Little Nightmares (series)
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Supermassive Games
Alike Studios
Engine Software
Playdigious
Iconik
| Little Nightmares | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genres | Cinematic platformer, puzzle |
| Developers | Tarsier Studios Supermassive Games Alike Studios Engine Software Playdigious Iconik |
| Publisher | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
| Platforms | |
| First release | Little Nightmares 28 April 2017 |
| Latest release | Little Nightmares III 10 October 2025 |
Little Nightmares is a platform-puzzle horror adventure video game series. Each game follows a child who must navigate through a nightmarish environment and solve environment puzzles. The franchise is managed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Tarsier Studios developed the first two games, Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II, while Supermassive Games developed the third game, Little Nightmares III. The series had sold more than 20 million copies by June 2025.[1]
The franchise also includes the mobile game Very Little Nightmares (2019), the audio drama series The Sounds of Nightmares (2023), the virtual reality game Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes (2026), three comic series, and a young adult novel titled Little Nightmares: The Lonely Ones (2025).
Little Nightmares (2017)
| 2017 | Little Nightmares |
|---|---|
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Very Little Nightmares |
| 2020 | |
| 2021 | Little Nightmares II |
| 2022 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2025 | Little Nightmares III |
| 2026 | Little Nightmares VR: Altered Echoes |
In the game, the player assumes control of Six, a hungry little girl who must escape the Maw, an underwater vessel inhabited by monstrous, twisted beings.
Little Nightmares was developed by Swedish company Tarsier Studios, which first announced it as Hunger in 2014.[2] It shared thematic connections with Tarsier's cancelled game named The City of Metronome.[3] With the game, the team wanted to explore the "wild extremes" of childhood. Its setting, the Maw, was created as a piece of concept art "where all the worst things in the world could be left to rot".[4] Lucas Roussel said that the game's core design principle was to "root both environments and characters in a nightmarish logic with a child perspective".[5] In keeping with the theme of childhood, the team opted against creating a powerful protagonist. While the gameplay has been described as stealth-based, the team prefers to describe it as "hide and seek", as the term "stealth" gives the impression of an empowered character.[6]
Bandai Namco Entertainment published Little Nightmares in April 2017.[7] Receiving critical praise,[8][9] the game sold 2 million copies by May 2020.[10]
Tarsier supported Little Nightmares with three downloadable content packs collectively known as "Secrets of the Maw".[11] A mobile version was released by Playdigious in December 2023,[12] while a remaster of the game titled Enhanced Edition was developed by Engine Software and released on October 10 to coincide with the release of Little Nightmares III.[13]
Little Nightmares II (2021)
The story follows Mono, a young boy who must work together with Six to survive the horrors of the Pale City and discover its dark secrets.
Tarsier Studios returned to develop the sequel. As opposed to the first game, whose theme focuses on "greed and consumption", Little Nightmares II is about "escapism".[14] Mono is the only playable character while Six, who assists Mono, is controlled by artificial intelligence. This design allowed the team to extend the length and increase the complexity of the game's puzzles. Development of the game started immediately following the completion of the original game.[5]
Little Nightmares II was released in February 2021, and received generally positive reviews. Within one month of release, it had sold one million units worldwide.[15]
Tarsier Studios was acquired by Embracer Group in December 2019. In February 2021, Tarsier confirmed they departed the franchise to focus on creating new intellectual properties. Bandai Namco, which retained the rights to Little Nightmares, began seeking other developers to continue the franchise.[16] Supermassive Games developed the game's Enhanced Edition, which introduced a number of graphical improvements when it was released in August 2021.[17]
In 2026, Tarsier released a "spiritual successor" to Little Nightmares called Reanimal.[18]
Little Nightmares III (2025)
The game follows Low and Alone, two children trapped in the Spiral, a cluster of nightmarish locations within the Nowhere.
Released in October 2025,[19] Little Nightmares III was developed by Supermassive Games. It introduces cooperative gameplay, with the two characters wielding different abilities,[20] and features a new cast and new location.[21] The game received mixed reviews upon release. Supermassive is set to release an expansion pack titled Secrets of the Spiral in 2026.[22]