Psychological horror Survival horror Stealth horror Sci-fi and space horror

SOMA

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A failing station on the Atlantic sea floor where the machines think they are people.

Platforms: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch
Stores: Steam, GOG
Price: Paid
Rated: Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam (96% of 53,340 reviews); Metacritic 84 on PC; OpenCritic 83; 4.53 of 5 on PlayStation Store (26,786 ratings)
Length: about 9 hours for the main story
Players: 1
Made by: Frictional Games
Released: 2015

No. 3 of the ocean horror games · No. 5 of the robot horror games · No. 3 of the artificial intelligence horror games

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What frightens PATHOS-II, an underwater facility on the Atlantic sea floor, has gone silent: its machines believe they are people, and corrupted humans, twisted creatures and insane robots move through the halls. You cannot fight them, only outsmart them or run; the deeper dread comes from what the station raises about identity, consciousness and existence.
Content: violence, blood, gore, corpses, non-sexual nudity, suicide references, strong language, jumpscares.

From the makers of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, SOMA puts you in PATHOS-II, a failing research facility at the bottom of the Atlantic. With no weapon, you explore the station, read its terminals and documents, hide from the things that hunt it and face questions about identity and consciousness that turn the horror inward.

About SOMA

SOMA is a first-person science-fiction horror game from Frictional Games, the studio behind Amnesia: The Dark Descent, released in September 2015. It is set in PATHOS-II, an underwater facility below the waves of the Atlantic that has suffered a long isolation. The radio is dead, food is running out, and the machines have started to think they are people.

The station is falling apart, and black growths spread through its rooms. Corrupted humans, twisted creatures, insane robots and an omnipresent A.I. share its halls. As in Amnesia, you cannot fight back. You explore, delve through locked terminals and secret documents to learn what happened, solve puzzles to move on, and when something is hunting you, you stay out of sight or run. Some sections take you outside, walking along the dark sea floor between buildings.

The monsters frighten, but the game is known for its slower horror. Its makers describe it as horror that raises questions about identity, consciousness and existence itself, and the people still left on the station put tough decisions in front of you. GameSpot and Destructoid both scored it 9 out of 10, and IGN 8.1.

It suits players who want a thoughtful science-fiction horror story more than a stream of chases. A Safe Mode, added in 2017 with the Xbox One release, keeps the creatures in the station but stops them attacking you, so you can follow the story without dying. It is on Windows, Mac and Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox, and since July 2025 Nintendo Switch.

How to play SOMA

Explore the station in first person, opening doors, drawers and machines by hand.
Read terminals, notes and documents to learn what happened on PATHOS-II.
Solve the puzzles that block your way through the station.
When a creature is near, stay out of its sight and move away quietly; run only if it has seen you.
Choose Safe Mode at the start if you want the creatures to leave you alone.

Screenshots

SOMA screenshot: rusted mechanical arms and claws overgrown with kelp and barnacles on the dark sea floor, with a small robot showing a red light

SOMA screenshot: a wrecked, smoky station corridor lit orange, with a body slumped on the floor and machines in the gloom

SOMA screenshot: a kelp-lined path across the sea floor leading toward the lit buildings of the station in murky blue water

SOMA screenshot: a dim room of Carthage Industries crates where a figure is wired into a machine of black growth with glowing blue nodes

SOMA screenshot: dark underwater ruins with a drifting light drone, fish and a diver-suited figure slumped against a wall

SOMA screenshot: a round airlock chamber with a mechanical arm, hanging kelp and a keypad under an Upsilon sign

Tips

Creatures may sound and act more threatening once they spot you; use that as a warning to get away.
Listen for the creatures before you see them, and wait in cover until they pass.
Play Safe Mode if you want the story without dying; all the puzzles and events stay in.
Read every note and terminal: the story is in the details.

Questions

Can you fight in SOMA?

No. There is no fighting back: you outsmart the creatures or run from them.

How long is SOMA?

About 9 hours for the main story, and a little over 11 hours if you look for the extras, going by player times on HowLongToBeat.

Is there a mode without monsters?

Yes, Safe Mode. The creatures are still there, but they will not attack you and you cannot die; they may still sound and act threatening if they spot you. All puzzles and events remain. It came with the Xbox One release in 2017 and was added to the Steam and GOG versions at the same time.

Is SOMA on Switch?

Yes. A Nintendo Switch version made with Abylight Studios came out on 24 July 2025 and also runs on Switch 2. It joins the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox releases.