There are few horror franchises out which can match the sheer terrifying experience of playing Outlast. The games were a natural evolution from the formula established within Amnesia: The Dark Descent, creating an atmosphere of dread along with an experience devoid of weapons or combat. Your only tools are batteries for your camera which, with infrared turned on, acts as your flashlight; bandages to heal from wounds, and the environment in which you can hide and pray the enemy doesn’t find you. The games have a compelling, well-received plot, and with the upcoming release of The Outlast Trials, you may want to know the best way to experience these acclaimed horror games. Read on for our guide on How to Play the Outlast Games in Order!
How to Play the Outlast Games in Order
For the most part, Outlast has been going in a somewhat chronological progression, each new release building on the last. But with The Outlast Trials, the order is somewhat changed, so if you get into the series when the new title releases, here is how you should play the games:
Much of the original games’ plot takes place at the Mount Massive Asylum, with the case of Outlast 2 and the Outlast Trials, the greatest commonly-shared element is the Murkoff Corporation. The common elements and concepts shared between the games include experimentation such as Dream Therapy, Mind Control, and even the ethical debates surrounding Operation Paperclip and the sort of work brought over by German scientists after WWII. In all of the games, you can experience a thrilling plot, but if you take your time in each title, you’ll find tons of information to expand the lore of the series and discover more about Murkoff’s experiments and key characters.
The original game and its DLC track your investigation of Mount Massive in Colorado, where you learn of inhumane experiments conducted by Murkoff and intend to expose this, only to find yourself desperate to escape as the experiments have led to the asylum being overrun by its affected patients. The DLC, while starting in the events leading to the first game, eventually catches up with the ending moments before having an epilogue that takes place later on.
Outlast 2 goes away from Mount Massive, sending you to Arizona, but mind control and other aspects such as a host of insane enemies pursuing you, are still on full display. The game takes place later on chronologically but still shares essentially the same villain, albeit with an even more terrifying premise, better visuals, and more intense enemies. The Outlast Trials will serve as a prequel, the third main entry in the series, and chronicles Murkoff’s experiments during the Cold War. Not much else is known about how this will connect to the plot of any of the previous games. The Outlast Trials is chronologically the first story by a matter of decades, making it serve a similar role to Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.
This concludes our coverage on our recommendation for How to Play the Outlast Games in Order!
The Outlast Trials is currently set for a planned release date sometime in 2022, but you can play the previous Outlast games on PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
