Home / Games / Layers of Fear (2016)
Layers of Fear (2016)
A first-person psychological horror with a strong emphasis on atmosphere and storytelling. Explore an ever-shifting Victorian mansion as a painter seeking to complete his masterpiece, even at the cost of his own sanity.
What players say
Steam review score and the most-helpful voices, which may include critical ones. Data as of 2026-05-20.
What reviewers agree on
45 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“This game is a hoot. I really enjoyed exploring and staring at random weird stuff... All the while wishing I could go outside and just frolic in the heavy rain. The game may not have let me go out, but...! It made me…”
“A very haunting ang psychological horror game that is very good at keeping the player engrossed in the setting. This is a must play for horror game fans. 8/10”
“I have been enjoying this psychological horror/walking simulator/interactive narrative/puzzle game a lot so far. There have been plenty of "jump scare"-style spooky moments. The tension builds up well in each "beat" of…”
37 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“I’ve never written a review before, but this game feels like it deserves a few words. In Layers of Fear, you step into the shoes of a painter trying to complete his magnum opus or his “great work.” As you move through…”
“Damn good game for the price , loved it for the story and gameplay ,I was confused at the plot first and when i progressed and got to end it was worth the time and wait .”
“Layers of fear is a terrifically well crafted psychological horror i haven't had this much immersion in a long while, Some of the most well made illusions being effortlessly horrific transitions of time and place. its…”
23 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“A super thrilling horror game that gives you a very uneasy feeling every time you hear a noise or enter a room. The sound design is top notch, and the artwork is simply amazing. It's fairly short but definitely worth a…”
“It’s a short horror game (~5h) where you wander around an ever-changing mansion, piecing together the lore through a mix of notes, leftover scenes, visions, and memories. There’s a sense of madness in the senseless…”
“I had no what was going on but I liked it for the creepy oil paintings alone - killer atmosphere and tension as well.”
13 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“A super thrilling horror game that gives you a very uneasy feeling every time you hear a noise or enter a room. The sound design is top notch, and the artwork is simply amazing. It's fairly short but definitely worth a…”
“It’s a short horror game (~5h) where you wander around an ever-changing mansion, piecing together the lore through a mix of notes, leftover scenes, visions, and memories. There’s a sense of madness in the senseless…”
“Layers of fear is a terrifically well crafted psychological horror i haven't had this much immersion in a long while, Some of the most well made illusions being effortlessly horrific transitions of time and place. its…”
8 of the 104 reviews raise this.
“Layers of fear is a terrifically well crafted psychological horror i haven't had this much immersion in a long while, Some of the most well made illusions being effortlessly horrific transitions of time and place. its…”
“A solid experience that grants you a chance to explore interesting level design, transformations of the character and his perception of reality. Alternate endings are interesting, including the methods of achieving…”
“i liked it the first time it released, i liked it the second time i played it, And i still like it the third time i played it, For a old game it aged very well. it's a walking sim with some puzzles, but it is very fun…”
24 of the 104 reviews raise this · 14 of them still recommend the game.
“The paid bot reviews are out in full force because they are getting ready to release Layers of Fear 3 (there was a second one?). I can’t tell you how sick I am of reading GPT-generated slop about “tight gameplay loops”…”
“Hmm... I didn't imagine this game would be so short. It's not that scary. But it's a pretty good game to finish in 2 hours. Still, it's a 10-year-old game and taking that into consideration... I liked it. It's worth…”
“It’s a short horror game (~5h) where you wander around an ever-changing mansion, piecing together the lore through a mix of notes, leftover scenes, visions, and memories. There’s a sense of madness in the senseless…”
11 of the 104 reviews raise this · 10 of them still recommend the game.
“A super thrilling horror game that gives you a very uneasy feeling every time you hear a noise or enter a room. The sound design is top notch, and the artwork is simply amazing. It's fairly short but definitely worth a…”
“Hmm... I didn't imagine this game would be so short. It's not that scary. But it's a pretty good game to finish in 2 hours. Still, it's a 10-year-old game and taking that into consideration... I liked it. It's worth…”
“It’s a short horror game (~5h) where you wander around an ever-changing mansion, piecing together the lore through a mix of notes, leftover scenes, visions, and memories. There’s a sense of madness in the senseless…”
7 of the 104 reviews raise this · 3 of them still recommend the game.
