Outlast Trials PS5 Release Date, Gameplay and Story
- Update (October 2026): The Outlast Trials left early access on March 5, 2024, launching on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S alongside PC, with full cross-play.
- The Outlast Trials is a first-person survival horror game from Red Barrels.
- It follows test subjects who are forced into a mysterious Cold War experiment run by the Murkoff Corporation.
Update (October 2026): The Outlast Trials left early access on March 5, 2024, launching on PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S alongside PC, with full cross-play. Red Barrels is still adding seasons in 2026, most recently Season 7: Project Boneyard in July and Season 7.1 in September.
The Outlast Trials is a first-person survival horror game from Red Barrels. It is a prequel to Outlast (2013) and Outlast 2 (2017).
It follows test subjects who are forced into a mysterious Cold War experiment run by the Murkoff Corporation.
When did The Outlast Trials come to PS5?
The game first arrived in early access, a paid pre-release version, on Windows PC on May 18, 2023. Consoles were planned for later.
At the time, Red Barrels said it was working to bring the game to as many platforms as possible, with cross-platform play, aiming for the full launch.
That plan held. Red Barrels announced the 1.0 date at The Game Awards 2023. On March 5, 2024, it confirmed that the game was out on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, fully cross-play with PC.
That means console and PC players can play together. The Standard Edition launched at $39.99 in the US. Another game with cross-play between PS5, Xbox and PC is Sea of Thieves, which came to PS5 but not PS4.
How do you survive a trial?
You can play alone or in a team of up to four players. Each trial asks you to complete objectives while avoiding enemies and traps.
As in earlier Outlast games, you are not built to win fights. Hiding and moving quietly are often the best ways to survive.
The story behind the trials
The story is set in 1959. Murkoff involuntarily recruits human test subjects and holds them in its Sinyala Facility.
There, they become “Reagents” in experiments on brainwashing and mind control.
What has been added since 1.0
The 1.0 update itself added a Toy Factory trial and adjusted difficulty for new and returning players. It also raised the Therapy Level cap, the game’s player level, to 65.
Since then, Red Barrels has kept the game on a seasonal schedule, posting patch notes and roadmaps on its news page. Major 2026 updates include:
- Season 6: Project Judas (March 24, 2026): A new Television Studio environment featuring the Kress Twins, a new MK-Challenge and a Scavenger limited-time event.
- Season 7: Project Boneyard (July 14, 2026): A Prison Farm environment, the return of Sergeant Leland Coyle, a new enemy called The Biter, and Rig and Knife customization.
- Season 7.1 (September 8, 2026): Two new MK-Challenges and a Chemical Leak event. Red Barrels also ended mod support with this update. It added in-game settings that players had used mods for, such as field of view and camera shake sliders.