If you haven’t had the chance to play this one on other platforms, it follows Mono, a young boy who is looking to uncover the secrets of a mysterious tower sending out signals that have seemingly warped reality in The Pale City, where he lives. He is accompanied by Six, the girl in a yellow coat from the first title, who acts as his guide throughout the adventure. That takes care of the ‘Little’ part, but what about the ‘Nightmares’? Well, the warped world you explore comes with many enemies that require a careful, methodical approach to get past.

We were very impressed with how the sequel managed to build on all of its predecessors’ strengths, taking its unique brand of environmental storytelling to new heights with unsettling visuals and a tension-filled gameplay loop. Check out our review of Little Nightmares 2 on PS4, where we gave it a nine out of ten. Despite experiencing it through backwards compatibility, a native PS5 version is also available alongside Xbox Series X/S.

That added fidelity is also apparent in the cutscenes, which should make it all the easier to distinguish between human allies and their not-so-friendly alien doppelgangers. For a game like this, where sneaking and shadows will be as important as running for your life, ray tracing is a boon, resulting in more realistic light and shadows.

“With advanced ray tracing, light behaves more realistically, bouncing naturally through corridors, reflecting off metallic surfaces, and casting shadows that feel grounded in physical space. Emergency strobes flare against bulkheads. Firelight flickers dynamically across a character’s face. Ice refracts light in a way that feels cold and unforgiving,” says Studio Technical Director Will Burdon.

Directive 8020 will also leverage the DualSense controller. You’ll hear communications from crewmates through the speaker and feel the haptic feedback when using tools. That same feedback comes into play during pivotal moments where quick thinking matters, further adding to the tension. If things go too far south, you can always rely on Turning Points to redo certain decisions.

Launching on May 12th, Directive 8020 will also be available for Xbox Series X/S and PC. You can check the prologue here for a quick glimpse at some of the more impactful decisions, or learn more about co-op here.

With up to five players able to play offline, passing your controllers to each other as you keep trying to decipher the shapeshifter’s true identity, this one’s definitely up there with some of the more nerve-wracking horror titles. Tense situations and some hard decisions await those of you brave enough to take this one on. Online multiplayer is expected to be added in a post-launch update.

For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with this one, Directive 8020 sees players on the colony ship Cassieopeia, which has unfortunately crashed on Tau Ceti f, a planet housing a shapeshifting alien that’s about to keep you on your toes once you begin your adventure. You play as Young, a member of this ship’s crew who must attempt to make sense of the situation, whilst not knowing if your fellow crew members are indeed the people you’ve worked with or the alien taking on their form.

You might want to keep the lights on as you check out the trailer below. Directive 8020 will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC at launch.

The post is a the latest iteration of the Xbox Excellence Awards, which was created last year to celebrate how players engaged with various releases on Xbox. The Store Rating category lists 2025 games with the best ratings on the Microsoft Store, with an added requirement of the title having at least 500 ratings. Player Engagements is about the average number of hours spent on a game by each player within the first six weeks of a game’s release. Daily Active Users celebrates titles, expansions or updates with the highest single-day active users throughout the year. And finally Units Sold is fairly self-explanatory.

Going down the lists, you’ll find many of the biggest releases of the year, from ARC Raiders and Battlefield 6, as well as award-winning RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Indie titles have also been well-represented, with games like Crime Scene Cleaner and Satisfactory making it into the lists. There also doesn’t seem to have been a singular genre to dominate the lists, since everything from sports games like EA Sports Madden NFL 26, to fantasy adventure life sims like Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, and even fighting games like Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics are well represented.

Curiously, none of the games was present in all four of the categories. At most, we got to see titles like Borderlands 4 being able to make it on to three of them: Player Engagement, Daily Active Users and Units Sold. Even ARC Raiders, which has seen quite a bit of success, is only on the Units Sold and Daily Active Users lists.

Microsoft has also emphasized that the lists represent a diverse collection of games developed by studios of varying sizes. All in all, it represents 48 unique developers based out of 13 countries, with 24 publishers having had a hand in their release. 19 of the games were self-published. “Taken as a whole, it’s an encapsulation of development on Xbox – we want gaming to reach you wherever you are, and for the teams making those games to find you from wherever they are,” wrote the company.

