Little Nightmares vs Little Nightmares II
Little Nightmares is a horror platformer game from Tarsier Studios (2017) while Little Nightmares II is an action-adventure horror game from Tarsier Studios (2021).
What each one is
Steam files Little Nightmares under Horror and Platformer. In contrast, it files Little Nightmares II under Action-Adventure and Horror.
Take on the role of Six, a lone child lost in a massive metal vessel known as the Maw, surrounded by dangerous, distorted versions of adults. You’ll need to do your best to escape in one piece or your fate will be worse than you ever dared dream.
Little Nightmares II is the second game in a series that has thrilled and captivated millions of players worldwide since 2017. Now it’s your turn to try to survive this critically acclaimed entry in the most charming horror series ever made.
At a glance
| Little Nightmares | Little Nightmares II | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.3/10 | 8.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 116,529) | Very Positive (93%, 58,455) |
| Critic aggregate | 81/100 | 83/100 |
| Price | $19.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | 10 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | verified | verified |
| Released | 2017 | 2021 |
| Developer | Tarsier Studios | Tarsier Studios |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Little Nightmares vs Little Nightmares II, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Little NightmaresHorror platformer gameLittle Nightmares IIAction-adventure horror gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Little NightmaresHorror, Atmospheric, AdventureLittle Nightmares IIHorror, Adventure, PuzzleThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Little Nightmares ✓Score 8.3 · 95% on Steam · 81 criticLittle Nightmares IIScore 8.2 · 93% on Steam · 83 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Little Nightmares116,529 reviews · 9 add-ons · 10 GBLittle Nightmares II58,455 reviews · 1 add-onReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Little Nightmares ✓$19.99Little Nightmares II$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Little NightmaresVerifiedLittle Nightmares IIVerifiedValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Little Nightmares takes 2 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueLittle Nightmares and Little Nightmares II on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Little Nightmares (GamingPickz Score 8.3)
- The cheaper right now: Little Nightmares ($19.99)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
HorrorAtmosphericAdventureSingleplayerPuzzle-PlatformerDarkPuzzleIndie
Where they differ
Third PersonSurvival HorrorFemale ProtagonistShortStrategy
MultiplayerAction-AdventureThrillerCo-opViolent
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Little Nightmares is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Little Nightmares II is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Little Nightmares | Little Nightmares II | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | Nvidia GTX 460 | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel CPU Core i3 | — |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | 10 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Little Nightmares · Little Nightmares II.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Little Nightmares and 1 for Little Nightmares II. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares II in scope?
Little Nightmares has drawn 116,529 Steam reviews, ships 9 add-ons and installs in 10 GB. Little Nightmares II has drawn 58,455 Steam reviews and ships 1 add-on.
Is Little Nightmares or Little Nightmares II better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Little Nightmares rates higher (8.3 to 8.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Little Nightmares or Little Nightmares II?
Little Nightmares is cheaper right now at $19.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.