Secret Neighbor

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Break into the Neighbor's basement with friends, but one of them is the Neighbor.

Platforms: iPhone, PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Switch
Stores: Steam
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (85% of 19,462 reviews); 4.0 of 5 from 22,495 ratings on the App Store; 4.02 of 5 from 12,296 ratings on PlayStation
Length: matches of about 15 minutes
Players: online multiplayer, 4 to 6 players
Made by: Hologryph and Eerie Guest Studios (published by tinyBuild)
Released: 2019

No. 17 of the home invasion horror games · No. 23 of the neighbor horror games

Visit the game's site App Store Steam Xbox PlayStation Store Nintendo eShop

What frightens Kids sneak into the creepy Neighbor's house at night to open his locked basement, but one of them is the Neighbor in disguise, waiting to reveal himself, set traps and drag them off one by one.
Content: mild cartoon violence (esrb teen, app store 9+), mild horror themes, online play with strangers, in-app purchases.

A multiplayer horror game set in the Hello Neighbor universe. Up to six players sneak around the Neighbor's house collecting keys to unlock the basement door, while one of them is secretly the Neighbor in disguise. The intruders have about 15 minutes to get into the basement and have to work out who to trust before he picks them off.

About Secret Neighbor

Secret Neighbor is a multiplayer spin-off of Hello Neighbor, developed by Hologryph and Eerie Guest Studios and published by tinyBuild. It came out on PC and Xbox in October 2019, on PlayStation 4 in April 2021, on iPhone in June 2021 and on Nintendo Switch in August 2021. On PC and consoles it is a paid game; on iPhone it is free with in-app purchases. It is played online and needs an internet connection.

Each match drops up to six players at the Neighbor's house. The intruders have 15 minutes to find the keys, which are scattered at random, open the locks on the basement door and rescue a friend inside. Each kid has their own class and abilities, and items like flashlights help. The catch is that one of the players is the Neighbor, disguised as one of the group.

The fear comes from suspicion as much as from the monster. The Neighbor can drop his disguise at any time, but first he can use it to win the group's trust, set traps and get rid of the intruders one by one. Neighbor classes add their own threats: the Ghost Neighbor can phase through walls and knock out the lights, and the Guest leaps, clings to walls and screams to make players drop their items. He can also try to convince the others that someone else is the Neighbor, and the witch hunt that follows is part of the game.

The look is cartoonish and the scares are light, so it suits groups of friends and younger teenagers who enjoy social deduction games with a horror chase. Custom servers let you play with friends, seasonal updates bring Halloween and snowy Christmas versions of the house, and on PC a level editor lets you build your own.

Players mostly like it: Steam reviews are Very Positive overall, though recent ones are Mixed. Universo Nintendo found it unbalanced and the maps repetitive, and thought the Switch version looked incomplete.

How to play Secret Neighbor

Join a match or create a custom server with friends.
As an intruder, search the house with the others for keys to the basement door locks.
Use your class's perks and abilities and pick up items such as flashlights.
Watch the other kids: one of them is the Neighbor in disguise.
As the Neighbor, blend in, set traps and catch the intruders one by one before they open the basement.

Screenshots

Secret Neighbor screenshot: the Neighbor in a scarecrow costume, with glowing eyes and clawed gloves, reaches out in a room decorated with cobwebs and a pumpkin

Secret Neighbor screenshot: the glowing blue Ghost Neighbor reaches over a frightened kid wearing a headlamp in a library

Secret Neighbor screenshot: the Neighbor bursts out of a wardrobe behind a pale girl wearing headphones

Secret Neighbor screenshot: the scarecrow-costumed Neighbor with glowing eyes stands on a porch between jack-o-lanterns at night

Secret Neighbor screenshot: in falling snow, the Neighbor in a chef costume waits at the foot of the stairs as kids with a snowball and a firefighter helmet look on

Secret Neighbor screenshot: kids in a snowy yard in front of the Neighbor's house lit by string lights

Tips

Stay in pairs: an intruder alone is the Neighbor's easiest target.
Notice who never seems to carry a key or who wanders off alone.
Keep your flashlight ready against the Ghost Neighbor; direct light stops his ghost form.
As the Neighbor, help a little before you strike so nobody suspects you.

Questions

Is Secret Neighbor free?

It is free on iPhone, with in-app purchases and an optional Secret Club membership. On PC, Xbox and PlayStation it costs $19.99 in the US.

Is Secret Neighbor on Android?

We found no official Google Play version; it is on iPhone, PC, Xbox, PlayStation and Switch.

How do you play Secret Neighbor?

Online, as one of a group of intruders who must collect keys to the basement door, or as the Neighbor hiding among them in disguise.

How many players does Secret Neighbor need?

A match is for up to six players online, one of them the Neighbor. The Xbox store lists 4 to 6 players. There is no offline or single-player mode.

How long is a match of Secret Neighbor?

The intruders have 15 minutes to unlock the basement, so a round takes about a quarter of an hour.

Is Secret Neighbor scary for kids?

The App Store rates it 9+ for mild horror and cartoon violence, ESRB rates it Teen for mild violence and players interacting, and USK rates it 12. It is more tense and funny than frightening.