Full list of games:

Store Rating:

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Crime Scene Cleaner
• Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles 2
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dreamcore
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Lies of P: Overture
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• Little Nightmares III
• Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
• Minami Lane
• Mullet MadJack
• Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
• Satisfactory
• Silent Hill 2
• Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Player Engagement:

• Borderlands 4
• Digimon Story: Time Stranger
• Dynasty Warriors: Origins
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
• Farm Together 2
• Final Fantasy Tactics – The Ivalice Chronicles
• Helldivers 2
• Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• NHL 26
• Rust
• Satisfactory
• The First Berserker: Khazan

Daily Active Users:

• Arc Raiders
• Avowed
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Fortnite
• Forza Horizon 5
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Grounded 2
• Helldivers 2
• Marvel Rivals
• Minecraft
• NBA 2K26
• Rematch
• Roblox
• Rocket League
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Units Sold:

• Arc Raiders
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows
• Battlefield 6
• Borderlands 4
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 7
• EA Sports Madden NFL 26
• EA Sports College Football 26
• EA Sports FC 26
• Elden Ring Nightreign
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Helldivers 2
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• MLB The Show 25
• Monster Hunter Wilds
• NBA 2K26
• PGA Tour 2K25
• Ready or Not
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered
• WWE 2K25

Pre-orders are live now on consoles, and those who do so can net the Digital Deluxe Edition for free. It includes The Dark Pictures Outfit Pack, with clothing from other entries in the series, a Filters Pack for a monochromatic or high-contrast visual look, and three in-game collectable figurines. You also receive the digital artbook and digital soundtrack.

For those who haven’t followed it till now, Directive 8020 is a sci-fi horror title that involves the Cassiopeia and its crew. After picking up an alien organism that’s capable of shape-shifting, the survivors must use their wits to determine who’s really human and outsmart it. Of course, you may also run into multiples of the same individual, as seen with Young (played by Lashana Lynch) in the trailer.

Unlike previous titles in the series, you can now sneak around to avoid combat, use a Scanner to operate electronics, and coordinate with others via the Messenger. You can also open up doors with the Wedge Tool or use it to stun threats. Be careful, though – every action ripples through the plot, resulting in different branches and potential deaths. But hey, worst come worst, you can always request a redo.

This time, players control Low and Alone, a new pair of children seeking to escape The Spiral. As with previous titles, this means sneaking past threats, though each is armed with a new tool to progress forward. Unlike its predecessor, Little Nightmares 3 offers online co-op (no couch co-op, unfortunately). Those who purchase the title can invite their friends using the Friend’s Pass for full access.

Check out our review for the title here – we gave it a nine out of ten – or play the free demo, which focuses on the opening in the Necropolis, evading Monster Baby. Even more content is coming post-launch with the Secrets of the Spiral Expansion Pass, which adds two additional DLC chapters. The first arrives between April and June 2026, while the second debuts in October to December 2026.

This new adventure leaves Six and Mono, the protagonists of the previous two games behind in favor of a new dynamic duo that finally brings online co-op to the table. It’s quite easy to see how this is a game that’s best enjoyed with a friend, solving its puzzles together while having some company during its intense moments is always welcome.

"The art direction on display in Little Nightmares III is simply phenomenal."

We’re introduced to Low and Alone, our new leads, quite early on in the game. If you’re playing through this one solo, you get to choose between Low’s bow or Alone’s wrench, with the game’s AI taking over the other character. Things quickly escalate for the pair as they traverse the first area of the game, a derelict hospital that’s under the purview of a giant, very disturbing toddler.

The franchise’s unforgettable take on hide and seek is very much in play, as Low and Alone must use their wits and stealth to stay one step ahead of the threats they face, carefully making their way between safe points and just gunning it when they are spotted. If you’ve played the first two games, you’re going to settle in quite quickly with this one, leaving you to enjoy the franchise’s most ambitious entry yet.

The art direction on display in Little Nightmares III is simply phenomenal. Each level boasts a distinct visual identity, presumably being a creation of the protagonist’s imagination. While there wasn’t much of a story to it for the most part, that’s an omission that has allowed the developers to just let loose and let their imaginations run wild. The result is a nightmare that’s probably going to stay with you when you’re awake.

