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Best Games Like Little Nightmares To Haunt Your Dreams

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There are plenty of games like Little Nightmares to play in 2025, if you are brave enough to look. When Little Nightmare first released in 2017, it immediately stood out thanks to its unsettling visuals, tone, and atmosphere. While its 2D platforming, chase sequences, and puzzle gameplay was satisfying, it was the game’s creepy enemies, mysterious world, and unnerving sense of scale that truly made a lasting impact, as if a child’s nightmares had been brought to life. Those visuals and its relatively defenseless child protagonist defined developer Tarsier Studios’ horror sidescroller and helped to cement it as one of the best horror games of all time.

Little Nightmares 2 in 2021 upped-the stakes even more, further expanding on Little Nightmare’s gameplay by introducing a new protagonist, puzzles that needed to be solved with the help of an AI companion, and even the ability to (sometimes) fight back against the nightmares at hand, all while still keeping the grotesque visuals from the original game players loved and feared. Now, Little Nightmares 3 is slated to release on October 10, 2025 from a different developer, Supermassive Games, and will offer co-op for the first time. Meanwhile, original Little Nightmares studio Tarsier is crafting an even darker Little Nightmare-like game, Reanimal, that fans of the studio’s previous work will definitely want to keep an eye on.

If you can’t get enough of Little Nightmare’s horrors, there’s not only a lot to look forward to but also plenty of already-released games to discover. Not every game will be a nightmare brought to life, but many of the best games like Little Nightmares capture some aspect of the series that helped contribute to its popularity. Whether it’s the unique perspective a child protagonist brings, visuals that will haunt your dreams, or the backdrop of a mysterious world while performing 2D puzzle platforming, these are some of the best games like Little Nightmares you can play right now.

Limbo

Limbo was one of Xbox Live Arcade’s biggest hits, and it’s easy to see why. The stark black-and-white aesthetic is immediately captivating, as is the mystery surrounding a young boy searching for his sister in a dark and dangerous forest. Its physics-based environmental puzzles often require players to die in surprising and gruesome ways to understand their solutions, which further adds to the game’s dark tone. If there is one game like Little Nightmares on this list that is an absolute must-play, Limbo is it.

Inside

Playdead’s ambitious follow-up to Limbo, Inside, takes the former’s unsettling atmosphere and penchant for 2D platform puzzles and brings it to even darker depths, with unforgettable results. With eerie visuals, an oppressive ambient score, and a child protagonist who seems way over their head, there are obvious parallels to Little Nightmares. While some games are about the journey and not the destination, that is certainly not the case here, as Inside’s jaw-dropping climax isn’t one you’ll forget anytime soon. For those in the Xbox ecosystem, Inside is also one of the best horror games on Game Pass.

Very Little Nightmares

If you didn’t know there is a Little Nightmares mobile game, now you do. This spin-off takes the creepy vibes and puzzle-solving gameplay from the original Little Nightmares and brings it to a top-down perspective, as you look to escape a mysterious mansion as the Girl in the Yellow Raincoat. It doesn’t scratch the exact same itch as the mainline games, but fans of the franchise will still find plenty to enjoy, and its story is canon with the rest of the series.

Among The Sleep

Rather than a 2D sidescroller, Among the Sleep puts players directly in the shoes of a two-year-old child experiencing a confusing nightmare from a first-person perspective. It’s that perspective that makes Among the Sleep truly stand out, as it’s hard to know what’s real and what is imaginary as you explore and solve puzzles in search for your missing mom. While it’s light when it comes to true scares, Among the Sleep is still creepy and foreboding throughout its relatively short playtime and is a great pick for those who are looking for a unique story told through a perspective almost never seen in games.

Planet Of Lana

Another side-scrolling puzzle game with a child protagonist, Planet of Lana puts a more sci-fi spin on the formula, and is far more bright and colorful compared to Little Nightmares. You play as Lana, a young girl who is attempting to survive an invasion by alien machines that have also kidnapped your sister. Planet of Lana’s puzzle formula is informed by the addition of Mui, a cat-like creature Lana can issue commands to in order to help solve puzzles. Lana and Mui’s ability to hijack or hypnotize enemies adds some fun variety to the platforming, and the game’s less-oppressive atmosphere helps it stand out from other, darker puzzle platformers. A sequel, Planet of Lana 2, is slated for a 2026 release.

Far: Changing Tides

Far: Changing Tides isn’t a horror game, but is an atmospheric 2D sidescroller about a child trying to survive on their own, putting it firmly in the Little Nightmare’s wheelhouse. The sequel to 2018’s Far: Lone Sails, Changing Tides tasks players with keeping a cobbled-together ship functioning amidst a hostile, flooded world. That translates into various sailing mechanics, as well as environmental puzzles that will see you venture off the ship in order to acquire necessary components or clear a path. For those looking for a unique take on the moody, 2D physics platformer, Far: Changing Tides is a welcome change of pace.

Somerville

If you’re thinking Somerville looks a lot like Inside, well, you’d be right. There’s plenty of shared DNA between the two, namely because one of the co-founders of the studio responsible for Inside, Dino Patti, helped form Somerville developer Jumpship. Somerville is a visually arresting and cinematic puzzle platformer in the same vein as many on this list, offering a novel take on a well-worn alien invasion story. While it might not be quite as memorable or polished as some of the games it’s most heavily inspired by, it’s still worth checking out.

