Game images by RAWG
The Outlast Trials
Red Barrels
About This Game
Super ReviewThe Outlast Trials delivers intense, cooperative survival horror set in a disturbing Cold War-era experiment. Players must work together strategically to navigate terrifying challenges, solve puzzles, and evade dangerous enemies. While it excels in fostering teamwork and problem-solving, its extremely violent and disturbing content, including realistic gore and psychological torment, is a significant watchout for parents. Best suited for very mature players, with clear family rules essential.
Super Review
Parent verdict
With a "Decent" health score of 43, The Outlast Trials is a highly specialized experience best reserved for mature players who actively seek out extreme psychological and survival horror. Its core strength lies in encouraging strategic teamwork to overcome dire threats, but this comes at the cost of incredibly intense and disturbing content, including graphic violence and mature themes. Families considering this game must prioritize the player's emotional maturity and ability to process highly stressful situations, and set strict boundaries around online interactions.
What players actually do
- Players sneak through oppressive environments, using stealth and distractions to avoid terrifying, near-invincible enemies. This requires careful observation and strategic timing.
- Players work together to complete objectives, such as fixing machinery or retrieving items, often under duress, promoting communication and cooperative problem-solving.
- Players manage a limited inventory of items like health, tools, and stun devices, deciding when and how to use them effectively to survive encounters and progress.
Where it shines
- The game strongly encourages teamwork and communication, as players must coordinate their actions and support each other to survive the challenging trials and overwhelming enemies.
- Successfully navigating the game's complex levels and solving puzzles under pressure demands strategic thinking and adaptability, providing a mentally engaging experience for players.
Parent watch-outs
- The game features extremely intense horror themes, graphic violence, disturbing imagery, and psychological torment that can be very stressful and anxiety-inducing.
- Open communication features in online multiplayer expose players to interactions with strangers, which can include negative experiences or exposure to inappropriate content from other players.
- Content includes nudity and graphic sexual themes, alongside the violence, which is explicitly detailed in developer warnings and user discussions.
Family rules worth setting
- Discuss and agree on strict communication rules, such as playing only with known friends and disabling voice chat with strangers, to mitigate social risks.
- Establish clear time limits for play sessions, especially given the game's high intensity, to prevent excessive stress or immersion in disturbing themes.
Talk about this
- How do the disturbing themes and violence in the game make you feel, and how do you process such intense content?
- How important is teamwork in this game, and what makes a good teammate when facing difficult challenges together?
Play style
This is a first-person survival horror experience primarily designed for cooperative online play with up to four players, though solo play is an option. Sessions involve navigating missions (Trials and MK-Challenges) lasting roughly 10-30 minutes, where players must complete objectives while evading or stunning powerful enemies. The difficulty increases through programs like Genesis, X, and Ultra, requiring strategic upgrades and amplified abilities. Players can expect high tension and frequent jump scares, needing careful coordination in teams.
Score Breakdown
Positive Aspects
Risk Factors
Why this rating
Educational Value
0/5The Outlast Trials offers no discernible academic or direct educational benefits. Its focus is purely on entertainment through a horror survival experience, therefore it receives a score of 0.
Addictive Monetization
0/5The game is a premium title with cosmetic-only in-game purchases and optional catalogs that do not expire. There are no predatory mechanics designed to encourage excessive spending or engagement, resulting in a score of 0.
Content Intensity
5/5The game contains extremely intense horror themes, frightening situations, realistic violence, and disturbing imagery, including graphic sexual content and torture. These elements are central to the experience and can be highly stressful, warranting the maximum score of 5.
Social Risk
3/5While encouraging co-op, the game's open communication features and matchmaking system can expose players to negative interactions with strangers, including toxicity. This potential for harmful social exposure contributes to a moderate social risk score of 3.
Pro-Social
3/5The Outlast Trials strongly emphasizes teamwork and cooperation to survive its challenges, requiring players to communicate and work together strategically. This fosters positive pro-social behaviors within the game's core loop, earning it a score of 3.
Negatives
- •Extremely intense horror themes and frightening situations.
- •Realistic violence and disturbing imagery.
- •Can be very stressful and anxiety-inducing.
- •Open communication features could expose players to negative interactions.
Positives
- •Encourages teamwork and cooperation with friends.
- •Requires strategic thinking and problem-solving to survive.
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Official Ratings
No official ratings available.
Age Fit
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