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The Little Nightmares timeline is a very intriguing one. The atmospheric horror series that blends cute with creepy began in 2017, from developer Tarsier Studios. Since then, we've also gotten a sequel, along with the latest entry, Little Nightmares 3, which was brought to life by Until Dawn studio, Supermassive Games - you can read our Little Nightmares 3 review for more on that one.
Delivering some of the best horror games we've seen in recent years, each Little Nightmares game was filled with lore and unanswered questions that can easily throw you down a rabbit hole of theories as you get more immersed in the unsettling universe that's known as The Nowhere.
Trying to make sense of Little Nightmare's story isn't always easy, especially if you include games outside of the main series, alongside DLC. Playing everything in chronological order is also a bit tricky, and if you want to get the full story, you'd be looking at playing the mobile game Very Little Nightmares first, followed confusingly by Little Nightmares 2, Little Nightmares and Little Nightmares: Secrets of the Maw. That's why we're here to make it easier for you, with our breakdown of the Little Nightmares timeline, which you can find below. Warning: spoilers ahead!
The Little Nightmares timeline explained
In the Little Nightmares timeline before Little Nightmares 3's upcoming release, there are four characters to follow. All their stories take place in a very messed-up version of the world called the Nowhere. In this distorted reality, the world is filled with small children who are being targeted by humanoid monsters, which in turn are fueled by warped greed and other selfish motivations that manifest in terrifying appearances and abilities. These monsters are known as "Residents", and our protagonists throughout the games must solve puzzles and move as quickly as they can in order to escape their clutches and survive.
The first person to look at is the girl in the little yellow raincoat (from the mobile game Very Little Nightmares, not the yellow raincoat kid from the first main Little Nightmares title). Very Little Nightmares takes place in a mansion on a cliff's edge known as The Nest, after a hot air balloon that the girl was traveling on crashes into a spooky abode.
The girl ends up meeting a strange kid in the house called Six, and also a monster called The Craftsman. As you continue solving puzzles and avoiding the creepy man, it's implied that The Craftsman's dolls are made from live children. Six is seen at times trying to escape on her own, which is fine considering how we have our hands full with other villains who appear, such as the Butler and the mansion's owner, The Pretender. However, you do end up helping Six escape… but the game ends with our death, as our yellow raincoat is the only thing left of us. Both Six and that raincoat will be seen again, though, which brings us to our next section.
What happens to Mono and Six in Little Nightmares 2?
The next story in the Little Nightmares timeline starts with the new protagonist, Mono, in Little Nightmares 2. Mono has a vision of a door with a creepy eye before finding themselves in a forest alone. He soon finds a cabin, though, where he is introduced to Six. The two work together to escape a villain known as The Hunter, eventually making it out to sea, where they then drift to a place called The Pale City. While exploring the abandoned houses, Mono ends up sucked into a TV screen, where he tries to reach that eye door we mentioned earlier. Luckily, Six saves the day by pulling him out of the TV before anything can happen…yet.
Six ends up being captured by a bunch of broken porcelain dolls known as Bullies in a strange school setting, but Mono saves her, and the two make it through various levels, where Six finds and puts on a very familiar raincoat once the air gets too chilly as well (see how things are coming together?).
In terms of monsters in Little Nightmares 2, we learn that an evil doctor has been combining human and doll parts together, and Pale City residents have become obsessed with their ominous TVs. Mono also has some TV troubles again after he is sucked into another television set, only this time, he manages to open that creepy eye door and releases The Thin Man (a new monster with long limbs and a hidden face) before Six can help him out.
Six pulls Mono out of the TV, but The Thin Man follows them and ends up capturing Six. In order to save his friend, Mono discovers his ability to use TVs as portals, helping him travel all over the city. He defeats The Thin Man, and heads to the transmission tower, where reality is all messed up, and eventually finds Six, who has turned into a monster obsessed with a music box. By destroying said box, Six is turned back to normal. The two run to escape the now crumpling tower, but as the bridge collapses, Mono reaches for Six to help him up from the ledge. However, even after catching him, Six decides to let him go.
