Game · Medium risk
Is Little Nightmares safe for your child?
Age guide
14+
We advise Little Nightmares from age 14 and up. Overall risk 4/10 (medium risk).
- 5-8
- This game is not suitable for this age group due to its dark, unsettling atmosphere and themes of peril and grotesque characters.
- 9-12
- Children in this age range are likely to find the game's horror elements, such as the monstrous 'Guests' and the oppressive environments, genuinely frightening and potentially traumatic.
- 13-15
- Teenagers might be drawn to the game's unique art style and puzzle-solving, but should be prepared for its intense psychological horror, frequent jump scares, and themes of child endangerment.
- 16+
- Older teens can appreciate the game's artistic direction, narrative through environmental storytelling, and challenging puzzles, understanding its horror elements within a fictional context.
Little Nightmares is a horror puzzle-platformer where players guide Six, a small, hungry girl, through a mysterious vessel called The Maw. She must escape its grotesque inhabitants and terrifying secrets.
- Age guide
- 14+
- Overall risk
- 4/10
- Violence
- 6/10
- Toxic behaviour
- 1/10
- Stranger contact
- 1/10
- Addiction risk
- 7/10
- Language
- 1/10
- Influence
- 7/10
What parents should know
Little Nightmares is a puzzle-platformer with strong horror elements and a consistently unsettling atmosphere. It features grotesque characters, frequent jump scares, and themes of child endangerment, making it unsuitable for younger players. Parental controls on gaming consoles can restrict access to games based on their age ratings.
What to do about Little Nightmares
Free with a Parentwise account. The age-by-age verdict needs your child's age, which is why it lives behind the account.
- The age-by-age verdict
What we advise for under 8, 8-12 and 13+ - our age guide for Little Nightmares is 14+, and the answer changes with your child's age. - The one setting to change tonight
The exact Little Nightmares setting that cuts the most risk, with the steps to find it. - What to say
Word-for-word openers for talking about Little Nightmares without a row. - Red flags to watch for
The signals in Little Nightmares that mean it is time to step in.
Little Nightmares age rating and parents guide: common questions
What age rating is Little Nightmares?
Parentwise puts Little Nightmares at 14+. We advise Little Nightmares from age 14 and up. Overall risk 4/10 (medium risk). Violence scores 6/10, language 1/10, stranger contact 1/10 and addiction risk 7/10.
Can a 10 year old play Little Nightmares?
Not by default: we advise Little Nightmares from 14+, so at 10 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children in this age range are likely to find the game's horror elements, such as the monstrous 'Guests' and the oppressive environments, genuinely frightening and potentially traumatic.
Can a 12 year old play Little Nightmares?
Not by default: we advise Little Nightmares from 14+, so at 12 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Children in this age range are likely to find the game's horror elements, such as the monstrous 'Guests' and the oppressive environments, genuinely frightening and potentially traumatic.
Can a 13 year old play Little Nightmares?
Not by default: we advise Little Nightmares from 14+, so at 13 it needs your supervision and the settings changed first. Teenagers might be drawn to the game's unique art style and puzzle-solving, but should be prepared for its intense psychological horror, frequent jump scares, and themes of child endangerment.
Is Little Nightmares appropriate for kids?
Little Nightmares is a puzzle-platformer with strong horror elements and a consistently unsettling atmosphere. Parentwise rates Little Nightmares overall as medium risk (4/10), with stranger contact at 1/10 and addiction risk at 7/10.
Is Little Nightmares family friendly?
Little Nightmares sits in the middle: fine with settings changed and an occasional check-in. It features grotesque characters, frequent jump scares, and themes of child endangerment, making it unsuitable for younger players.
Little Nightmares parents guide: what should a parent know first?
Little Nightmares is a puzzle-platformer with strong horror elements and a consistently unsettling atmosphere. The parts that most often catch parents out are stranger contact (1/10) and how hard it pulls for more time (7/10).
Is Little Nightmares safe for kids?
We advise Little Nightmares from age 14 and up. Overall risk 4/10 (medium risk). It features grotesque characters, frequent jump scares, and themes of child endangerment, making it unsuitable for younger players.
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Release and popularity data comes in part from RAWG, TVMaze (CC BY-SA) and Wikidata (CC0). Safety guidance is written by Parentwise.