Outlast, oh how I miss you. I vividly remember traversing the upstairs of Leadville’s local mental institution and screaming as that dead body dropped from the ceiling – you know the one. Red Barrels’ horror epic is one of my all-time favorites, so imagine my face when I realized that its 2023 multiplayer spinoff, The Outlast Trials, was going cheap on Steam, complete with a brand new update.
The Outlast Trials is a multiplayer take on Red Barrels’ classic horror game series, thrusting you and four other friends into the twisted talons of Murkoff once more.
Currently in early access on Steam, the game sits at 20% off right now, down to $23.99 / £19.99 from $29.99 / £24.99. As a result, it’s skyrocketed up the trending games chart, with Steam Charts recording a 392.5% player increase in the last 24 hours.
While the sale is likely the biggest contributor, it’s worth nothing that the game recently got a huge new update, too. Adding the new Courthouse trial to the pool – the fourth so far – highlights include two new storylines, and a new objective enemy called ‘The Scapegoat.’
“Utilize the Tracker to pinpoint the elusive Scapegoat, then employ the Microwave Trigger device to… well, let’s just say it’s not the most pleasant news for its brain,” Red Barrels writes, and while the squeamish part of me doesn’t want to know what happens next, the macabre side of me really, really does.
There are three new MK-Challenges: Drill the Futterman, Release The Prisoners, and Gather The Children of God, all of which sound gloriously gory. The latter, whose description reads “too much mother-love makes a weak child,” certainly has my attention.
But that’s not all – yes, really. There’s also the limited-time Halloween event, Program Geister, which introduces hallucinogens into your trails so that you can ‘see the unseen,’ as it were. As part of the event, player names are hidden for immersion purposes, enemies are on higher alert, and there are more imposters present. Oh, and you’re tripping out, of course – that feels important to mention.
You’ll earn Geister tokens by surviving these absolutely terrifying trials, which you’ll be able to spend on two different legendary outfits, as well as a range of different character and cell cosmetics – who says Murkoff isn’t good to you, huh? For all of the information, as well as a rundown of the various other updates, check out Red Barrels Steam blog.
The Outlast Trials Program Geister Halloween event runs from Friday, October 27 to Friday, November 17. If all of this has you intrigued, you can pick up the game on Steam for 20% until Thursday, November 2. All you need to do is click here – do it, I dare you.
If the first Outlast was enough for you, though, we have a list of less-frightening multiplayer games that you can dive into this Halloween instead. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more atmospheric, I suggest reading our Alan Wake 2 review – we do call it a “new horror game classic,” after all, and it arrives just in time for Halloween.