Silent Hill 2 Remake

Many horror games, including Little Nightmares, owe a big debt to Silent Hill 2. It introduced the franchise’s iconic Pyramid Head foe, and the game’s grotesque, humanoid monsters are still a standard many horror games look to for inspiration. Blooper Team’s recent remake brings Konami’s classic survival-horror game into the modern era with an updated over-the-shoulder perspective, improved combat, and bone-chilling visuals and sounds that make Silent Hill 2 more terrifying than ever before. It’s also one of the best PS5 games you can play in 2025.

Unravel Two

A co-op adventure that can be played solo or with a friend, Unravel Two features a similar “little innocent-looking character in a big world” setup to that of Little Nightmares, but ditches the horror and replaces it with a more family-friendly aesthetic. In Unravel Two, two Yarnys can be used to solve puzzles as they set out on an adventure that over time sees the world evolve and blossom, opening up new areas to explore. Unlike many 2D platform puzzlers on this list, Unravel Two puts a bigger emphasis on movement, with Yarny able to jump, slide, run, and swing around environments.

Bramble: The Mountain King

Bramble: The Mountain King looks to bring Scandinavian folklore to life and, in doing so, makes a lasting impression. Like many games on this list, Bramble stars a young boy trying to survive a horror-filled ordeal in search of his kidnapped sister, along the way hiding and occasionally battling against monsters both big and small. There are puzzles and platforming, but it’s really the game’s visuals and atmosphere that make an impact, as Bramble feels like a children’s fable fully realized in video game form.

Oxenfree

An adventure game first and foremost, Oxenfree is a more story-driven affair than many games on this list, but like Little Nightmares, it’s heavy on atmosphere. A group of teenagers exploring an abandoned military base on an isolated island, in the process opening a ghostly portal to the past, is a great setup for a ghost story. Oxenfree delivers on its premise with fantastic characters, writing, and effective scares. Its gameplay may differ from that of Little Nightmares, but there’s still plenty to enjoy for fans of things that go bump in the night, and is one of the best games where your choices really matter.

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Like many games on this list, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons revolves around children on a mission to save a loved one, but Starbreeze’s award-winning puzzle-adventure, directed by future Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares, sets itself apart due to its uncommon control scheme. Each of the brothers are mapped to a different control stick, allowing players to control two characters at once to solve puzzles. This adds a unique dynamic to the game’s puzzles that compliments the game’s heart-wrenching story. For those who are looking for a co-op adventure, the more recent Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons remake allows for local co-op, though only controlling one character does somewhat rob the game of its central gameplay gimmick.

Fran Bow

A game starring a young girl who finds herself in an oppressive mental institution for children after the murder of her parents, and one where self-administering medication is a gameplay mechanic, is already some heavy material, and that’s just the start of Fran Bow. However, Fran Bow never feels morbid or grotesque for its own sake, instead using Fran’s childlike imagination, perspective, and sense of curiosity to help unpack its themes. Coupled with its strong and unnerving art direction, Fran Bow is well-worth a play through for horror fans.

Little Misfortune

Another morbid tale of an innocent child navigating strange circumstances, Little Misfortune’s distinct art style and unnerving narrator instantly makes it hard to forget. As the unlucky Misfortune, players will venture out into the woods to play a game where “there is no right or wrong, only consequences” and the prize for finishing is “eternal happiness.” That doesn’t seem suspicious at all! While it is on the shorter side (around three-to-four hours long) and is relatively gameplay-light, it’s still an experience well-worth having for those who like their psychological horror laced with cuteness.

It Takes Two

To call It Takes Two a phenomenon would be an understatement. It not only won Game of the Year at the 2021 The Game Awards but has sold more than 20 million copies in the years following its release. Playable only through online or local co-op–co-op is mandatory–It Takes Two sees its two protagonists, a couple on the verge of divorce, trapped inside the bodies of two dolls. That gives the game a unique “Honey I Shrunk The Kids” perspective that makes for some novel puzzles and environments that never cease to be inventive. While it’s not a horror game, its puzzles and shrunken-down protagonists do offer some similarities to Little Nightmares, and it just so happens to also be one of the best co-op games ever made.

Darq

One look at Darq is enough to see how it is right up the alley of anyone who enjoys Little Nightmares. Players step into the shoes of Lloyd, a boy who is trapped inside their own lucid dream. Its surreal environments and gloomy, oppressive atmosphere make it instantly memorable, as do its physics-defying puzzles that see players doing things like walking on walls and rotating rooms. Sporting a similar visual style and a focus on puzzles and stealth, all set against the backdrop of an unsettling dream world, Little Nightmare fans would be wise to not skip over Darq.

Omori

Part Earthbound and part psychological horror, Omori goes to some dark places with its child protagonist and its themes of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Its surreal narrative sees players bouncing between the real world and one inside the protagonist’s head, and it offers a strong narrative hook in the form of a mysterious photo album. Every bit as captivating are its JRPG-inspired, turn-based battles, unconventional in that the emotions of characters and enemies become potent status effects that can change over the course of a fight. Omori is a fascinating game for those who aren’t afraid to dive headfirst into some fraught subject matter and branch out into a different genre from that of Little Nightmare’s 2D-puzzle platforming.

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