“The paid bot reviews are out in full force because they are getting ready to release Layers of Fear 3 (there was a second one?). I can’t tell you how sick I am of reading GPT-generated slop about “tight gameplay loops”…”
“I stuck it out to the end because it was highly rated, but it really is a nothingburger. The story of someone descending into madness is a staple of horror, so original execution is key here, but this fails in most…”
“Layers of Boring. As many of the other reviews note, you spend most of your time wandering from room to room opening drawers and cabinets, mostly finding nothing. It seems completely linear, there are no stakes, no…”
Counted across 104 English reviews, sampled to match this game's 88.6% positive rating · as of 2026-05-20
“Comparing this game and the 2023 version of the game, I would say this one is better in my opinion, considering it feels more horror, despite being a walking simulator. It is another P.T type of clone for anyone that enjoys these types of genre. I do think the price fits well…”
— a player, Steam review · 14 hrs played“𝒮𝓉𝑜𝓇𝓎 ↠ This game has a deep lore that really forces the player to replay the game to uncover all secrets and discover different outcomes. It definitely pulls you in to discover the mysteries you keep unfolding and trying to piece them together in your head to understand the…”
— a player, Steam review · 4 hrs played“Layers of Fear’s mechanics are deliberately designed to make fear itself feel like a gameplay system. Rather than relying on jump scares or combat, the game’s core mechanics revolve around environmental interaction, perception manipulation, and context‑sensitive triggers that…”
— a player, Steam review · 4 hrs playedPlayer activity
Monthly average concurrent players. Live count fetched 2026-07-24 00:08 UTC · history via SteamCharts.
Achievement stats
Global completion rates across all Steam players — a data view of how far people actually get. Source: Steam official stats · as of 2026-07-25.
Price tracking
US-region pricing (USD), sampled twice daily by our own tracker since 2026-07-11. Steam prices vary by region — always confirm your local price on Steam.
Regional prices at last sample, in local currency — Steam sets each region's price independently.
Cheapest → most expensive, converted to USD at ECB reference rates (2026-07-24). Relative comparison only.
Latest official news
Developer announcements via the Steam news API — links go to the original posts. More across all games on the news hub.
Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Layers of Fear with Special Showcase!
Exactly ten years was the moment that defined us as a horror game studio, to celebrate this moment we’re bringing you this special showcase! 🌹 Layers of Fear is back! Tune in here! 👉 layersoffear3.com
Cronos: The New Dawn merges with Layers of Fear in the New Bundle!
Horror fans! Cronos: The New Dawn just launched on Steam and consoles, receiving amazing scores from media, influencers, and players! You can play the game now on Steam and dive into the first surviva
Cronos: The New Dawn – New Insights from Future Games Show!
Dear Horror Fans! Cronos: The New Dawn , an upcoming survival horror game created by Bloober Team , makers of Layers of Fear , was just featured on the Future Games Show ! The devs shared their very f
SILENT HILL 2 out now! Play the new title by Bloober Team and Konami!
When we released The Medium few years ago (which was heavily inspired by the SILENT HILL series) we couldn’t imagine that this day would ever arrive. And yet, here we are! Developed in close collabora
The latest chapter in Layers of Fear awaits
The latest chapter in Layers of Fear awaits. What is the Final Prologue? Is it a stand-alone story, or another piece of the puzzle that makes up the complete story of Layers of Fear? The answer lies i
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Screenshots
Official Steam store screenshots — click any shot to enlarge.
Facts & details
From the Steam store record, snapshot 2026-05-20.
| Genres | Adventure, Indie |
| Player tags | Horror · Psychological Horror · Atmospheric · Walking Simulator · First-Person · Singleplayer · Story Rich · Indie · Adventure · Multiplayer · Psychedelic · Dark (SteamSpy community voting) |
| Features | Single-player · Steam Achievements · Steam Trading Cards · Partial Controller Support · Steam Cloud · Remote Play on Tablet · Family Sharing |
| Languages | English * , Italian, Polish, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Korean * |
| Achievements | 27 |
| Estimated owners | 2,000,000 – 5,000,000 (SteamSpy) |
| Official site | http://layersoffear.com |
Minimum system requirements (PC)
Minimum: OS *: Windows 7 Processor: Intel Core2 Quad Q8400 Memory: 4 GB RAM Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 1GB / Radeon R7 250X 1GB DirectX: Version 11 Storage: 5 GB available space Additional Notes: Supported Gamepads: Microsoft Xbox 360 Games for Windows (Wired), Microsoft Xbox One Controller (Wired), Sony PS4 DualShock 4 controller (wired), Steam Controller