Scared by Squares launched earlier this year, bringing subtle liminal horror to Meta Quest and PC VR. The game is more about the eerie atmosphere than jump scares, and has earned itself a keen audience because of this. Now, Clique Games has added a new gameplay mode, in which Scared by Squares challenges you to ‘escape the grid’.
Scared by Squares Launch
Debuting as an Early Access game on the Meta Horizon Store, Scared by Squares arrived back in October 2025. The game has developed a strong audience by delivering a horror experience unlike what many expect from the genre. This is not a game about ghosts and ghouls. There’s no reliance on jump scares. Instead, Scared by Squares emits a deeply unsettling atmosphere, keeping you in constant anticipation of what might be coming next.
Escape the Grid
A new game mode, Escape the Grid, has arrived in Scared By Squares. This expands the core experience with an additional layer of unpredictability and challenge. The new mode introduces a randomised grid-based structure where every door leads to a different threat or obstacle. You must navigate shifting room layouts while avoiding deadly cubes, managing limited resources, and collecting anomalies scattered throughout the grid.
The objective is to survive long enough to escape before the entire run destabilises and collapses, placing constant pressure on decision-making and movement.
One room in every run becomes corrupted, blocking advancement until it is cleansed. To address this, the update introduces a new item called the ‘Shape Stabilizer’, which allows you to cleanse the corrupted room and restore access to the rest of the grid. Successfully using this tool is essential for completing a run, adding an extra strategic consideration to how players explore and prioritise rooms.
Future Challenges Coming to Scared by Squares
More updates for Scared By Squares are planned by Clique Games, aimed at increasing replayability and challenge. These updates will introduce room shuffling to dynamically alter layouts mid-run, along with a timer that adds time-based pressure to each attempt. You’ll also be able to collect anomalies that contribute to higher scores, encouraging riskier routes and more efficient play.
Alongside these systems, the developer plans to add new room types, expand the overall grid variety, and introduce multiplayer functionality, with further features to be revealed as development continues.
Have you faced the challenge of being Scared by Squares? Let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments below!