Maybe it was due to Mono shattering her fantasy with the music box and making her face the terrifying world again? Or maybe she sees something wrong when he shows her his face for the first time. Six's motivations aren't clarified, unfortunately. But we do know that Mono technically survives. However, he loses his childhood and eventually turns into a new Thin Man. It's a bummer, alright.
Six escapes, but her stomach starts rumbling with hunger when she spots a pamphlet for a new location that looks very much like The Maw (where Little Nightmares 1 takes place).
How does The Little Nightmares DLC fit into the timeline?
The next story in the Little Nightmares timeline is the DLC for the first game, "Secrets of The Maw" which brings us to The Maw for the first time. It's also technically Little Nightmares since both take place at the same time. But we'd recommend going with the DLC first, as it gives you story clues about the events of the main game, which will make your playthrough hit harder.
Now, if you haven't played the games, The Maw is a submersible ship filled with dangerous, rich customers, and our protagonist this time is The Runaway Kid. The Kid wakes up and escapes from a prisoner's bedroom. However, he is caught by The Janitor (a long-armed enemy that we see in Little Nightmares). The Kid wakes up in one of The Janitor's cages, where we see Six briefly as well.
The Kid gets pulled away, though, and after escaping, works to befriend Nomes that are around The Maw. The Nomes eventually warm up to him and start helping him survive. However, he is eventually caught by The Lady (the final boss of Little Nightmares), and he is turned into a Nome. The DLC ends with the Kid, now as a Nome, staring at an ominous sausage on the floor. A sausage with great significance.
Does Little Nightmares finish Six's story?
Now we reach the events of the first game, Little Nightmares, and Six is front and center. According to The Little Nightmares comics, Six was taken to The Maw after the events at The Pale City against her will by someone known as The Ferryman. The game starts with Six having a dream about The Lady that the Kid encountered. She wakes up in a suitcase and starts making her way through the ship, starting a journey up to the surface.
Six is starving, and luckily, some trapped kids give her some bread, and she also meets some Nomes that (like they did with The Kid) help her out. But her hunger eventually gets her trapped in a cage by The Janitor, where she briefly sees The Runaway Kid. However, Six's helping days are over as she doesn't free any other kids from their cages once she escapes hers.
Six's hunger also grows worse, causing her to eat a live rat in a trap when she makes it to the kitchen. It's strongly suggested that the meat being served to the guests on the ship is human, just in case you were wondering. Six is hungry once again and finds a Nome offering her a sausage. This Nome is The Runaway Kid, who was turned into one of the little guys during the DLC. Unfortunately for him, Six goes feral and chooses to eat him instead of the (probably made of human meat) sausage.
Six finally gets to The Lady's residence, where she finds the only mirror that hasn't been broken in the villain's home and uses it as a weapon to defeat the monster. It turns out that The Lady can't deal with seeing her reflection, and once she is down, Six's hunger strikes again. And, yeah, you guessed it, Six ends up eating The Lady as well. Six's latest meal gives her The Lady's powers and lets her escape as she begins sucking the life force out of every guest that tries to grab her. At the end of the game, Six is by herself waiting for a boat to pick her up. She has fully turned into a Little Nightmare, if you will.
Her future is still unknown, but it seems like she has a part to play in future games. Whether she'll be friend or foe with her new powers and cannibalistic tendencies is to be seen.
Where does Little Nightmares 3 fit into the timeline?
Now that Little Nightmares 3 is here, we're working our way through the game to see where it falls in the Little Nightmares timeline overall. The new horror game follows two new protagonists, Low and Alone, as they navigate a brand new setting in the Nowhere called The Spiral.
From what we've seen so far, it doesn't seem like Alone and Low have made any kind of appearances in previous entries either. Unlike Six, whose multiple appearances help track the timeline, we are looking at some fresh faces here, likely with their own backstories that will be explored in the new games as well.
However, we are still counting on Six showing up in some kind of way. She has, after all, been in all the games and was waiting to go to a new destination at the end of Little Nightmares 1. We'll keep you updated as soon as we hear any news, and update this section once we finally get our hands on Little Nightmares 3 ourselves.
For more on this spooky series you can read our Little Nightmares review and our Little Nightmares 2 review.
