Layers of Fear (2016)

First-person psychological horror through a painter’s constantly shifting home

Bloober Team SA · Released Feb 15, 2016

Reviews: Very Positive; 88% of 28K
Recent reviews: Very Positive; 81% of 81 in 30 days
Playing now: 32; right now
Steam Deck: Playable
Last update: Unknown; no patch notes found

What is Layers of Fear (2016)?

This first-person psychological horror adventure takes place in a painter’s decaying, Victorian-inspired home. You explore rooms that change when you look away, uncovering the story of his obsession with completing a painting.

For you if...

+you like surreal environments and piecing together a story
+you prefer slow, tense exploration to action

Not for you if...

−you want combat or substantial puzzles in horror games
−you dislike frequent jump scares and linear exploration

What players say

88% of 27,740 reviews are positive · 81% of 81 in the last 30 days

Players praise the shifting rooms, unsettling atmosphere, and sound design. Common complaints are repetitive jump scares, little to do besides walking, and a story some find thin or predictable.

Screenshots and trailer

Layers of Fear (2016) system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 7
Processor: Intel Core2 Quad Q8400
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 1GB / Radeon R7 250X 1GB
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 5 GB available space
DirectX: Version 11
Notes: Supported Gamepads: Microsoft Xbox 360 Games for Windows (Wired), Microsoft Xbox One Controller (Wired), Sony PS4 DualShock 4 controller (wired), Steam Controller

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Achievements: 27
Steam features: Cloud saves, Family Sharing, Trading cards

Steam Deck: Playable

The launcher or setup tool may need the touchscreen or virtual keyboard
Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
Shows Steam Deck controller icons
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck
Cloud saves are not shared across platforms

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

Languages

Full audio: English. Text only: Italian, Polish, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Korean.