What is a nextbot game?

Where nextbots came from

NextBot started as plain tech, not a meme. It is the name of an AI system Valve built for its Source engine games, used for bots in Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2. It moves a character across a map along a navigation mesh. Garry's Mod lets modders build their own NextBot characters, so anyone could make a chaser.

On August 30, 2013, Steam users Xyxen and Nate Wingman posted an addon to the Steam Workshop: an invincible, badly drawn Sonic called Sanic that hunted players around any map. That is the earliest famous one, according to Know Your Meme. The format grew on YouTube in 2019 with maze videos packed with bots, and again in 2022, when creators ran nextbot chases through Backrooms maps on YouTube and TikTok.

Where nextbot games are played now

• Garry's Mod (Steam). The original home. Nextbots are Workshop addons: you load a map, spawn the bots and run. By June 2022 the Workshop had over 8,100 results for nextbot chases.
• Evade (Roblox). A Roblox experience by Hexagon Development Community, released in 2022 (sources give June or August). The chasers are meme PNGs, and some maps are inspired by the Backrooms and old Quake levels.
• nico's nextbots (Roblox). A Roblox experience by the nico's stu group, with 1nicopatty as head developer. Its own page describes it as a Garry's Mod inspired game where loud PNGs chase you. Guides were covering it by August 2022.
• itch.io and Android. itch.io lists free nextbot games under a nextbots tag, and Android app stores carry standalone nextbot chase games.

Why the cheapest monster works

A nextbot is one image, one sound and one speed value. That is why modders made so many of them. The sound does the scaring: it gets louder as the bot closes in, so you feel it before you see it. Then the face shows up, and it is a silly picture. Getting caught is a jump scare and a punchline at the same moment.

To make your own, you need a map with loops and corners that break line of sight, a picture, and a sound that rises with distance. Set the bot a little slower than a sprint, so movement skill decides who lives. On Roam, Hush Hour and TALLOW are solo horror games where something hunts you while you sneak.

Three nextbot ideas with your own chaser

• The Substitute. A flat cardboard cutout of a smiling substitute teacher glides through an empty school at night. Lockers hide you, but only for five seconds.
• Closing Time. A giant flat photo of a grinning carrot mascot named Mr. Crunch chases you down supermarket aisles. Grab ten items from the list before the doors lock.
• Hot Potato Bot. The bot only hunts whoever holds the rubber duck. Bump a friend to pass it, and whoever has it when the timer ends is out.

Questions people ask

What is a nextbot?

A flat 2D image that chases players around a map, usually with a loud sound. The name comes from NextBot, the AI movement system Valve built for its Source engine games.

What was the first nextbot?

The best-known early one is Sanic, a crude Sonic drawing posted to the Garry's Mod Workshop on August 30, 2013.

What Roblox games have nextbots?

Evade by Hexagon Development Community and nico's nextbots are two Roblox experiences built on the nextbot chase format.

Can you play nextbot games on a phone?

Yes. Evade and nico's nextbots run on Roblox, which has a mobile app, and Android stores list standalone nextbot chase games.