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Watch trailer on Steam ↗Liminalcore
Shadow Owl Studios, Ashen Studios · Published by Shadow Owl Studios, Ashen Studios · Official site ↗
Very Positive — 84% positive (761 reviews) · 15 achievements
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Explore and admire while navigate through eerie, surreal environments inspired by the Backrooms lore. Explore this uncanny world lost in time and get lost in the otherworldly architecture in a world where reality bends and your sanity is tested.
£6.69
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Price history
Adventure, Indie · 2024 · More £5 - £15 games
Discover the uncanny beauty of Liminalcore as you explore ever-changing, surreal landscapes inspired by Backrooms lore. Navigate through time-warping architecture that challenges your sense of reality and sanity.
About this game
Descend into the Depths of the Unknown
A man gasps for air as he surfaces from water—only to find himself trapped in a room of white tiles and endless pools. This is Level 37, the Poolrooms, a place where the familiar dissolves into the unknown.
In this surreal journey, you will explore spaces that exist between worlds—hauntingly empty, disturbingly quiet, and yet strangely familiar. As you traverse these liminal spaces, fragments of a life long gone begin to surface: objects from a forgotten past, memories of a home now lost, and moments that echo through the corridors of time.
But this is no ordinary journey. It is the final journey—the descent of a soul lost to water, drowning in both regret and uncertainty. The further you explore, the deeper you’ll plunge into the uncanny, until finally, you reach the ultimate destination: Hell itself.
Can you maintain your sanity and escape the surreal nightmare?
Mechanics
Minimal Entities, Maximum Atmosphere
The focus of the game is not on battling monsters, but on immersing yourself in the eerie, liminal environments. Entities are rare—what you must confront is the unsettling emptiness, the echoes of your past, and the strangeness of these in-between worlds.VHS Filter Toggle
For an added layer of surreal horror, players can toggle the VHS filter on or off, transforming the game's visuals into a distorted, analog nightmare reminiscent of old found-footage tapes.Exploration-Focused Gameplay
You will be piecing together fragments of the protagonist’s life and death, all while navigating eerie, transcendent spaces that blur the line between reality and nightmare.
A Journey Through Liminal Spaces
The game will take you through four haunting locations, each one more surreal than the last. These spaces are not just backdrops but represent stages of the protagonist’s life, memory, and descent into madness.
Level 37 (Poolrooms)
The journey begins here, in a place of endless, reflective water. Pools stretch infinitely, white tiles gleam under harsh lighting, and the sound of distant water echoes throughout.Faded Memories
An in-between space that serves as a bridge between different levels, filled with fragmented memories of a life once lived. Here, you’ll encounter glimpses of a home, an old neighborhood, and other key locations from the protagonist's past.The Infinite Stairs
An endless descent into the dark. The further down you go, the heavier the air becomes, and the more claustrophobic the space feels. Each step takes you deeper into the unknown.Hell
The final destination, where twisted visions of the past collide with the horrors of the afterlife. Dark, fleshy walls pulsate, the air is thick with despair, and shadows seem to watch your every move.
Inspiration
This game is heavily inspired by Jared Pike’s Poolrooms, a vision of liminal spaces that blend reality and nightmare with disorienting tranquility. We've also drawn influence from the Backrooms mythos, particularly the eerie depictions from creators like Kane Pixels and The Librarian, whose work with liminal spaces and unnerving voids shaped the atmosphere of the game.
"The familiar becomes unfamiliar, and the deeper you go, the more you lose yourself."
In this game, there are no clear enemies. There is only you and the places you once knew—now twisted, empty, and eternal. Each step forward is another step down, into the depths of the unknown.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX-1070 or Equivalent
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 4 GB available space
Recommended
- OS: Windows 11
- Processor: Intel Core i5
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX-2080 or Equivalent
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 4 GB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
Patch NotesOfficial
New Update Released – Chapter Unlock Option & Cloud Saving!