"If you’ve played the first two games, you’re going to settle in quite quickly with this one, leaving you to enjoy the franchise’s most ambitious entry yet."

That palpable tension I spoke of earlier? It permeates the very air in each of the game’s levels, helped along by a soundtrack and level design that help weave it into every step you take on your way to the next mirror. Low and Alone do have a few options to engage smaller enemies this time around but the moments where you need to are few and far between. It’s generally a combination of using the bow to down an enemy and the wrench to ensure it stays down, although there are twists to that pattern we won’t spoil.

What isn’t simple, however, is the way each level comes with unique puzzles and a strikingly memorable main enemy. That grotesque baby in the hospital is joined by other monstrosities whose designs are literally the stuff of nightmares. They are able to crush you with relative ease, forcing you to stay on the down low and run for your life in a few chase sequences when they finally track you down. I’m not going to forget the puppet master and his vicious companion anytime soon, and I’m fairly certain that you won’t either once you play through that particularly harrowing level.

The puzzles in Little Nightmares III are an additional layer of challenge, often having such devilishly simple solutions that could be staring you right in the face but are so well-hidden in plain sight. I spent hours trying to disable a cooling vent’s fan only to find a switch that I could easily reach in the very next room. There was also a very memorable one that had me spinning a chandelier around, trying to line up its platforms with a hard to reach ledge that put both my spatial and platforming skills to the test.

"The puzzles in Little Nightmares III are an additional layer of challenge, often having such devilishly simple solutions that could be staring you right in the face but are so well-hidden in plain sight."

It’s a pity, then, that the platforming sections are wildly inconsistent thanks to the game’s camera choosing to be a passive observer rather than an active participant in my struggles. It’s a gripe that I had with the last two games and although it’s certainly an improvement, there’s still a lot to be desired from it. Many of my deaths were thanks to my jumps not lining up correctly, and a control scheme that took a while to get used to. I’d say that the game’s camera angles were among its greatest threats.

However, the rest of the experience is sublime. Low and Alone’s character designs are adorable and the few costume options I had available were pretty cool. Enemy designs are suitably grotesque and terrifying, as are the levels. Each new area reeks of desolation that’s appropriately themed to match the monster it houses.

While the levels themselves are fairly linear, they are so well-designed that it isn’t really an issue, and each one gives you a sense of progression as you carefully make your way through it. Every room in the game was suffocating to say the least, the silence weighing heavily on me as I tried to figure out where to go next and how I was going to get there.

And in those moments where it was time to run, there was sheer panic and the need to think very quickly as I leapt across gaps and ducked into dark corners to throw my enemy off. The game’s AI was quite helpful in this regard, with my partner easily leading me to places of relative safety although I believe they could have been a tad more useful when solving puzzles. However, it’s a balance I’d gladly accept as it made me really work for my progress which is never a bad thing in my book.

"While its occasionally shoddy camera and controls hold it back from true greatness, this one’s still quite easy to recommend."

I’d highly recommend diving into this one with a friend though, as that’s where the true beauty of this game lies. I imagine that things could actually get harder thanks to the two of you having to figure out where to go even during chases, and you can expect quite a few failed attempts to get to safety.

That’s not because of a lack of skill but thanks to the game being designed that way. It demands patience and perseverance, rewarding those of you who persist with more of its incredible designs and a take on horror that doesn’t rely on jump scares. Instead, Little Nightmares III brings thrills and chills baked into its very DNA, a facet of the experience that’s becoming the franchise’s calling card at this point.

While its occasionally shoddy camera and controls hold it back from true greatness, this one’s still quite easy to recommend. It’s easy to learn but hard to navigate, and is a game that you should take your time with. It’s perfect for a slow weekend where you and a buddy are looking for a title that’s fun to play and so artfully designed it takes your breath away. And, of course, makes you forget to breathe when it kicks into gear!

Little Nightmares III is a worthy addition to the franchise, and perhaps even the best one of them all. It builds on the strengths of its predecessors while taking the franchise to new heights.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.

