Little Nightmares III: Ghost Locations & Interactive Tracking Guide

Ghosts are the collectible exclusive to the final chapter of Little Nightmares III — 6 spectral apparitions of children scattered through Chapter 4: The Institute, appearing nowhere else in the Spiral.

Finding all 6 unlocks the Institutionalized trophy. Every Ghost location is recorded on MapMaster's hand-drawn Institute map — an original map built from scratch and found nowhere else — with prerequisites and approach notes noted in each checklist entry on the Little Nightmares III interactive maps.

What Ghosts Are in Little Nightmares III

Ghosts are translucent white apparitions of children crouching, sitting, or kneeling in various corners of The Institute.

They're difficult to spot — their pale, semi-transparent appearance blends into the chapter's clinical white and grey environments, and several are positioned in darker recesses that don't draw the eye naturally.

The lantern is the most reliable tool for revealing a Ghost in a poorly lit area: shine it toward a suspected location, and the Ghost's outline becomes visible before you reach it.

They can also sometimes be heard before they're seen — a faint ambient sound near a Ghost's location is a useful proximity signal.

Chapter exclusivity is a consistent design choice across Little Nightmares III: Crows are found only in Chapter 1: Necropolis, Lady Statues only in Chapter 3: Carnevale, and Ghosts only here in The Institute. Dolls are the only collectible found in every chapter.

How to Collect a Ghost

Walk toward the Ghost and enter its proximity — it evaporates in a brief animation, and the collection registers at the moment it disappears. No button press is needed. No weapon or ability is required.

The interaction is purely positional: reach the Ghost's location, and it counts.

Two of the six require actions before they appear.

• Ghost #3 only materialises on the table in its room after the gong outside has been struck — the gong's location is cross-linked from the checklist entry. Without striking it first, the room is empty.
• Ghost #6 is behind a locked door that only opens with a key found on a suitcase in the previous room — and that room is only accessible after collecting Doll #5 in The Institute.

The chain is: find Doll #5 → collect the key from the suitcase in the same room → cross the wooden plank → use the key on the locked door to the left → find Ghost #6 inside.

This is the most structured collectible sequence in the chapter and the one most commonly missed by players who exit the Doll room without checking the suitcase. The Key Item location is marked separately and cross-linked in the Ghost #6 checklist entry.

Two Ghosts With Prerequisites

Ghost #3 — the gong prerequisite is easy to miss because the gong is positioned outside the building, while the Ghost appears inside. Players who pass the gong without interacting with it and then enter the room will find it empty. The gong's location on the hand-drawn map is cross-linked directly from Ghost #3's checklist entry.

Ghost #6 — the most sequenced Ghost in the guide. Finding Doll #5 first is the access trigger; collecting the key from the suitcase is the door unlock; and the Ghost is inside the room to the left after crossing the wooden plank. All three elements — Doll #5, the key, and Ghost #6 — are separately documented on the Institute map and cross-linked from each other's entries.

All 6 Ghost Locations in Little Nightmares III

• Ghost #1 is found at the very start of Chapter 4 on the beach next to the stairs — before entering the building.
• Ghost #2 is between a dumpster and a garbage can in the outdoor area.
• Ghost #3 requires the gong strike (see above).
• Ghost #4 is in the corner of the staircase room, before climbing the stairs.
• Ghost #5 is on a bench in the corridor area.
• Ghost #6 is behind the locked door accessible after Doll #5 and the key sequence.

All 6 are tracked in the checklist below with their exact locations noted on Chapter 4: The Institute.