5 Horror Games to Play if You Loved Backrooms

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The movie Backrooms brings director Kane Parsons’ popular online series to the big screen. But the film is just a small part of the larger Backrooms universe, which grew out of the artistic style known as liminal space. If you enjoy Backrooms, you’ll be happy to know there are many similar games available. While they may not all look the same, these games capture the same unsettling feeling.

If you enjoyed the game Backrooms, here are five other horror games you might like. They’re listed alphabetically, so the order doesn’t indicate which ones are ‘better’ than others.

5) Escape the Backrooms

Escape the Backrooms feels the most like a direct adaptation of the movie. While another game later on this list shares a similar style, this co-op game for 1-4 players will immediately bring the film to mind. You play as a researcher investigating several distinct levels, each inspired by different Backrooms creepypastas. The goal is to learn how to survive each area and fend off the dangerous creatures you encounter.

Similar to other popular horror games you play with friends, Escape the Backrooms uses voice chat that only works when you’re close to each other, which adds to the scary atmosphere since you can’t always talk to your team. The game has been very successful on Steam, and is now available on consoles, making it even easier to experience its creepy world.

4) Subliminal

Subliminal is a visually stunning game, boasting some of the best lighting we’ve seen. The environments look so good, you might momentarily forget you’re supposed to be scared—but the developers don’t let you forget for long, as it’s definitely a horror experience.

Subliminal cleverly uses light and shadow to create a consistently unsettling atmosphere. Shining your light on the environment can dramatically alter it, twisting shadows into terrifying shapes. The game also subtly decays around you, presenting familiar locations that quickly become horrifyingly unpredictable. It relies more on puzzle-solving than some other horror games, so it won’t appeal to everyone. But if you enjoy a good challenge with your scares, you’re in for a truly spooky experience.

3) The Complex: Expedition

The Complex: Expedition has a raw, almost homemade feel. The story unfolds as if you’re watching footage from a VHS camera, following you and your team as you enter The Complex – a mysterious world reminiscent of The Backrooms, though it’s a separate story. But things soon fall apart, and you’re left to navigate this confusing, never-ending maze all by yourself.

I really love that The Complex has multiple endings – it gives you a great reason to play it again and again! And if you’re a fan like me, you should also check out The Complex: Found Footage that the developers, pgWave, released a few years back. It’s not quite as popular, but it’s another awesome way to experience the story and world of The Complex.

2) The Exit 8

Okay, so I started playing The Exit 8, and it looks like a normal subway station at first. But trust me, it gets seriously weird fast. You’re stuck in this endless underground maze, and you have to think on your feet and react quickly to everything around you, or you’re gonna have a bad time. It’s a really intense experience!

I finished Exit 8 pretty quickly – most people do, it takes under an hour. If you end up loving it like a ton of other players did, you should definitely check out the sequel, Platform 8, it’s really good too. And there’s a new game coming out, Strange Shadow, that looks awesome. Oh, and get this – they even made a movie out of it in 2025, and it was a hit with both critics and audiences!

1) Pools

Pools is a visually stunning walking simulator that builds its horror through a strong atmosphere. The game is divided into six short chapters, each taking around 30 minutes to complete, so it’s a brief but memorable experience.

This game really draws you in and keeps you hooked until the very end, though you might need to pause occasionally. It’s incredibly tense and disturbing, leaving you constantly on edge and worried about what’s coming next. The developers at Tensori are so good at creating suspense that you won’t even trust reassurance – you’ll always be expecting something to jump out!

Experiencing Pools in virtual reality is even more intense. The complete immersion makes it genuinely terrifying. It’s amazing the developers created such a scary atmosphere without relying on typical horror tropes like monsters or jump scares. If you have a VR headset, definitely give this a try!

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2026-06-03 01:11