Little Nightmares III Review: Co-op Horror Returns With Mixed Reactions

Little Nightmares III brings players back into its eerie world of children’s nightmares. The Veronica's Room DLC Released by Supermassive Games, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, the title released on October 9, 2025 and adds a new kind of cooperative spin in its horror-puzzle mechanics. Gamers navigate Low and Alone, two best friends stranded in a creepy world called the Nowhere, as they battle for survival with their weapons — a bow and a wrench — traversing atmospheric terrains.

Checkout the full trailer on Play Nestor official channel.

Gameplay and Co-op Experience

Its third incarnation picks up its predecessors’ eerie tone, but also offers online co-op for the first time. Venture the treacherous Spiral alone with an AI companion or play together in multiplayer, take on other-worldly forces and unravel ancient puzzles throughout mysterious levels of a hideously deformed village.

But this new feature is what is tearing the community apart. A lot of us were expecting local couch co-op, but nope, it’s online-only — a reveal that disappointed some amongst the fan base. One reviewer wrote:

“We just kept hearing about CO OP and I purchased this so my mother and me can play at the couch. Shit low and behold no local co op. Played from an hour and a half. There are so many mechanics based around your ‘companion’ that I just won’t be playing with a random online which sucks and the COOP mechanics in general are shit when you have to play solo.”

Still, others appreciate the ambition and emotional connection between the characters. One positive review noted:

"Exploring The Spiral is both creepy and engaging, and the addition of two playable characters – Low with his bow, Alone with her wrench – makes for some welcome puzzle variety and movement options. Seems like the devs were ACTUALLY listening to what players wanted and injected some much needed coop GRIT into the series.

Visuals and Performance

From a visual standpoint, Little Nightmares III is exactly what fans will have been hoping to see — moody lighting, twisted environments and foul creature design. Anklenibbler) gloomy fairgrounds, destroyed factories and endless corridors do look lovely, especially on PC.

A player praised its optimization:

“It looks beautiful on PC. Every environment oozes atmosphere… On a mid-range PC like mine, it runs beautifully on high settings and even Steam Deck holds nice 30 frames on medium setting.”

There are a few performance hiccups: Some players have reported frame-rate drops in crowded areas, and the platforming still feels somewhat awkward — an inherited problem from previous games.

Community Reactions

At the time of writing, Steam reviews are 74 percent positive, yet opinions vary widely. There was also concern among some of the players about the tuning and design not being very complex or innovative:

“If I could, would not Recommend the game … puzzles super simple, enemies boring … for close to $40 not worth it.”

Others pointed to how the slower pace of the game impacts its tension:

"As the gameplay leans heavily toward cooperation, the horror aspect is less extreme as well, with it more often resulting in lulls than in tension."

But the humor and pandemonium brought on by co-op moments, it seems, are something that many fans of the fatal world can agree upon:

“Saw my buddy be smashed to death by a baby. He then requested a refund. Played with my kid and watched him weep over the baby. Got pay back on that bich. 10/10 recommend.”

I mean, then you’ve got the infamous criticism of IGN’s review:

“IGN giving Little Nightmares 3 a 6/10 is just embarrassing… They clearly didn’t even try, it’s like they reviewed a trailer, not the game.”

That one quote is symbolic of how much this series reaches out to its fans.

Deluxe and Premium Editions

For those looking for additional content, the Digital Deluxe Edition for will offer:

• Secrets of the Spiral Expansions ( x2 chapters)
• Ferryman Costumes Sett
• Residents Costumes Set

These additions further develop the spooky mythology and give returning players more to explore inside the Spiral.

System Requirements

Minimum:

• OS: Windows 11
• CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200
• RAM: 8 GB
• GPU: Nvidia GTX 1060 / AMD RX 580
• Performance: Low 1080p @ 60 FPS

Recommended:

• OS: Windows 11
• CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• RAM: 12 GB
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 2080 / AMD RX 6800
• Performance: High 1080p @ 60 FPS

Little Nightmares III treads a delicate line between atmospheric genius and design compromise. With its atmospheric world, dynamic lighting and emotional co-op storytelling system; it’s one of the most interesting horror experiences of the year — but an absence of local co-op and some pacing problems keep it away from touching true greatness.

That said, the game’s Friends Pass feature — which lets a friend play the whole game even if they don’t own it — is a bold and necessary move that embodies what cooperative gaming should be.

“The Friends Pass allows you to play the full game with a friend for free if you do not own the game. “That’s just a truly player-friendly decision, which should become more of the norm now.”

For those who love to wander through haunted halls and drown in an atmosphere of gloriously morose storytelling, Little Nightmares III is still a voyage worth embarking upon — just don’t expect to do it side by side our couches.