Little Nightmares 3 is the first entry in the series that introduces online co-op and Friends' Pass for players. Previous entries mainly focused on solo adventures, but you can team up with your friend or partner and explore The Nowhere together. This will be a similar experience to It Takes Two and Split Fiction, as two players will need to rely on each other's characters' abilities to solve puzzles and progress through areas. Here's how the multiplayer co-op and the friend's pass work.
Little Nightmares 3 Could Be the Split Fiction for Spooky Season, But With an Asterisk Attached
Little Nightmares 3 is arriving just in time for 2025's spooky season, and it's putting co-op front and center, albeit with a big asterisk attached.
How to Play Little Nightmares in Multiplayer Co-Op (Friend's Pass)
Little Nightmares 3 can be played in both solo (with AI) and multiplayer co-op (with friends) modes. You'll be easily able to invite friends over to your game session, even if they don't own a copy of the game, thanks to the Friends' Pass feature. Let's go over how to start playing the game with your friends.
To start the game in co-op mode, players will need to select the multiplayer option from the main menu. This will lead you to the "attempting to create a session" screen. This process can take anywhere from a few seconds to a minute, depending on your internet connection.
Once the session is created, players will arrive on the multiplayer menu. From here, you can press "X" or "A" to invite any person from your friend list. The game does not currently have cross-platform co-op (crossplay), so make sure you're only inviting friends from the same platform.
How to Download Little Nightmares 3's Friend's Pass Version
Before your friend can join you, they'll need to download the "Free Trial & Friend's Pass" version of Little Nightmares 3. Here's the process for all platforms:
- Steam: Go to the Little Nightmares 3 Steam store page and download the "Little Nightmares III - Free Trial & Friend's Pass."
- PlayStation Store: You'll need to search for "Little Nightmares III - Free Trial & Friend's Pass" on the PSN Store and add it to your library. Once the game is downloaded, your friend will be able to accept your invite and join the game for co-op.
- Xbox Store: Head to Little Nightmares 3's Xbox Store page and select the "Little Nightmares III - Free Trial & Friend's Pass" variant from the drop-down menu next to the buy button. Once your friend has selected this version, they will be able to download it.
Does Little Nightmares 3 have local co-op (couch play/splitscreen)? Unfortunately, the game only features online multiplayer co-op between two players on the same platform. While two players can play together with just one copy of the game via Friends' Pass, there is no couch co-op or splitscreen functionality present in the game.
Now, you can start your adventure from here, and it's suggested that you use the in-game voice-chat feature for coordination, as it'll be required for various puzzle and platforming sections.
Little Nightmares 3 features two protagonists, Low and Alone. You and your partner will need to decide which character to pick, as both come with unique abilities that will be essential in making progress through this immersive game.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 71 /100 Critics Rec: 60%
- Released
- October 10, 2025
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Supermassive Games
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Prequel(s)
- Little Nightmares II, Little Nightmares
- Franchise
- Little Nightmares
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- October 10, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle, Platformer, Horror
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 15 GB
