbing. You are following Sal, who is a child with a robotic face, who has a small mini-apartment building where strange metaphysical events start to occur.

The atmosphere? Exactly captures the atmosphere of such games as Little Nightmares: creepy silence, gross imagery, and intimidating presence around every corner. It was hooked me not only on the horror genre but also on the story: bullying, trauma, grief, and survival under the forms of surreal and ghostly imagery. Each episode does create suspense, and even that spooky music in the background is chilling.

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19. Simogo year Walk

I accidentally came across Year Walk in my search for folklore horror; it was like taking a walk into a nightmare. The game mimics a long-lost Swedish tradition: a lonely trudge through a wood to see the future. It is simply breathtaking, and it is crowded with animated mythological characters far gone.

It is minimalist work; the music is the cold wind and distant call, and there is never a character that holds your hand. I felt a little lost and nervous, which is exactly what Little Nightmares has perfected in terms of emotional high. For those people who enjoyed playing Little Nightmares and aim to find another game like that, this folklore horror game is a find.

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20. DOTHEAD Children of Silentown

After having tried Children of Silentown, it did not take long before I was sucked into its silent horror. You go in the footsteps of a little girl, Lucy, who goes into a sleuth situation within her decaying town, researching vanishings, and attempts to solve a mystery of what is devouring the souls of people surrounding her.

The hand-drawn graphics are divine but perverse as a stop-motion nightmare. Such a strange combination created associations of games in one click, such as Little Nightmares. And it too is a slow unraveling of the world; the clues are clever and discreet, and the soundscape is just plain nerve-wracking: whispers and footsteps just out of reach.

This game is not in a hurry. It weaves its narration in murmurs, and I am stuck with goose bumps. If you adored the ambiance, little kid point of view, and shady jolts of Little Nightmares, Children of Silentown must be the first on your list of things to play.

Developed by Supermassive Games, launching October 10, 2025, featuring co-op with characters Low & Alone. Also includes a 4K remaster of LN1.

“Some games don’t just scare you, they quietly crawl under your skin and stay there. That’s the true horror of a world like Little Nightmares.”

– Salman Lakhani, CEO of Cubix, Game Development Company

Final Thoughts

Having played all of the mentioned titles, I came to note that this is the real charm of Little Nightmares: the game makes you feel insignificant, afraid, yet deeply curious. It is not an experience that one gets very often, and that is why I took such a long time creating this ultimate list of 20 games like Little Nightmares. Each of these games explores the same creepy magic either in the form of haunting imagery, muted tales, or even turning the fears of childhood inside out.

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As a developer, creator, or studio envisioning yourself making games like Little Nightmares, partnering with other producers, such as Cubix, will get you started. Their experience creating emotionally intense, graphically intense worlds in games makes them an excellent partner to take risks with in that field of indie horror. It is because once you have experienced the pull of the shadows, there is no way you can resist the desire to build your own.