Pools (video game)
A liminal horror walking simulator set in endless pools.
Pools is a 2024 horror walking simulator from Finnish developer Tensori, available on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux. It adapts the "Poolrooms" liminal space concept created by Jared Pike, a phenomenon that became widely known online from 2022 onward. The game takes place inside an enormous, maze-like pool complex.
The game is divided into seven chapters, each taking between 10 and 30 minutes to complete. It is presented in the style of found footage on a VHS tape. If the player dies—for instance, by falling into a deep hole—the tape rewinds to just before the incident. There is no narrative. Like other walking simulators, interaction is minimal: the player can walk, swim, or use water slides. No monsters or enemies attack the player, a fact the developers state clearly on the Steam page; the tension comes from the atmosphere and visual design instead. There are no puzzles, though the layout can be confusing. Small visual hints, such as puddles left after leaving a pool, act as breadcrumbs to help players avoid going in circles. Each chapter has a clear exit to progress.
Tensori is based in Jyväskylä, Finland. The game was inspired by liminal space imagery, especially Pike's "Poolrooms" branch, which includes his Dream Pools image series (2020–2024) and a short film referencing Kane Parsons's Backrooms. The developers also cite influence from artists Mortain Colors, Matt Studios, and Andrew Quist, whose game *Anemoiapolis* (2023) featured a water park level and was well-known in the liminal space community. *Pools* began as a free-time experimental project. A trailer debuted as an IGN exclusive on April 11, 2024. Before launch, Tensori head Antti Järvinen told PC Gamer that AAA development is often overcautious with new ideas, noting that *Pools* moves away from its swimming pool theme in later chapters. A free content update adding a new chapter arrived on April 21, 2025, followed by a free VR update on May 30. The App Store version launched November 6, 2025, the PlayStation 5 version (with PlayStation VR2 support) on November 24, 2025, and a Nintendo Switch port on February 26, 2026.
The game received positive reviews. Eurogamer called it "beautiful, and very doomy. It's like navigating a very strange burial chamber." Destructoid noted that even knowing there are no monsters, the player's imagination still plays tricks. Fandom Wire praised the environme
- developer
- Tensori
- release_year
- 2024
- genre
- Horror walking simulator
- platforms
- Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch
- inspired_by
- Jared Pike's 'The Poolrooms'
- notable_feature
- No monsters or antagonists
Lore & Background
Pools originated as an experimental game project developed in the team's free time. A trailer was published on Tensori's own YouTube channel and other outlets on April 11, 2024. Ahead of the launch, Tensori head Antti Järvinen was interviewed by PC Gamer and discussed an overcautiousness in AAA development when working with new concepts. He pointed out in contrast that Pools does diverge from the swimming pool theming in its later chapters. On April 21, 2025, a free content update was released adding a new chapter. This was followed by a free VR update on May 30. The App Store version was released on November 6, 2025, while the PlayStation 5 version was released on November 24, 2025, with support for PlayStation VR2. A port for the Nintendo Switch was released on February 26, 2026.
Reader's Guide
Pools is significant as a prominent example of the liminal space horror genre, directly adapting Jared Pike's 'The Poolrooms' imagery. Its reception highlighted the effectiveness of atmosphere over traditional jump scares, with critics noting its ability to evoke both unease and nostalgia. The game's deliberate lack of monsters or puzzles, combined with its VHS found-footage aesthetic and breadcrumb trail system, defined a minimalist approach to horror. The developers' transparency about the absence of threats on the Steam page was noted by Destructoid as a unique design choice that still allowed players' imaginations to create tension. The game's later VR update and multiplatform releases expanded its reach, while discussions about whether it qualifies as horror—given its subjective tone—underscored its boundary-pushing nature within the genre.
Did You Know?
- The game was inspired by Jared Pike's 'Dream Pools' series of images from 2020 to 2024.
- Should the player die, the VHS will rewind to a moment just beforehand.
- A free content update adding a new chapter was released on April 21, 2025.
- Kotaku journalist Willa Rowe, a former competitive swimmer, described a nostalgia for early morning swim practices that the game evoked.
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