‘Little Nightmares 3’ release window, trailer, gameplay, platform, and more

Bandai Namco’s popular horror puzzle-platformer Little Nightmares is releasing its third installment. And here’s what you need to know.

It’s been over two years since we traversed The Nowhere with Mono and Six in Little Nightmares 2, and Little Nightmares 3 promises a new adventure in the harrowing universe. Bandai Namco announced the game in August when they dropped the “Reveal Trailer” on YouTube.

In it, we see two new heroes — Low and Alone — working together to survive the desolate, decaying, and terror-stricken Necropolis. Where did the Dwellers go and who are the arid city’s new Residents? Those answers may be answered while the two children make their way through its runes.

Release window and platforms

You can check out the game’s reveal trailer above via the YouTube player.

According to a blog post on the game publisher’s website, Little Nightmares 3 is set to release sometime in 2024, although we don’t have a specific month.

The game will be available on all platforms — PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5 and PS4, and Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One — so gamers have ample opportunity to investigate the Necropolis, “a city known for its eternal energy and certain death.”

Gameplay and gameplay trailer

On Oct. 27, we finally got gameplay footage for Little Nightmares 3. Eighteen minutes of dark ambiance and blood-curdling moments through “Monster Baby’s playground” can be enjoyed above via the YouTube player.

Judging by the walkthrough, Little Nightmares 3 plays a lot like Little Nightmares 2. The same sort of mechanics are used that we’ve come to expect with the franchise, like dragging objects and pulling levers to reveal ladders. And just like its second iteration, two children will work in unison to solve puzzles and defeat enemies.

The biggest change in the gameplay is the addition of an online co-op mode. For the first time in the franchise, Little Nightmares 3 is a two-player game — Low and Alone can be played by you and a friend. But, if you go at it solo, then AI will become your companion.

The gameplay video begins with Low and Alone emerging from a mirror, an apparent travel device like the televisions in Little Nightmares 2. Both protagonists’ unique characteristics and abilities are shown as they navigate the Necropolis. Low, the older boy, wears a plague doctor mask, and Alone is a younger girl wearing a pilot’s hat.

They are both equipped with weapons — Low uses his bow and arrow for ranged attacks while Alone has a wrench for melee encounters. Both weapons aren’t just used to keep the Residents at bay, however. They’re needed to solve puzzles, making each character invaluable.

During the 18-minute nightmare, we watch as Low and Alone are pursued by Monster Baby while dealing with other familiar game mechanics, like staying out of a spotlight and opening gates with floor tiles.

The walkthrough wraps with the children seemingly being captured by Monster Baby’s massive hand and waking up on a bed in a dark room. Are they back in reality, or are they still in The Nowhere? We’ll find out when the game officially drops next year!