Key Highlights:
- Nightbell free on itch.io and is available for a limited time until 12 July.
- The atmospheric horror game can be claimed permanently with a free itch.io account.
- Steam users can also grab the game at a 50% discount for a limited period.
Nightbell is free on itch.io and once again available for PC players, giving horror fans another chance to add the indie title to their library at no cost before the offer ends on 12 July.
The giveaway comes directly from developer TrueGames rather than Steam or the Epic Games Store. Anyone with a free itch.io account can claim the game permanently during the promotion, provided they have around 4 GB of available storage on their PC.
Normally priced at around $4 USD on Steam, Nightbell is a short atmospheric horror experience that focuses on exploration and psychological tension. Players take control of a child who experiences unsettling events on Christmas Eve, while a bedtime story told by his mother gradually intertwines with the night’s increasingly disturbing events.
Like many horror walking simulators, gameplay revolves around exploring a seemingly ordinary house, solving simple environmental puzzles and uncovering new areas as strange occurrences become more frequent. Although the premise is familiar, the game has earned Mostly Positive user reviews on Steam, suggesting it has struck a chord with horror fans despite its brief runtime.
The free promotion originally launched during June, but TrueGames has now extended it until 12 July, giving players extra time to claim the game before it returns to its regular price.
Those who prefer buying games through Steam can also pick it up at a discount. Nightbell is currently 50% off, reducing its price to £1.69 / $1.99 USD until 9 July.
I played Nightbell and completed the whole game in just over 30 minutes. It succeeds because it doesn’t rely on constant jump scares. The slow build-up creates genuine tension before the second half delivers several effective moments that caught me off guard. As someone who’s a self-confessed wimp when it comes to horror games, I still found myself enjoying the experience despite spending much of it nervously exploring every room and trying to work out what was real.
The entire adventure can be completed in around 28 minutes, making it an easy game to finish in a single sitting. While its ending leaves room for interpretation, the eerie atmosphere and gradual sense of unease are likely to appeal to players who enjoy psychological horror more than action-focused scares.
If you’ve been looking for a short horror game to play this weekend, then grab Nightbell free on itch.io as it is worth claiming while the promotion remains available, even if you don’t plan to play it straight away.