Three Years On, The Outlast Trials Smashes Its Own Player Record

Three years after its Early Access debut, Red Barrels' co-op horror game The Outlast Trials is drawing bigger crowds than ever. The studio says the game has passed 120,000 concurrent players on Steam, a new high that dwarfs the 36,000 peak it reached when it first entered Early Access in 2023.

That jump is more than three times the old ceiling, and Red Barrels points to a few reasons for it. The first is price. The game is discounted to $4 during the Steam Autumn Sale, which ends on October 8. The second is geography. According to the studio, roughly half of the players behind the total are from China, where the game's popularity has been climbing. Timing also helps. The Outlast Trials is a natural fit for the Halloween season, even though it isn't one of the new horror releases arriving this month.

Red Barrels announced the milestone on its social media channels. The Outlast Trials reached version 1.0 in spring 2024. It can be played alone, but it's designed for teams of up to four. Since launch, the developers have kept the game fresh with seasonal updates that add new villains, abilities, maps, and events.

What comes next is the annual Geister event for Halloween, followed by Season 8 in December. That update will bring another major villain, which the game calls a Prime Asset, along with a new map and more events.

GameSpot has long been a fan. The game appears on our lists of the best horror multiplayer games and the best horror games overall. Our review found it can be as frightening as earlier Outlast titles. Playing in a larger group means giving up some of the scares, but the tension often gives way to nervous laughter as you and your allies dodge monsters in the dark.