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
Stores: Steam, Epic
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (92% of 120,983 reviews); OpenCritic top critic average 73 from 67 reviews; PlayStation Store 4.48 of 5 from 20K ratings
Length: open-ended, with repeated trials and challenges
Players: 1 to 4 online
Made by: Red Barrels
Released: 2024

No. 23 of the doll horror games · No. 9 of the amusement park horror games · No. 18 of the horror games about human experiments · No. 30 of the small town horror games · No. 6 of the police station horror games

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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, drug references, flashing lights.

The Outlast Trials is a first-person horror game from Red Barrels, the makers of Outlast. In 1959 you and up to three others are test subjects in a Murkoff brainwashing program, sent through staged trials where you hide from and flee violent enemies you cannot fight.

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 in 1959, 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 Sinyala 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. Along the way you can collect documents that prove Murkoff's malpractice.

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.

Critics were more mixed than players. IGN called it a bloody co-op horror game that burns brightly but fizzles after a few enjoyable hours, and Eurogamer found it frantically enjoyable but said it can tip over into frustration more than fear. HowLongToBeat puts the main story at about 13 hours, with far more for players who chase every challenge.

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: hooded Murkoff staff in goggles and white coats taking notes at Cold War-era consoles with reel-to-reel tapes

The Outlast Trials screenshot: in first person, an enemy in a police cap jabs a test subject with a sparking electric baton in a dim basement

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 into a wooden chair fitted with light bulbs as a test subject walks past in a bloodstained parking level

The Outlast Trials screenshot: a staged carnival with a ride entrance shaped like a demon's mouth, a ticket booth and striped ride cars

The Outlast Trials screenshot: a wooden hall with doll figures set in alcoves, an unsettling portrait and a bloodied cart

The Outlast Trials screenshot: a gym with bodies hung upside down from the ceiling while test subjects work a machine below

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.
Read the documents you find in the trials; they fill in what Murkoff is doing to you without spoiling the tasks.