Summary
The Outlast Trialsis a survival horror game and the sequel to one of the most beloved series in the genre. And even ifThe Outlast Trialsis thefirst game in the series to feature multiplayer as a core feature, it’s certainly not the first time the genre has been turned in this direction. Titles likePhasmophobiaandDead by Daylightmade it clear years ago that co-op and horror could work together just fine.
When talking about games likeThe Outlast Trials, players could refer to two things. It could mean games like theOutlastseries, which includesThe Outlast Trials, even if the latter is a multiplayer game. Alternatively, some players could be looking for multiplayer survival horror titles in the vein ofThe Outlast Trials, where players cooperate tosolve puzzles and survivean avalanche of terrifying enemies.
Dead by Daylightis a popularmultiplayer survival horror game, just likeThe Outlast Trials. The main difference is thatDead by Daylightis a competitive online survival horror, putting one player in the role of the monster, charged with hunting the four survivors until they escape or until the monster wins.
Dead by Daylightmight be a great choice for a group of players who have finishedThe Outlast Trialsand want something competitive, or even just a replayable multiplayer horror game.Dead by Daylighthas been around since 2016, and through the years, it has accrued quite a lot of unique content for new players to experience.
Phasmophobiais a straightforwardEarly Access horror gamewith plenty of customizable options and up to four players co-op. Players take the role of ghost hunters and paranormal investigators, collecting evidence of supernatural activity and interacting with one of twenty types of ghosts.
Unlike many other entries in the genre,Phasmophobiaisn’t quite as tacky as its premise implies. This isn’t a riff onGhostbustersthat takes itself way too seriously. It is, instead, a game about greedy paranormal investigators biting more than they can chew and dealing with the consequences, complete with ten different locations.
3Outlive
An Indie Title Inspired By Outlast
Outliveis a recent indie game openly inspired by theOutlastseries. In fact, the title earns its place among the likes ofAmnesiaandPenumbrain the genre that fans affectionately call “run and hide,” where players are completely locked out of combat and have to flee from every enemy they encounter. It’s also a single-player game, making it ideal for players who enjoy playingThe Outlast Trialssolo.
Noticeable influences aside,Outliveis a fairly standard first-person survival horror game and hardly what fans of the genre would recommend to a newcomer. Still, those who have already gone through the genre’s staples should think about givingOutlivea chance.
Alien: Isolationis a survival horror game set in the world of theAlienseries, though it is predominantly inspired by the original 1979 movie and less by the series’ previous video games. Much like in theOutlastfranchise, players have no hope of defeating their primary enemy, the Xenomorph. They can only slow it down or avoid it altogether.
Alien: Isolationis just as timeless on the technical side. Put simply, thisdoes not look like a ten-year-old game. The attention to detail, from the bulky machines that litter the world to the way everything sounds, is what makes this the kind of game revisiting every now and again.
Outlastis the original game in theseries, the now-trilogy concluded byThe Outlast Trials. Unlike the latest installment in the series, the first two games do not feature any multiplayer. Still, the roots of what would becomeThe Outlast Trialsare already visible in the original: first-person exploration, puzzles, and near-invincible enemies.
If anything, enemies in the originalOutlastare even less vulnerable, as the protagonist can’t even use a consumable item to stun their assailant for a few seconds. If this can begin to cause frustration by the timeOutlast 2rolls around, the original game manages to use the absence of combat to its advantage.
WhileSOMAis certainly a horror game, calling it survival horror might begin to stretch the definition of the genre. It certainly isn’t as focused on escaping from monsters as the developers’ previous title,Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The same is true when comparing the game toThe Outlast Trials.
WhatSOMAloses in thrills and scares (and the lack of multiplayer options), itcompletely makes up with its story. In fact, the story is so important toSOMA’s identity that soon after its release, an alternative mode was added to the game, removing the roaming monsters and most other scares.
Devouris a co-op survival horror game for up to four players and centers around an evil ritual gone wrong. It’s up to the players, as the only surviving members of a cult taken over by a demonic curse, to stop the ritual and free their possessed companions.Devourmarkets itself as a challenging game, and it’s best approached together with a team of friends.
InDevour, thegameplay loop is fundamentally always the same: exploring the map, finding key items, avoiding monsters, and performing rituals. The game keeps things fresh by giving every item randomized locations and tracking progress across different games through a level system.
8Demonologist
A Next-Gen Rival To Phasmophobia
Demonologistis a feature-rich co-op horror game for one to four players about exorcizing randomly generated spirits from a handful of maps. The game will be familiar to those who have played other entries in the genre, but that doesn’t meanDemonologistdoesn’t have some unique twists of its own.
For one,Demonologistlooks great. That certainly isn’t an achievement when compared to the classicPhasmophobia, but this brand-new Unreal Engine 5 game wouldn’t look out of place in an engine show-off reel. Then there’s the fact that players actually exorcise the ghosts instead of pillaging the house and hoping to survive their supernatural attacks, makingDemonologista great choice for a unique co-op supernatural horror game.
More than any other game in the already derivative genre of co-op horror survival,Pacifylooks and feels like an unlicensedGhostbustersgame. From theslightly comedic toneto the “Paranormal Activity Helpers Inc.” uniforms every player will wear,Pacifymakes its inspirations clear from the start.
Pacifyfeatures four unique missions that can be completed or completely ruined, each with its own haunt, which will require most groups a few hours to complete. Then there’s the competitive multiplayer mode, where each player takes the role of a company intern trying to do the most work and become a full-time ghostbuster.
Escape the Backroomsis an Early Access co-op horror game for up to four players set in that vague collection of environments that are the Backrooms. But just describing this game as a backroom game might not do it justice:Escape the Backroomsfeatures a large and constantly growing set of original levels, multiple mysterious entities to run from, and an actual story.
Even if it can be played in co-op with up to four players,Escape the Backroomsworks just as well as a single-player title, even though it’s based on exploration. As a plus, the regular version of the game comes with an experimental VR mode. Though one can certainly play the game in virtual reality, the developers are quick to point out that VR is still an experimental feature.
