When it arrived back in 2014, Outlast felt raw and nasty, a horror game with a distinctive aesthetic and a fantastic gimmick. The game doesn’t make you, but armed with a handheld camera, you feel responsible for documenting the terrors of Mount Massive – as well as staying alive, there’s this implicit pressure to capture every monstrous twist. Though it’s extremely different in terms of structure, The Outlast Trials, which even after 53,000 player reviews boasts a ‘very positive’ rating on Steam, is true to the original’s visual style. Now, just over a year since its 1.0 launch, the new Outlast Trials update makes it a more tempting proposition.
Playing solo or with up to three pals, The Outlast Trials subjects you to a series of challenge rooms, puzzles, and grotesque experiments. Sometimes, it feels almost like a survival game, as you and your comrades are forced to use instinct and stealth to stay away from developer Red Barrels’ lovingly designed murderers and monstrosities.
This is when it really shines, the sequences where you’re thrown into an arena, all the lights go out, and you have to scrabble around using your faltering, fading night vision goggles to find a key and stay out of sight. There are influences here from Amnesia, Alien Isolation, and even Dead By Daylight. It’s like the biggest horror games of the past 15 years combined into one.
And now it’s even bigger. The new Outlast Trials update introduces two additional challenge games, two limited-time events, two extra, tertiary tasks, and a range of quality-of-life improvements and minor tweaks. In the first new challenge, the sinister Murkoff Corporation tasks you with stalking a…rather unseemly gentleman, listening in on his conversations to deduce his sexual predilections, and then renditioning his would-be liaison. It’s called Kidnap The Mistress. Deduce what you can from the name.
In Stash the Contraband, Murkoff wants to see your sneaky side. Find the narcotics, hide them somewhere secure, and you’ll be released. Meanwhile, the limited-time events bring you closer to Amelia, the elusive, former Reagent who has beguiled Murkoff ever since escaping the Trials herself. You can also complete anniversary tasks (The Outlast Trials hit 1.0 back in March 2024) to earn some exclusive outfits, props, and player icons.
The new Outlast Trials update is out now. If you want to give it a shot, just head here.
Otherwise, try some of the other best multiplayer games, or maybe the best zombie games that are available on PC.
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