The Outlast Trials

The Outlast Trials is a cooperative survival horror game developed

by Red Barrels, the Montreal studio behind Outlast and Outlast

2. It entered early access on Steam in May 2023,

then received its full release on March 5, 2024, worldwide.

The game expands the series through a Cold War psychological

horror premise rather than continuing as a conventional sequel story.

Its setting is Murkoff Corporation’s secret Sinyala Facility in Washington.

During the Cold War, Murkoff abducts people called Reagents there.

The corporation subjects these captives to an experiment named the

Murkoff Method, designed to create obedient, psychologically conditioned agents there.

Players begin as Reagents whose identities, histories, and appearances vary

can be customized before they enter Murkoff’s hostile testing programs.

They are not armed superheroes; survival depends on stealth, movement,

item management, teamwork, and choosing when to hide or flee.

Trials are structured assignments with objectives, pursuing enemies, traps, environmental

hazards, and a final escape from the testing area.

The launch lineup included police-station, amusement-park, and orphanage environments programs.

These programs are represented by Police Station, Fun Park, and

Orphanage. Each program uses a principal antagonist with a distinctive

identity and behavior, including Sergeant Coyle, Mother Gooseberry, and Franco

“Il Bambino” Barbi. Their patrol patterns and attack methods force

players to learn each environment instead of treating encounters identically.

Murkoff also offers Examinations, more demanding versions of selected trials,

while weekday therapy sessions provide the narrative framework for progression.

Between assignments, Reagents occupy the Sleep Room, a communal hub

where they can buy upgrades, practice mechanics, and interact with others.

Progression includes prescriptions that alter abilities, rigs offering reusable support

tools, and amps that modify a player’s selected advantages.

The game’s story is delivered through documents, dialogue, environmental details

and therapy milestones rather than through a traditional linear campaign.

Its central lore connects the experiments to Murkoff’s wider history,

including the corporation’s manipulation of patients and exploitation of trauma.

Returning figures deepen that connection; Outlast protagonist Waylon Park appears

in the Trials’ broader narrative as a Murkoff whistleblower.

The game also features seasonal content, including the limited-time

event “The Courthouse,” added during its post-launch development period.

Red Barrels has continued expanding the game with new trials,

rigs, enemies, cosmetics, and story material after the 2024 release.

Unlike the earlier single-player Outlast games, The Outlast Trials

explicitly supports cooperative play for up to four participants simultaneously.