From evading Monster Baby in the Necropolis to hitching a rollercoaster ride in the Carnevale, it’s a not-so-subtle depiction of what nightmares the duo will face. And while it seemingly ends with these being nothing more than drawings, an ominous figure approaches, likely with sinister intentions.

If there were ever any concerns about Supermassive Games being unable to recreate the vibe of the previous titles, Little Nightmares 3 has steadily proven otherwise in the past few months. It launches on October 10th for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 with a free demo available now. Check out our feature for everything you should know.

However, with a new studio at the helm and a catalogue of community-led feedback, the series is set for a revamp. Little Nightmares III aims to shake up the formula by shifting to co-operative-first gameplay. There is much to anticipate for new and returning fans: here’s 15 things which differentiate Little Nightmares III from its predecessor.

New Protagonists

Little Nightmares III introduces a brand new pair of unlucky heroes – Low and Alone – and much like Mono and Six before them, they’ll need to rely on each other to survive a world of grotesque monsters and shuffling dread. Alone is a resourceful young girl with pigtails and an aviator mask, mechanically gifted and loyally grounded. The bird masked Low is an imaginative boy who’s unusually resolute for his age. He’s convinced he can lead the pair to safety.

Each Character Wields a ‘Hero Item’

Where Mono and Six had to make do with improvised tools, Low and Alone each carry a signature item throughout the game. Alone carries a wrench which she uses as both a blungeoning melee weapon and a device for adjusting machinery. Low wields a bow and arrow, giving him ranged ability to hit enemies or out-of-reach switches from afar. These tools don’t seem naturally complementary; it’ll be intriguing to see how the game treats combat encounters and puzzles given both the overlap and divergence of our duo’s skills.

Co-op From the Ground Up

Undeniably, the biggest shift for the threequel is co-operative play, built from the ground up. Whilst both Little Nightmares II and Little Nightmares III star a pair of heroes, only in III can players control both protagonists in a full two-player experience. Puzzles and encounters will require simultaneous interaction – one player distracting a monster whilst the other sneaks through, or both players pulling levers in sequence. Alongside being a community-requested feature, this design choice represents a natural evolution for the series. Reportedly, the game’s interactions aren’t especially challenging; instead, tension is heightened with survival hinging on communication and teamwork.

Solo Play, Reimagined

Despite Little Nightmares III being designed with co-operative play at its core, the game can still be played solo with a campaign that’s balanced for single players. The misadventure can be experienced through either Low or Alone’s perspective, with computer-controlled AI taking command of the other. Much like It Takes Two or Split Fiction, sections of gameplay – or the entire thing – can be replayed as the other character, opening the door to seeing how each toolset changes the experience.

New Enemies

The series’ monstrous Residents remain the principal threat to our heroes’ welfare, and in Little Nightmares III, some of the most disturbing enemies yet have been revealed. The Supervisor is a six-armed factory overseer obsessed with perfection, whilst the Monster Baby stalks a ruined necropolis in search of their next ‘toy’. Thematically, these creature designs appear to lean towards anxieties surrounding authority and vulnerability. Little Nightmares II gave us the nightmarishly memorable Teacher, Doctor, and the Thin Man, but III looks like it’ll be upping the Residents’ scare factor.

New Setting

In Little Nightmares II, Mono and Six braved the Pale City, exploring the Wilderness, the School, the Hospital, and the Transmission on their journey to the Signal Tower. Low and Alone are instead trapped in the Spiral, a realm within the Nowhere like the Pale City that’s described as a cluster of disturbing places; a fragmented, dreamlike fever imbued by visions of torment and trauma awaits our pair, with each new biome becoming increasingly hostile to their survival.

Biome Variety

The Spiral’s confirmed locations so far include the Necropolis, the Canivale, and the Candy Factory. Each a mysterious dystopia, playing through Little Nightmares III feels like an anthology of nightmares rather than the more linear progression of Little Nightmares II. Accompanying III’s aesthetic shifts will be level-distinct use of Low and Alone’s co-operative ability; Low might shoot for dusty ropes between crumbling platforms above the Necropolis’ desert sand, whilst Alone’s wrench will undoubtedly be used to fix broken fairground machinery.

