Layers of Fear (2016) on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Layers of Fear is a first-person psychedelic horror game with a heavy focus on story and exploration. Players take control of a painter whose sole purpose is to finish his Magnum Opus. The player must navigate a constantly changing Victorian-era mansion and ghastly visions of the painter’s psyche.

Layers of Fear (2016) is a horror, psychological horror and atmospheric game developed and published by Bloober Team SA.
Released on February 15th 2016 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux in 12 languages: English, Italian, Polish, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Japanese, Portuguese - Brazil, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Turkish and Korean.

It has received 26,616 reviews of which 23,576 were positive and 3,040 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. 😎

The game is currently priced at 19.99€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified Layers of Fear (2016) into these genres:

Horror Psychological Horror Atmospheric Walking Simulator First-Person Singleplayer Story Rich Indie Adventure Multiplayer Psychedelic Dark Puzzle Exploration Great Soundtrack Mystery Lovecraftian Surreal Survival Horror Short

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Layers of Fear (2016) through various videos and screenshots.

Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot
Layers of Fear (2016) screenshot

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • 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
MacOS
  • OS: 10.12 (Sierra)
  • Processor: 2.3GHz Intel Core i5
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB VRAM / Nvidia GeForce 750M / Intel HD 6100
  • Storage: 5 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Supported Gamepads: Xbox 360 for Windows controller (wired) and the Xbox One controller (wired)
Linux
  • OS: Steam OS, Ubuntu 14.04 and 15.10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 3470
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
  • Storage: 5 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: Supported Gamepads: Microsoft Xbox 360 Controller for Windows (Wired), Steam Controller

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

June 2025
First of all, this is hands down the best horror game I’ve ever played. I was genuinely shocked when I saw the release date was back in 2016 that’s incredible! The atmosphere, the tension, the storytelling everything is top-tier. If you buy this game, I can almost guarantee you'll end up getting Layers of Fear 2 and the other versions too. It’s that awesome. Every second kept me hooked, and I found myself loving it more and more as I played. The gameplay time is around 4–5 hours, but it's an unforgettable experience from start to finish. Huge thanks to the developers, Bloober Team S.A., for creating such a masterpiece! Graphics 7/10 Control 8/10 Difficulty 5/10 Addictedness 6/10 Age Rate - +13 Play Without Friend - play it solo Is It Worth It - 100% yeah i love it
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Dec. 2024
After my second playthrough, it's always fun to let the subtle horror rain down on you. The changes in the environment or small moving things build up tension. There are also different endings to the game, excellent. I don't know why you need a game launcher now, I found it somehow unnecessary. But you can also turn it off, a Steam guide will help you here.
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Dec. 2024
I couldn't really come up with much to say about this game besides that I got it on sale for 2 bucks and that's about the right price anyone should pay for this. It's a psychological horror which isn't particularly scary, the gameplay is repetitive and boring, and the puzzles can be solved without thinking unless you want to explore the multiple endings (at least I think it has multiple endings judging by the cheevos). On the other hand, I liked the story and visuals. Honestly, the game is okay, don't expect a masterpiece though.
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Nov. 2024
The game is a 8/10 i would say. Visuals are cool. Story is cool, although you have to really pay attention but i guess it's not hard to understand that...SPOILER_START the protagonist suffers from schizophrenia, atleast that's my take on it. And boy oh boy i think they actually conveyed it extremely well of how it might be. SPOILER_END... The controls are fine i think. Now keep in mind this is a psychological horror game. You will not get any difficult puzzles here. It's really about the protagonists "story" that they want to display here and make you catch a glimpse of what it might feel like to be the protagonist. Most of the time you get the solutions thrown at your face, but there is one part in the game where i felt a bit confused. That's also where my controls went a bit funky. Not sure why. SPOILER_START Now i don't fully know what the game is called in english but it looks like chess, however it is only using flat circles as the stones. So maybe it's called "checkers" or so. Anyway, when there is that checkers board in the center of the room you will have to collect pieces of the boardgame which took me a bit to understand. And once you finished it you had to walk back to the table on which the boardgame was to progress. That's where i had the problems with a rotating camera and the sound not being played on both ears in stereo-fashion. SPOILER_END One improvement i suggest is making the player more aware of where to look. They used the enforced-camera-look but when some vital things were happening i scurried too fast through the door or looked somewhere else and completely missed the action. Now one thing i really didn't like is the sound design. It's not the sound itself but for some reason when i played this with my headset i could either hear directional sounds on the left or the right ear. Meaning, if i was in front of a door, or a drawer i would have to look a bit offset at it to get the sound played. And if i looked straight onto anything that has directional sound i would not get the sound at all. For example a piano, when it played an i looked straight at it, i couldn't hear it. If i turned the camera a bit to the left or right i was able to hear it but just on one ear. I suppose that's on unity. Or maybe my headset. Who knows. And another bug was that my camera just started rotating for no reason and i was unable to stop it. Maybe that was also on my side, but that can happen i guess. Apart from that i would say a solid game. But in my honest opinion i wouldn't have bought it for 20€. Maybe 10€. It was on sale when i bought it for 1,99€ and to be honest a game like this for 2€ is really awesome. More than you can ask for. For 20€ i would say, polish a few things. Especially the sound design. And maybe guiding the players camera more in rather vital moments.
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Oct. 2024
I've spend way too much time wandering around checking every little corner of the painter's mansion 'cause the game's ambience and design in details are just perfect. It'll port you in a beautiful place between unwarranted paranoia and justified fear. Layers of Fear isn't about spamming jumpscares. It's more kinda like..you'll turn around and some things in the room suddenly look different or changed places, portrait's eyes will follow your steps through corridors and some well placed noises will just scare the hell outta you. So, the first "chapters" will be a really relaxing and calming experience to you, but as soon as the story moves forward, you'll simply just get intensely paranoid and extreme cautious of every move you'll make. So keep on playing and don't quit too soon 'cause the game seems "boring" to you at first. -It'll hit you twice later. (:
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Frequently Asked Questions

Layers of Fear (2016) is currently priced at 19.99€ on Steam.

Layers of Fear (2016) is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 19.99€ on Steam.

Layers of Fear (2016) received 23,576 positive votes out of a total of 26,616 achieving a rating of 8.68.
😎

Layers of Fear (2016) was developed and published by Bloober Team SA.

Layers of Fear (2016) is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Layers of Fear (2016) is playable and fully supported on MacOS.

Layers of Fear (2016) is playable and fully supported on Linux.

Layers of Fear (2016) is a single-player game.

There are 2 DLCs available for Layers of Fear (2016). Explore additional content available for Layers of Fear (2016) on Steam.

Layers of Fear (2016) does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Layers of Fear (2016) supports Remote Play on Tablet. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

Layers of Fear (2016) is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Layers of Fear (2016).

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 03 June 2025 15:18
SteamSpy data 12 June 2025 11:23
Steam price 14 June 2025 20:47
Steam reviews 14 June 2025 00:04

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Layers of Fear (2016), we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Layers of Fear (2016)
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Layers of Fear (2016) concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Layers of Fear (2016) compatibility
Layers of Fear (2016) PEGI 16
19.99€
8.7
23,576
3,040
Game modes
Features
Online players
17
Developer
Bloober Team SA
Publisher
Bloober Team SA
Release 15 Feb 2016
Platforms
Remote Play
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