Hey everyone, We've been closely listening to the player feedback, and we noticed that many returning players had to replay Chapter 3 in order to access Chapter 5. We understand how frustrating it can be to replay the whole chapter again just to unlock new content, especially for those who have already completed it. So we decided to introduce :🔓New: Unlock All Chapters OptionTo make things smoother for our longtime players, we've added a new "Unlock All Chapters" feature. If you've already played the game before but don't want to replay everything just to unlock new content, you can now instantly unlock every chapter and continue right where you want.☁️ Cloud Saving Is Now LiveWe've also implemented Steam Cloud Saving so your progress stay safe and synced across multiple devices.🛠️ Small Fixes & ImprovementsAlong with these major updates, this patch includes several small fixes and optimizations to improve performance and stability.Thank you everyone for your patience and continued support. We apologize for the inconvenience we have caused. We're reading everything and actively working to make the game better with each update!Stay tuned for more updates soon! Love from Team Ashen Studios & Shadow Owl StudiosRead full article on Community Announcements (Ashen Studios)AnnouncementsOfficial
📢 Chapter 5 – Now Live!
We’re thrilled to announce that Chapter 5 of Liminalcore is finally live!This new chapter expands the story even deeper introducing new environments, and unsettling encounters⚠️ Important NoteChapter 5 is unlocked after Chapter 3, so you’ll need to start from Chapter 3 to access it. Make sure your progress is up to date before diving in!🙏 A Word from the TeamWe sincerely apologize for the delay in releasing this update. The extra time was spent making sure Chapter 5 delivers the atmosphere, tension, and performance the experience deserves.🧩 What’s NextWe’re actively working on adding more content, fixing bugs, and improving performance across all chapters. Your feedback continues to help us shape Liminalcore into the best version it can be.Thank you all for your patience and continued support — it truly means the world to our small team. Step back into the mist, and we’ll see you inside the Core.— Ashen Studios & Shadow Owl Team 🌒Read full article on Community Announcements (Ashen Studios)Patch NotesOfficial
Blurry Textures Patch
Hey Liminalcore Fans,We have rolled out an update to temporarily fix the blurry textures, while we look into the root cause of it. We are planning to introduce a slider to adjust texture memory so they can adjust texture pooling according to their specifications. For now, we are rolling out this temporary fix so you guys can enjoy without breaking immersion by blurry textures. Cheers!- Team Liminal CoreRead full article on Community Announcements (Ashen Studios)Patch NotesOfficial
Hotfixes for Chapter 3 Expansion!
Thank you for the bug reports, we have fixed some game breaking bugs. Patch Notes Fix Getting Stuck in Slide. Fix some meshes were not loading in. Fix sometimes you would fall through the floor. We are actively looking into the bug reports and trying to fix them. Your feedback is much appreciated. Cheers!Read full article on Community Announcements (Ashen Studios)AnnouncementsOfficial
📢 Chapter 3 Expansion – Now Live!
We’re excited to announce that the Chapter 3 Expansion is here! If you already have a Chapter 3 save, you will need to start Chapter 3 again from the main menu to access the expanded content. 🎮 This update brings new eerie spaces, mechanics, and optimizations to make your experience even smoother and more immersive. 🌌 📝 Patch Notes📖 Chapter 3 ExpansionMajor new content added to Chapter 3. 🔦Explore extended areas, uncover unsettling details, and discover the new Tunnel Slide mechanic. 🌀If you loved Chapter 3 before, you’ll find much more to experience now. 👣⚙️ New Options & ImprovementsLumen Quality Option – Adjust lumen quality for better performance across systems. 💡Performance Increase & Optimization – Fine-tuned rendering and Lumen Quality Settings for smoother gameplay. 🚀Movement Speed Option – Players can now adjust walking speed to fit their preferred pace. 🏃♂️🔧 New Interactions & FixesSwings are now interactable – a small but uncanny touch. 🎠Fixed bugs across multiple chapters for improved stability. 🐞✔️🙏 Thank you for all the support and feedback, it helps us push Liminalcore further with each update. Dive back into the dreamlike spaces and let us know what you think of the expansion! 🌙Read full article on Community Announcements (Ashen Studios)
