Little Nightmares 3 – Full Pre-Release Rundown

Though it's not in the usual Bandai Namco forte, Little Nightmares has proven to be a massive hit for the publisher regardless. This remarkable franchise set out to do something genuinely challenging — create a terrifying sidescroller — and delivered one smash-hit after another. That's no mean feat, it goes without saying, and it's the reason why fans have been so excited for a new title. A new title that has now, at last, been announced: Little Nightmares 3.

Taking place in a variety of nightmarish, dream-logic realms such as the first game's Maw, the sequel's Pale City, and the third game's Nowhere, Little Nightmares games are deeply interconnected 2.5D sidescrollers that are every bit as thrilling as they are terrifying. Broadly in the vein of the legendary Limbo and Inside, Little Nightmares games are functionally story-driven puzzle-platformers. Aside from their physics-driven gameplay loop, though, all Little Nightmares titles are also extremely heavy on the story, and that's not about to change.

What's new in Little Nightmares 3, then, and how might the game continue the story of Six, and perhaps even Mono? Let's see what we know so far.

Pre-order Little Nightmares 3 and get the Enhanced Edition of the first Little Nightmares as a bonus!

What is Little Nightmares 3 all about?

Little Nightmares 3 is, at face value, a plain continuation of the story and premise set up in the prior LN titles: a child or two gets trapped in a nightmarish world beyond that of our own, and they need to navigate it and survive the horrors that hunt for them. The trick, though, is that this is going to be the first Little Nightmares game not produced by the original developer, Tarsier Studios.

Tarsier Studios is now working on the horrific, but awesome-looking Reanimal under THQ Nordic's umbrella, while the Little Nightmares license was left under Bandai Namco. Crucially, the publisher has signed up none other than Supermassive Games to develop Little Nightmares 3, and this is basically the dream come true.

Supermassive Games is renowned for its work in the horror game genre, and since Little Nightmares 3 is a follow-up to a very established formula, the crux of the game is bound to stay as it ever was. A new story, and a new take on its horrific world are more than welcome though, and that's what makes this game such an important release.

What's new in Little Nightmares 3?

While both of the prior Little Nightmares games had a co-op component to them, neither supported actual full-featured online multiplayer. At best, you could rely onto Steam Remote Play Together if you were on PC, with hotseat being the only option otherwise. No more, however! Little Nightmares 3 will support full and proper online co-op multiplayer on top of the usual hotseat and single-player options, which is a huge deal in its own right.

Other than a fancy new backend tech stack, there's the matter of game content as well. The two new protagonists, Low and Alone, each have a new set of abilities such as their respective bow and wrench items/weapons. They will be sorely needed, too, because LN3's Residents are the most horrific bunch we've seen yet. Curiously, the Nowhere itself appears more varied than these games have previously been. Sandy deserts, downtrodden factories, and gloomy cityscapes are just some of the environs we've seen so far. Lots more to come, for sure!

In a broader sense, Supermassive games isn't changing what works. The base concept of the game appears to be staying the same, and even its post-launch support won't change much, if at all. For example, we already know that Little Nightmares 3's going to get a big Secrets of the Spiral set of expansions with at least two more chapters available post-launch. Don't mess with what works, we reckon!

How does Little Nightmares 3 move the story forward?

Little Nightmares 3 is set and primed to release on PC on October 10, 2025, and the curious bit is that it doesn't appear to follow neither Six nor Mono from the prior titles. As Little Nightmares has always put heavy emphasis on narrative twists and turns, we wouldn't put it past Supermassive Games that the old protagonists might yet return, but we'll see.

Heck, remember that Supermassive Games is specifically known for its story-heavy Dark Pictures Anthology horror games. This tells us basically all we need to know about how spooky, scary, twisty, and turny Little Nightmares 3 might end up being. Yet, for the time being, we just don't know much about what the game's story will be about.

Crucially, Little Nightmares 3 takes place in an entirely new realm, the Nowhere, which appears to be even more dangerous than the Maw or the Pale City. The what, why, and how of it all will remain a secret, of course, but we'd be shocked if the story of Low and Alone didn't somehow tie into the prior games' narratives in the end. Stay tuned!

Pre-order Little Nightmares 3 and get the Enhanced Edition of the first Little Nightmares as a bonus!