The studio made the announcement through a post on X (formerly Twitter), where it thanked the game’s console fans for waiting patiently for the game’s release. The Outlast Trials is currently available for pre-order on both consoles’ digital storefronts.

Originally released as an Early Access title on PC, The Outlast Trials has seen quite a few updates, ranging from additional content to limited time seasonal content celebrating different festivals and holidays. The final release date for the game was announced back in December alongside its PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S versions.

The Outlast Trials saw a fair bit of success through Steam Early Access, having sold over 500,000 copies in its first week. For more details of the game’s Early Access launch, check out our review.

#TheOutlastTrials is Gold! Join us at the Sinyala Facility on March 5th and see if you can survive the Trials alone or in a group of up to 4 players.

Thank you to all our console players for their patience and to our Early Access Reagents for their time and feedback as we worked… pic.twitter.com/PACHrxWrc1

— Red Barrels (@TheRedBarrels) February 12, 2024

Outlast became something of a streaming hit when the game first came out. The jump scare heavy title was a favorite of gaming streamers at a time when the format was still fresh. Since then they’ve had a major DLC expansion and a sequel, each exploring different sides of the world. Now, they’re taking a step back, way back, to the Cold War era for their next time.

The Outlast Trials was just announced via developer Red Barrels official Twitter along with a new concept art that shows three people with night vision goggles in distress. It reveals the new setting for the game, as well as says that you or a partner can now brave the terrors you’ll face. The games up to this point had focused on a sole protagonist against unbeatable foes in hide and seek based gameplay, so it’ll be interesting to see how the co-op aspect is handled.

No time frame or platforms are given for when to expect The Outlast Trials, though presumably it at least will come for most of the modern consoles. We’ll learn more as time goes on, and we’ll keep you updated.

https://twitter.com/TheRedBarrels/status/1202226475883040769

The Xbox One has been subject to much debate and controversy regarding its inability to output 1080p resolution. Even in less taxing games like Trials Fusion, the Xbox One version was running at 900p. The eSRAM has been long touted as the reason behind the lack of 1080p games, however Microsoft seems to be working hard to resolve this issue.

The June SDK update allowed games like Destiny to run at 1080p on the Xbox One and games like Sunset Overdrive will push for better effects, instead of a higher resolution using the latest update. Having said that, the Xbox One version of Outlast still managed to run at 1080p without using the SDK update.

So how did they managed to do it without using the SDK update? “It is true that the eSRAM is pretty small for 1080p, you never seemed to have enough of it,” explains Philippe Morin who is the founder of Red Barrel Games. “But since Unreal Engine 3 is a good old forward renderer, we did not need as much as some of the other games using deferred shading,” he said to GamingBolt.

Philippe also confirmed that the game runs at 1080p and 60fps on the Xbox One. However, “there might be a few frame drops occasionally.”

But is it gimped in anyway compared to the PS4 version? “No, it isn’t. Actually, because of the additional time development, we were able to fix additional bugs and do further optimization,” explains Philippe.

It has to be added that Outlast is not a taxing game and most mid-level gaming PCs can easily max it out. Outlast also ran at 1080p/60fps on the PS4, so it seems they have achieved parity between the two systems.

Outlast is now available for the Xbox One along with the Whistleblower DLC.

Microsoft has this clause in its ID@Xbox where indie developers need to launch the Xbox version of their games first or together with other SKUs. But Red Barrels studios, the developers of the hit survival horror game Outlast have managed to launch it on Xbox One despite the game being already available on the PlayStation 4.

So how were they able to bring Outlast to Xbox One, given the game is already on the PlayStation 4 and wouldn’t this be a violation of ID@Xbox policy?

“We didn’t do anything special. We applied to the ID@Xbox program and we got approved,” Philippe Morin who is the founder of Red Barrels studios explained to GamingBolt. “We’re very happy to be on the Xbox One. Our goal has always been to bring Outlast to a maximum [number] of gamers, but we didn’t have the resources to ship on all platforms at once.”

Philippe also revealed to GamingBolt that they were not able to utilize the June SDK update for Outlast. “No, the June XDK update came out while we were at the very end of development, so we did not upgrade. The system is still getting its 10% reservation.”

This indicates they were also not able to use the 10% GPU reservation for games that do not use Kinect.

Outlast is now available for the Xbox One.

Rashid Sayed: First of all, congratulations on a great PC launch. Were you guys surprised by the reaction you received from the fans and press alike?

Philippe Morin: Positive feedback from players is the best reward a game developer can get. We’re in business to create emotions and watching [all those reactions] on YouTube and all those playthroughs and the faces of scared players has been a lot of fun for us. It’s been a long road to get the project off the ground, but it’s finally paying off and it was all worth it.

"We added a new difficulty level called “Insane”. If you choose this level, you’ll have very low health, very little batteries, no checkpoints and no saves. It’s do or die. Survive until the end or start all over again."

Rashid Sayed: Was there anything you hesitated to include in the final game? Or was the necrophilia segment where you finally decided to draw the line?

Philippe Morin: We had a lot of heated debates internally. We wanted to create emotions, but we did not wanted to go overboard. At the end of the day, there’s only one way to find the limit and that’s by testing it. We have a lot more ideas, but we’ll try them progressively.

