Analog horror Horror walking simulators Short horror Surreal horror

POOLS

Rate it

Endless tiled pools, still water and nobody else.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, iPhone, PlayStation, Switch, VR
Stores: Steam, GOG, itch.io
Price: Paid
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (95% of 6,780); Metacritic 77 (PC); App Store 4.5 of 5 (1.7K ratings); PlayStation Store 4.16 of 5 (3,684 ratings)
Length: about two hours; seven chapters of 10 to 30 minutes each
Players: 1
Controls: Walk, walk faster and swim with keyboard and mouse or a controller; VR on PC (Windows) and PS VR2.
Made by: Tensori
Released: 2024

On PlayStation: one of the PlayStation horror games.

No. 14 of the maze horror games · No. 7 of the liminal space horror games · No. 23 of the horror games about the dark · No. 10 of the VHS tape horror games · No. 4 of the swimming pool horror games

Visit the game's site Steam itch.io App Store PlayStation Store Nintendo eShop GOG

What frightens You wander white-tiled pool halls of dark still water, with no music and nobody else. There are no monsters and no way to die, but the echoing halls, flooded dark rooms, narrow passages and mazes that change as you go deeper press on fears of getting lost, of the dark and of tight spaces.
Content: claustrophobic spaces, darkness, deep water, falling into pits, mild fantasy violence (esrb).

POOLS is a short walking game through the Poolrooms of Backrooms legend, presented as found VHS footage. You explore white-tiled pool halls, water slides and flooded rooms with no interface, dialogue or monsters, only echoing sounds and still water, as the rooms grow stranger the deeper you go. A first play takes about two hours.

About POOLS

POOLS is made by Tensori, a small team in Jyväskylä, Finland, and published by Tensori with UNIKAT Label. It came out on PC through Steam in April 2024 and is also sold on GOG, itch.io and the Epic Games Store. A free VR update followed in May 2025 for Windows. The Mac and iPhone and iPad versions came in November 2025, the PlayStation 5 version with optional PlayStation VR2 support on 25 November 2025, and the Nintendo Switch version on 26 February 2026. The Switch release includes the free Chapter 0 expansion.

The makers describe it as more like an art gallery than a game. You walk, walk faster, swim and ride the water slides. There is no interface, no dialogue, no story, no notes and no background music: only the sound of your footsteps, the echo of each room and the water. The game is presented as found VHS footage split into chapters, and if you fall into a deep pit the tape rewinds. The places are pale tiled pool halls, narrow channels, red spiral slides, chequered rooms and flooded corridors full of swim rings, inspired by the Poolrooms of the Backrooms legend and the videos around them.

There are no monsters chasing you and nothing jumps at the screen, and the store page says so plainly. Reviewers still found it uneasy: GameGrin compared it to being a kid trapped in a swimming centre overnight, and Nintendo Life described an inexplicably and unsettlingly empty 1970s swimming complex. It plays on fears of getting lost, of the dark and of tight spaces, and the rooms change as you go deeper.

The base game launched with six chapters of ten to thirty minutes each; a free new chapter was added in April 2025. GameGrin finished it in about two hours. After a chapter you can go back to its areas from the main menu to look for secrets.

Players rate it highly on Steam, the App Store and the PlayStation Store, and it holds a Metacritic score of 77 on PC. It suits anyone drawn to the Backrooms and Poolrooms images, and players who want unease without jumpscares.

How to play POOLS

Walk through the pool halls at your own pace; there is no interface to read.
Listen: the echoes and water sounds change from room to room.
Find your way through the mazes and passages to the end of each chapter.
Wade or swim where you must; water slows you down, and slides carry you on.
If you fall into a deep pit, the tape rewinds and you carry on from before the fall.
Play in VR on Windows PC or on PlayStation VR2 if you have a headset.

Screenshots

POOLS screenshot: a vast tiled hall with railed pools, bright ceiling panels, arched glowing doorways and white plastic chairs

POOLS screenshot: a narrow tiled channel of water and a walkway lead between white columns to two lit arched doorways

POOLS screenshot: rippling water fills a tiled pool hall with a dark water slide and rows of glowing round windows

POOLS screenshot: a dark pool with black and white chequered tiles and a lone white chair under a skylight

POOLS screenshot: an almost dark flooded room where one bright doorway is reflected in black water

POOLS screenshot: a long flooded tiled corridor with lit windows, floating colourful swim rings and the end of a red slide in mist

POOLS screenshot: a red spiral water slide winds around a white column in a flooded tiled hall, pool ladder rails in front

Tips

Play with headphones and the lights off; reviewers suggest this, and sound carries the atmosphere.
If you feel lost, that is intended; keep exploring.
Take breaks between chapters; each is a self-contained video.
Revisit chapters from the main menu to look for secrets you missed.

Questions

Are there monsters in POOLS?

No. There are no monsters, no jumpscares and no way to die. The unease comes from the empty spaces, the dark and the narrow passages.

How long is POOLS?

About two hours for a first play. The base game launched with six chapters of ten to thirty minutes each, and a free seventh chapter was added in April 2025.

What platforms is POOLS on?

Windows, Mac and Linux (Steam, GOG, itch.io and the Epic Games Store), iPhone and iPad, PlayStation 5 with optional PlayStation VR2, and Nintendo Switch. The Steam version supports VR on Windows.

Is POOLS free on iPhone?

The App Store version is free to download with in-app purchases.

What are the Poolrooms?

A part of the Backrooms internet legend: endless tiled rooms of pools and water. POOLS is built on that idea.