Lethal Company may have taken the indie horror world by storm in Oct. 2023, but there’s always something new to try out if you want a break from your high-quota run. It’s time to spend those holiday hours you’ve saved up and book some time away from The Company with these indie horror games.
Lethal Company‘s sheer power and replayability lies in its simplicity. While the Mineshaft has proven to be a worthy opponent for those high-quota runners, there is always a reason to come back to Lethal Company; be it a friend you catch up with once a year, or you stick around for the daily grind to hit employee of the year at The Company. But Zeekerss isn’t the first to throw monsters at you to see if you have what it takes to survive the nightmare.
If you want your next adrenaline rush as you face off against monsters while juggling resources and objectives, then here are our top indie horror picks for Lethal Company employees.
Best single-player horror games like Lethal Company
IT STEALS
| Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|
| Every monster behaves differently and has their own unique counters. | Monsters are unkillable in IT STEALS. |
| Procedurally generated. | IT STEALS follows a linear path with an arcade mini-game feel, while Lethal Company keeps its singular objective to collect scrap and escape. |
| Both games focus on survival. | Lethal Company runs are endless unless you can’t hit quota. Meanwhile, IT STEALS resets your progress per game mode if you’re killed. |
| Both games have compact lore to learn about while you play. | IT STEALS is scarier. |
| Labyrinth map layouts. | Lethal Company offers more range and replayability within its environment and settings (moons and interiors). |
Created by the same developer, Zeekerss’ IT STEALS is a terrifying experience to those brave enough to enter its dimly lit corridors. Isolation and fear is guaranteed, where you must rely on the limited resources handed to you at the start of the round to both outsmart and outlive the nightmares that each game mode throws at you. IT STEALS follows a similar simplicity to Lethal Company with its core concept of collecting gems while fleeing from the monsters (like a game of Pacman).
There is no growing used to the setting or monstrosity chasing after you. Instead, you must learn and adapt to the strict rules each mode provides if you want to complete their nightmarish challenge. While Lethal Company entities have clear similarities to SCPs, IT STEALS‘ monsters are incredibly unique as they hide in the shadows, and wait to ambush you.
FNAF 2
| Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|
| Each entity/animatronic has a specific counter. | FNAF has a strict, linear storyline, while Lethal Company is procedurally generated. |
| One main objective: Survive. | FNAF has complicated lore that’ll likely keep you up at night. |
| Increases in difficulty the longer you survive. | FNAF has point-and-click elements that restrict your view to the camera monitors and the room you’re sitting in. |
Perhaps a strange pick for this list, but hear me out. While limited, there are similarities between FNAF and Lethal Company. We picked the second game in the franchise for its increasing difficulty as you progress through the nights. The game throws many monsters at you, slowly increasing its numbers as time grows closer to 6am.
It’s very likely FNAF 2 will leave you crying in the corner, rather than produce any happy tears, but you’re sure to feel satisfaction once 6am rolls around. FNAF 2 isn’t the most challenging of the franchise, but it can get incredibly chaotic as more animatronics join the party. You must rely on your reflexes more than anything to make it through your shift. So, are you up for the challenge?
Best co-op indie horror games like Lethal Company
SCP Containment Breach Multiplayer
| Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|
| The entities resemble SCPs. | You can’t fight back in Containment Breach. |
| Labyrinth interior. | No outside area to explore in Containment Breach (unless you reach an ending). |
| Every monster behaves differently. | Unlike Lethal Company, there are SCPs that can help you in your escape attempt. |
| Lore delivered through logs. | Containment Breach has a rich linear story delivered through multiple endings. |
In my opinion, SCP Containment Breach is the best multiplayer horror game ever made, and it has many similarities to Lethal Company. The Coil-Head monster follows the exact same mechanics as SCP 173 where you have to look at the monster to stop it from killing you. Other monsters like the Bracken hold similarities to SCP 106, being one of the more intelligent organisms you can face in either game.
SCP Containment Breach is a fantastic indie horror game, filled with secrets, unique SCPs, and horror to kickstart your idle heartrate from all the Lethal Company short clips you’ve been watching on YouTube. Containment Breach has a solo and multiplayer version for you to try out if you get too scared of the roaming SCPs or the lethal nine-tailed fox units ordered to shoot anyone on sight.
The SCPs in the game are either completely terrifying or super quirky. Some SCPs can be used as tools to level up your equipment and others to transcend to another reality—while others roll around, saying “Eric” and blasting music to burst your eardrums (SCP 066).
Escape the Backrooms
| Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|
| Different monsters per level/moon. | Escape the Backrooms‘ monsters can’t be killed. |
| Memorable areas. | You’re limited to the Backrooms interior, rather than having that freedom to back out of the area if things get too tough. |
| One main objective. | Small objectives are given in each Backroom level that you must complete to escape. |
| Limited inventory and resources. | While both games have a sanity bar, Escape the Backrooms‘ bar has a greater impact to your gameplay if depleted. |
Escape the Backrooms is our next pick for top indie co-op horror games similar to Lethal Company. This game can be incredibly fun and is best experienced with friends. It is in early access, but offers around two to three hours of content depending on how good you are at solving light puzzles and evading monsters. The stories of the Backrooms are similar to the SCP creepypasta, but SCP Containment Breach has a more complicated story once you really dive in.
In my opinion, Escape the Backrooms is the best multiplayer Backrooms game. There are others on the list that are better for the atmospheric, solo experience like The Complex: Found Footage and Anemoiapolis, but Escape the Backrooms is an entertaining experience for younger and older audiences.
The goal inside the Backrooms is to try and escape when monsters reside in every room. If you are heading into the Backrooms, be sure to see it as another Facility on a random Moon that you have no-clipped through.
The Outlast Trials
| Similarities | Differences |
|---|---|
| Difficulty levels are spread across moons/programs. | Your progress is reset if you miss the quota, while trials are endless until you decide to move onto the final program and witness the ending. |
| You can fight back against Ex-Pop and entities. | All Ex-Pop behave the same and have the same counters. This means there’s no adjustment period as you don’t have to learn any new mechanics to handle the enemy chasing after you. |
| Labyrinth-y map layouts. | Outlast Trials has an upgrade system. |
The Outlast Trials is quite a stretch from Lethal Company, but it offers an entertaining and challenging experience for horror fans looking for one. There is also that added replayability within its programs, with the incentive to reach higher grades for extra XP. Outlast Trials gives you the option to either work independently or alongside a team. It’s best experienced with friends however as you could just play Outlast instead if you were looking for greater scares and a palpable atmosphere.
If you ever wondered what it would be like to face the tormented killers of the Mount Massive Asylum with friends, you might as well partake in The Outlast Trials. There aren’t a ton of similarities between the two games, but they both share the premise of surviving against hostile enemies, completing assignments, and trying to escape the evil facility that tricked you into applying.
Finally, if you’re looking for multiplayer horror games clearly inspired by Lethal Company, then be sure to check out Sketchy’s Contract, Content Warning, and Murky Divers.
