Steam Week in Review: Steam is flooded with liminal spaces games and I approve, but I think I’ve found the best to start with
Steam is experiencing a surge in liminal space games, a trend the community is embracing. Liminal spaces—eerie, empty environments designed for passing through rather than lingering—are becoming increasingly popular on the platform, mirroring their widespread appeal across social media.
The article highlights Dreamcore as a standout title in this emerging genre. The game is a first-person exploration experience featuring a collection of unsettling yet nostalgic environments, including an eerie indoor pool labyrinth, endless low-poly suburban landscapes, barren children’s play areas, and a liminal hotel styled after the popular Backrooms meme.
Liminal spaces appeal to players through their distinctive aesthetic: they’re intentionally bleak and vacant environments that evoke a sense of displacement through familiar yet wrong contexts—places like hotel hallways, parking structures, and suburban developments that appear disturbingly empty. The Backrooms phenomenon, which originated as internet folklore, has become the most influential cultural manifestation of this concept and continues to drive game design on Steam.
The flood of liminal space games reflects broader gaming trends where niche aesthetic interests can drive commercial success on digital storefronts. As players seek novel experiences beyond traditional gameplay mechanics, atmospheric exploration games centered on unsettling environments have found a dedicated audience.