Tone and Scare Profile

Little Nightmares III retains the series’ signature oppressive atmosphere and fantastical horror, however it can be argued the threequel’s co-operative gameplay could soften the tense feelings of isolation that weigh heavily on Mono and the computer-controlled Six in Little Nightmares II. Driving II’s fear are themes of escapism; escape from adulthood, corrupted society, and the loss of innocence, each encapsulated tonally in a growing sense of hopelessness. III seems to favour sustained dread to unsettle its players, using its shared problem-solving mechanics to create a slow-burning anxiety.

Narrative On-boarding

Little Nightmares II functioned as a bridge to its predecessor, with returning characters and embellished lore which rewarded players who were continuing from the first Little Nightmares. By contrast, Little Nightmares III is being advertised as a completely standalone entry. With new protagonists and a freshly noxious realm to explore, no prior knowledge of the series is required to get the most out of it.

Online Only Co-op

We’ve just speculated on Little Nightmares’ signature dread-inducing isolation losing its edge due to III’s co-operative gameplay. Well, to counteract this and to maintain an isolated atmosphere, the game will be playable in online co-op only. In other words: there’ll be no couch co-op. To make it easier to play with friends, Little Nightmares III includes a Friend’s Pass, with only one player needing to purchase the game to play with someone they know. Little Nightmares II had none of these features, of course, given it was single player only.

Platform pairing rules

Little Nightmares III will support cross-generational play within the same console family, but not cross-platform play. At launch, at least, a pair of players across, say, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 can tackle Low and Alone’s misadventure through the Spiral together. If you’re a PC player and your mate owns a Switch, well, you’re out of luck. Hopefully cross-platform play will be added at a later date as, with an emphasis on online co-op, not including this feature at launch feels like a misstep.

Save File Constraints

Little Nightmares III will not support cross-save or cross-progression functionality at launch. Meaning, in other words, your save file will be locked to the platform you start on. Progress can be continued across the same platform which is a change from Little Nightmares II where save files could not be transferred between different systems. Furthermore, save files that started in co-op cannot be switched to solo mid-campaign. Little Nightmares III offers up to eight save slots to counteract this limitation.

Voice Chat

We know what you’re thinking: if Little Nightmares III is online co-op only, perhaps the game will embed a communication tool between players. Well, no, the threequel will not have any built-in communication tools, such as voice chat. This, much like the online only decision, is to preserve the suffocating atmosphere. It seems as though playthroughs will function similarly to when one wanderer encounters another in Journey; both titles include a ‘call’ feature to alert companions.

Studio Change

Another substantial difference is the change in the development studio. Up to Little Nightmares II, the series was shepherded by Tarsier Studios. Following their acquisition by Embracer Group in 2019, the studio moved away from Little Nightmares and began working on the conceptually similar Reanimal due to release in 2026. The reigns have been handed to Until Dawn and The Quarry studio Supermassive Games, and even though the celebrated team studied Little Nightmares I & II in detail, they’re intent on bringing their own unique strengths and passion to the third entry.

Post-launch Model

Little Nightmares III already features broader post-launch plans than its predecessor in the shape of the Secrets of the Spiral DLC. Including costume sets on launch, plus two extra story chapters coming later on, III’s DLC plans hint at the possibility of deeper world building beyond the Spiral. By comparison, Little Nightmares II featured an optional puzzle segment in its Nome’s Attic DLC.

The words, “From childhood’s hour, I have not been as others were. I have not seen as others saw. I could not awaken my heart to joy at the same tone”, sound fairly creepy. However, they may also describe the character Alone. Perhaps even more foreboding are the words, “And all I loved, I loved alone.” Nevertheless, “through endless nights and stormy weather,” they face their “childhood fears together.”

The trailer offers a few peeks at familiar environments (the Carnevale and Necropolis), but one sequence sees Low trapped in a hanging cage, with Alone sneaking to rescue him. Another scene involves a body bag with a noose around its neck tumbling out of a dresser along with the two characters. A hotel is also showcased with the duo taking the elevator to potentially more untold horrors.

Little Nightmares 3 launches on October 10th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS4, and PS5. A free demo of the opening level is available to download.