5 Masterpiece Dark Anime to Watch Like Backrooms, Ranked

Since the original Backrooms clips went viral on YouTube, fans have found the concept of being trapped in an otherworldly space quite fascinating. It provides an atmospheric horror experience that can feel quite unsettling. However, in case you weren’t aware, even before the Backrooms became a thing, several anime already existed that nailed this exact feeling. Each of them is a masterpiece in its own right.

Of course, they aren’t exactly similar, but fans of the latest Backrooms live-action movie would definitely find the 5 anime mentioned below to their liking. We have even ranked them based on how closely they provide a Backrooms-like dark horror atmosphere. So, let’s check them all out.

5 The Tatami Galaxy Provides a Sense of Being Trapped in a Dreamlike Space

Although The Tatami Galaxy is primarily a time-travel-focused anime, its repeating timelines create a trapped, dreamlike atmosphere similar to the Backrooms. The psychological strain would be equal in both. The story in The Tatami Galaxy also beautifully builds upon this. Therefore, it deserves a spot in the top 5 Backrooms-like anime.

How to Watch: Buy Blu-ray

4 ID: INVADED Turns the Human Mind Into a Virtual World With No Rules

When it comes to capturing the very atmosphere of the Backrooms, ID: INVADED does a pretty great job, even though it is majorly a psychological crime thriller anime. What brings it close to the Backrooms is the anime’s premise. Here, the protagonist can enter the human mind of a killer using special equipment, allowing him to track them down. However, this very space within the human mind has no rules and mirrors the Backrooms’ eerie isolation. That’s why we have ranked it 4th on the list.

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

3 GANTZ Sends You to an Unfamiliar Place Where Survival Means Fighting

Gantz does not have a similar setting to the Backrooms. In fact, it is more action-focused. However, right at the beginning of the anime, when the protagonist and others wake up in an empty Tokyo apartment with a large, mysterious black sphere, it gives off an almost identical feeling to the Backrooms. So, it easily secures 3rd place here. Also, similar to how there are terrifying entities in the Backrooms, here the characters have to track down and eliminate bizarre aliens living secretly among humans.

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

2 Girls’ Last Tour Offers an Unsettling Journey Through an Endless World

In terms of visual similarity to the way the Backrooms appear in YouTube clips and the movie, we would say Girls’ Last Tour comes closest. The plot itself provides enough reason why they feel so alike. While the Backrooms are basically like an abandoned, endless apartment, in Girls’ Last Tour, the group of protagonists wanders through an enormous, abandoned civilization filled with empty buildings, endless corridors, elevators, and tunnels. This is why it deserves the 2nd spot on the list.

Where to Watch: N/A

1 Sonny Boy Throws Its Cast Into Disconnected Worlds With Unfamiliar Rules

The main premise of the Backrooms is basically people slipping through the boundaries of reality, right? In that respect, Sonny Boy has the most similar setting to the Backrooms. The protagonist in the anime, along with a group of school friends, constantly find themselves in environments that feel detached from reality. These disconnected worlds do not even follow the same laws of physics as our Earth, and the whole goal is to find a way to get out of this space. That’s why it deserves the top spot.

Where to Watch: Crunchyroll

Well then, have you decided which one you would like to watch first?