Co-op and multiplayer horror Survival horror Stealth horror

The Outlast Trials

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Survive Murkoff's Cold War experiments alone or with up to three friends.

Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (92% of 114,602 reviews)
Length: open-ended, with repeated trials and challenges
Players: 1 to 4 online
Made by: Red Barrels
Released: 2024

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What frightens You are a Cold War test subject in a Murkoff facility, sent through staged trials full of brutal, deranged enemies who hunt you through dark rooms. You cannot fight them off; you hide, sneak and run while completing disturbing tasks, and the game shows torture, gore and violence up close.
Content: gore, intense violence, torture, nudity, sexual content, strong language, flashing lights, online play required.

The Outlast Trials is a first-person horror game from the makers of Outlast in which you and up to three others are test subjects in a Cold War brainwashing program. You complete twisted trials while hiding from and fleeing the facility's killers.

About The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is a horror game by Red Barrels, the Montreal studio behind Outlast. It came out in early access on PC in 2023 and in full in March 2024, on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S. It is set during the Cold War: you are one of many people taken against their will by the Murkoff Corporation to test new methods of brainwashing and mind control.

You live in a cell in Murkoff's facility, which you can decorate, and go out into Trials: long, story-driven scenarios in staged sets such as a mock town with its own police station, each with a list of tasks Murkoff wants carried out. Shorter MK-Challenges remix parts of those maps. Finish the program and Murkoff promises to release you back into society.

The tasks are cruel, and the places are patrolled by deranged enemies who hunt you by sight and sound. As in the earlier Outlast games, you cannot fight your way out. You keep to the shadows, find places to hide, and run. Over time you earn tools such as ones that stun or blind enemies, let you see through walls or heal you and those near you, and you pick upgrades and perks that suit how you play.

It can be played alone or in a group of up to four online, and co-op is never forced, but teams can split tasks and rescue each other. The game is very violent, with torture, gore and sexual content, and it is aimed at adults. It suits players who like stealth and being chased, and groups who want horror they can laugh and scream through together.

How to play The Outlast Trials

Create your test subject and pick a tool to take into the trials.
From your cell, start a Trial or MK-Challenge, alone or with up to three other players.
Follow Murkoff's task list through the map, sneaking past enemies and hiding when they hunt you.
Use your tool to stun, blind or slow pursuers, then break line of sight and hide.
Complete every task and reach the exit to finish, then spend what you earned on upgrades and perks.

Screenshots

The Outlast Trials screenshot: Murkoff staff in gas masks and lab coats taking notes at Cold War-era control consoles

The Outlast Trials screenshot: a test subject in first person shines a light while a teammate grapples with an enemy in a dark storeroom

The Outlast Trials screenshot: a staged town street at night with a burning car, a police station facade and a cut-out family billboard

The Outlast Trials screenshot: a hooded, bloodied man strapped to a wooden chair while test subjects move around him in a bloodstained room

Tips

Move slowly near enemies and stay out of their sight.
Note hiding places as you pass them; one close by is worth more than a long sprint.
In a group, split objectives but stay close enough to revive and heal each other.
Pick a tool that suits your team; one healer and one stunner work well together.