I had the chance to talk about Hello Neighbor 3 with series creator Nikita Kolesnikov at Gamescom 2026, and he shared some interesting details about how it is a direct continuation of the first game, how they want to avoid early-access expectations, and more.
Hello Neighbor 3 is in its alpha build, which is not currently available for public testing. Kolesnikov revealed that this is the last version to be called Alpha; after that, they will probably name all subsequent versions after locations or books. The decision to do that is to avoid expectations about what should be available in something like a beta version.
Hello Neighbor 3 is the Series Creator’s Direct Continuation of the First Game
While talking to Nikita Kolesnikov, I asked him whether Hello Neighbor 3 returns to the series’ roots or represents the next evolution of the franchise. The creator first revealed that the franchise has grown beyond his control, and not like he wanted to control it, but the growth has come on its own, and he has been kind of one element in the whole picture.
Kolesnikov added that, from his perspective, he created the first game and helped consult on other mediums the franchise expanded to. However, Hello Neighbor 3 is “basically kind of my direct continuation of the first game”, said Kolsenikov. He explained that it isn’t exactly a direct continuation, but the first game and the third game are like the “most connected”.
The series creator explains that the essence of the game is similar, with the freedom of exploration; however, many factors differ in the new one. There are no fake elements in the game; whatever you see, you can find a way to reach, whether it’s a building, a roof, or anything you see, there’s always a way.
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The first game had an open-world-ish building that players could explore. In the third game, it’s a bit different: players are still sneaking around and doing similar stuff, but it’s all been wrapped into something like a roguelike game, according to Nikita Kolsenikov. The game offers a limited time frame, which is thirty minutes, and in the game it’s a day and a half, and everything is open; “there are no limits”.
However, the change comes with time, as players learn how things work, where items are placed, and where the shortcuts are, etc. Kolsenikov also provided an example, saying that you may have seen an amusement park at the top of a mountain, and it would take 5 hours to get there. Still, eventually players can learn different ways to get there, which can reduce travel time to just a minute.
Nikita Kolsenikov also discussed how Hello Neighbor 3 is a self-contained simulation in which the characters have daily goals to achieve, which is also why a lot of things go on without the player having to do anything. However, the player does get some control, as their actions can create a butterfly effect. So you could be doing one thing in the first session, and doing the same thing differently in the next session.
What are your thoughts on Hello Neighbor 3 being the most connected to the first game? Leave your thoughts down in the comments, and join the official Insider Gaming Discord server.
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