Nextbots In Backrooms: Shooter

Review by eFreeware

The thing that stands out about Nextbots In Backrooms: Shooter is the premise itself: the creatures chasing you are internet meme characters, not generic monsters. Instead of a faceless horror antagonist, you are running from Shrek, Obunga, Skibidi Toilet, Gigachad and a long list of others, and you can play as them too. That mix of horror chase and meme humor is the identity of the game, and it is what separates it from a standard mobile shooter.

It is a free online first-person shooter from HOOKAH GAMES IT SERVICE L.L.C, released in March 2023 and rated Teen. The install numbers are substantial, over 10 million, with a 4.3 average from more than 91,000 ratings, which tells me this is a game with a real audience rather than a novelty that faded. The app is a fast-paced modern FPS against nextbots.

I would point this at players who already enjoy online shooters and want something looser than a military sim. If you like the idea of PvP gunfights where half the roster is made of memes, or you want a hide-and-seek horror round that you can laugh at rather than dread, this is built for that. It is not trying to be a serious tactical shooter, and I would not expect it to feel like one.

Memes as monsters, and why that works

Most horror-adjacent mobile shooters lean on atmosphere alone. This one leans on recognition. When the thing hunting you is a character you have seen in a hundred videos, the chase becomes funny as well as tense, and that tone carries through the whole game. Nextbots you can encounter include Alternative, Amogus, Armstrong, Avatar, Banban, Boys, Gigachad, Hasbik, Granny, Gru, Isaac, Rosalia Bizcochito, Jerma, Nerd, Melon Playground, People Playground, Nico's, Shukri, Wenomachainsama, Obunga, Gorebox, Quandale, Saul, The Rock, Selene Delgado, Shrek, Skibidi Bop, Skibidi Toilet, Sidorovich, Sanic and Wednesday.

That roster is the content strategy. Each character is a different flavor of threat, and the variety keeps matches from feeling identical. The developer also lets you take the other side: you can pick a granny skin, become a Skibidi Toilet, or chase People Playground yourself. Playing as the thing that normally hunts you is a neat inversion, and it gives the game a second layer beyond straightforward shooting.

The Backrooms setting supports this well. It is a space that already reads as eerie and endless, so it does not need much explanation. The developer describes it as a real arms war, which is a colorful way of saying the maps are built around confrontation. I like that the horror and the humor are not separated into different modes; they run through the same matches.

The four ways to play

The game organizes itself around four modes: You nextbot, DeathMatch, Chase Match and Survival Nextbot. That is a sensible spread. DeathMatch is the straightforward PvP option, Chase Match is the pursuit format, Survival Nextbot is the endurance round, and You Nextbot flips the role so you are the one doing the hunting. Between them, you get both sides of the predator-prey idea without needing separate apps.

Team Deathmatch adds a structured variant where a counter-terrorist team faces a memes team. It is kill or be killed, with players both fighting each other and running from nextbots in the Backrooms. That combination of player-versus-player combat and environmental threats is the most interesting part of the design to me, because it means you cannot fully focus on either one.

Chase Match and Survival Nextbot are where the hide-and-seek horror lives. The goal in the survival format is to stay hidden as long as possible before a nextbot finds you, which is a different skill set from aiming. I would expect players who are better at positioning and patience than at reflexes to gravitate toward these modes, while the DeathMatch crowd gets the more conventional firefight.

Weapons, maps and the grind

The app promises a large arsenal of realistic weapons, described as a gun for every taste. I would not read too much into the word realistic here; the point is variety, so that different playstyles have something to pick up. In a game where you might be shooting at players one moment and fleeing a nextbot the next, having options matters more than having a single perfectly tuned rifle.

Maps are unlockable, and the developer warns that someone could be waiting at every step. That is standard progression framing, and it gives matches a sense of place rather than a generic arena. Combined with the character roster, the map list is what keeps the game from running out of novelty quickly.

There is also a competitive layer. The developer invites players to climb local and regional leaderboards, which suggests ranking is part of the long-term appeal. Rewards come through gift boxes and treasure chests, so there is a loop beyond simply winning rounds. I would treat the leaderboard as the main long-term goal and the boxes as the smaller, more frequent reward.

Playing with other people

This is an online multiplayer game first. The emphasis falls on playing with friends and PvP shooting on a mobile device, and you can have fun with other players from around the world in the Square. That social framing matters, because the modes are designed around human opponents rather than a solo campaign.

The team structure in Team Deathmatch is the clearest example. Splitting players into a counter-terrorist side and a memes side gives matches a built-in rivalry, and it makes the game easy to pick up with a group. If you have people to play with, the experience is likely to be better than going in alone, simply because the modes assume coordination.

The global and regional leaderboards reinforce that competitive, communal feel. I would expect the most engaged players to be the ones who care about their ranking and about unlocking the full roster of maps and characters. The Square sounds like the social hub where that community side plays out.

Costs, ads and what to expect

The game is free to download, and it contains ads and offers in-app purchases. You are not paying up front, and there are purchase options inside the game.

The content rating is Teen, which is consistent with a shooter that has horror elements and meme characters. I would keep that in mind if you are choosing something for a younger player. The tone is comedic rather than grim, but it is still a game about being chased and shooting things.

The most recent update listed is bug fixes. That is a modest note, but it suggests the developer is still tending to the game rather than leaving it as-is. For a title that has been out since March 2023 and has accumulated a large player base, ongoing maintenance is a reasonable thing to want.

Who this fits

I would expect this to suit players who want an online FPS that does not take itself seriously. If you enjoy meme culture, horror chases and fast multiplayer rounds, the combination here is unusually specific and hard to find elsewhere. The fact that you can play as the monsters as well as run from them gives it a flexibility that a straight shooter would not have.

It also fits people who play in short sessions with friends. The modes are match-based, the premise is immediately understandable, and the social framing suggests it is built for groups. Players who like climbing leaderboards and unlocking content will find a reason to keep coming back beyond the novelty of the characters.

Where it stands out is in the free-to-play structure. The reward loop through boxes and chests implies a longer progression. This one suits players who accept a free game with gift boxes and treasure chests alongside the shooting. For everyone else, the price of entry is low and the content spread across four modes is broad.

A meme shooter with real staying power

Nextbots In Backrooms: Shooter is a free online FPS that turns internet meme characters into the things hunting you, and lets you hunt as them in return. Four modes, an unlockable map set, a large weapon selection and local and regional leaderboards give it more structure than the premise alone would suggest. The 4.3 average across more than 91,000 ratings points to a game that has held its audience since its March 2023 release.

I would recommend it to players who want fast multiplayer shooting with a comic-horror edge, especially if they have friends to squad up with. The leaderboard and reward loop are what give it long-term pull. If the idea of being chased through the Backrooms by Shrek or Obunga sounds fun rather than silly, this is exactly the game for that.

What's new in version 5.8.2

- bugs fixes.