New horror game from Little Nightmares creators pulls over 24K concurrent players shortly after Steam launch

The original creators of Little Nightmares have launched a new game, Reanimal, on Steam, and the debut is quite strong. It was released on February 13, 2026, and within 24 hours of the launch, the concurrent peak player count went over 24,000.

This game also marks the first major release from Tarsier Studios since stepping away from the Little Nightmares series, and the early interest shows that fans were paying attention. At the core, Reanimal is a horror adventure that's centered around two orphaned siblings.

These siblings are searching for their friends who got lost on a nightmarish island. Players can traverse the map on foot and by boat, and progression happens by solving environmental challenges. There's support for local and online co-op, and in multiplayer mode, players need to work together to escape the hostile environments. It's worth noting that for local play, there's full support for controllers as well (8BitDo Ultimate 2 curr. $49.99 on Amazon).

In terms of the visuals, this new game doubles down on the signature style of Tarsier Studios. The same unsettled, childlike character design that Little Nightmares is known for is present here, but early reviews suggest the overall tone is a bit more mature and darker.

As for the gameplay, it leans heavily into atmosphere over action. That is, Reanimal doesn't rely on combat, but the core focus is on environmental traversal. The world is fragmented and layered, and this encourages players to explore hidden details about the island's secrets.

While most of the early reviews are positive, some negative reviews note that the game is just too short. It currently holds a 78% positive rating on Steam, which is curated from around 1,800 reviews. At this stage, there also seem to be issues with the online co-op mode. Even so, the over 24,000 peak player count in under 24 hours of launch is a strong signal that Reanimal might just be worth the try, especially for those who enjoyed Little Nightmares. There's also a free demo available on Steam.