Rashid Sayed: I personally enjoyed the ending but what are your thoughts on criticism towards it? Did you think it was sort of fitting given the circumstances that Miles would die that way, especially given all the trauma he went through?

Philippe Morin: The ending did create a strong emotional reaction, which we found fascinating. After all, it is a classic ending for horror movies. That being said, you’ll have to play the [Whistleblower] DLC to find out more. =)

Rashid Sayed: In our last interview with you guys, you confirmed that the PS4 version will have ‘special’ features. Can you please let us know what they are?

Philippe Morin: The fact the PS4 allows players to record and share fit really well with our narrative. Also, we added  a new difficulty level called “Insane”. If you choose this level, you’ll have very low health, very little batteries, no checkpoints and no saves. It’s do or die. Survive until the end or start all over again.

"[PS4'S RAM] allowed us to crank everything to the maximum, without having to consider lower specs. It also helped for streaming issues."

Rashid Sayed: Will the PS4 version run at 1080p and 60 fps?

Philippe Morin: Yes.

Rashid Sayed: The PS4 features of 8GB of GDDR5 RAM which is more than the average memory found in gaming PCs. How has this helped in porting Outlast to the PS4?

Philippe Morin: It allowed us to crank everything to the maximum, without having to consider lower specs. It also helped for streaming issues.

Rashid Sayed: How easy was it to import the game’s engine to the PS4?

Philippe Morin: We had access to the code of Zombie Studios [developer of Blacklight Retribution] and we built on top of it. The whole process has been fairly easy.

Rashid Sayed: The single core speed of the PS4 is slower than a high end PC. Did this result into CPU thread management issues? If yes, can you please describe how did you guys overcame this issue?

Philippe Morin: We didn’t run into any issues. We’re using all the cores and the [amount of] RAM also helps.

"The biggest advantage of consoles is the stability of the hardware. You can make your game without having to worry about compatibility."

Rashid Sayed: In my opinion, Outlast looks outstanding on the PC. Having said that, did porting from PC to PS4 result into any compromises in the visual quality?

Philippe Morin: As far as we’re concerned, both versions look the same.

Rashid Sayed: Are you guys using the DualShock 4 touch pad to enhance gameplay mechanics?

Philippe Morin: Players can use it to zoom in & out when using the camcorder. The D-Pad can also be used to zoom.

Rashid Sayed: As someone who is primarily from PC games development background, what are your thoughts on the PS4 GPU and CPU? Do you think it will become obsolete in the next few years, especially given the advancements in PC gaming technology?

Philippe Morin: The biggest advantage of consoles is the stability of the hardware. You can make your game without having to worry about compatibility. You can focus your development strategy knowing exactly what iss under the hood. So, I think consoles will be around for a little while.

Rashid Sayed: Last time around you had no plans to bring the game on the Xbox One. Have you changed this stance especially after the id@Xbox policy?

Philippe Morin: Can’t confirm anything at this point, but our goal is to reach the maximum of players.

"We want to make a high quality DLC, but we’re just 11 people, so it takes time."

Rashid Sayed: What can you tell us about the upcoming Whistleblower DLC? Will it launch any time after the PS4 version hits and will it be able for both PC and PS4 at launch?

Philippe Morin: We’re really happy with what we’ve built so far. We’ll soon record all the dialogues. We want to make a high quality DLC, but we’re just 11 people, so it takes time.

Rashid Sayed: Judging by how Outlast concluded, you guys have surely opened up a slight opening for a sequel. Do you think Outlast 2 will happen given the positive response you received? Or are you guys going to focus on a new IP?

Philippe Morin: Ask me again after we’ve shipped the DLC, but we’d love to work on Outlast 2. =)

Red Barrels’ Outlast is one such game the combines the concept of night vision and camera recording to create one unique horror experience. In order to learn more about this exciting game, we got in touch with Philippe Morin, co-founder of Red Barrels and asked him several questions regarding the gameplay mechanics, indie development and how the game will manage to scare you.

Read on for the full interview.

Ravi Sinha: Outlast reminds us a lot of films like Grave Encounters and The Ward – did any particular horror flick or property play a part in influencing the game?

Philippe Morin: The night vision concept came from a video clip sent to us by Hugo, one of the co-founders. From then on, we drew inspiration from a lot of sources. Movies like Shutter Island, Session 9, The Shining, The Thing, REC, Cloverfield. Games we enjoyed like Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Call of Cthulhu, Half-Life, Mirror’s Edge, Condemned, Silent Hill and Resident Evil.

Ravi Sinha: Is there any combat in Outlast, or is the majority of your effort spent avoiding enemies? Also, is there anything to be done once you’re caught, or is it an immediate game over?

Philippe Morin: There is no combat. It’s basically a stealth game with an horror setting. You must avoid confrontation by avoiding, hiding or running away from enemies. They will inflict damage and eventually kill you if you don’t hide and lose them.

Ravi Sinha: What can you tell us about the camera that the protagonist uses apart from what we’ve seen?

Philippe Morin: Using the camcorder is up to the player. It can be used for the night vision mode only or you can also have it up all the time to record your exploration. Recording specific scenes will give the player additional information about what’s going on at the Mount Massive Asylum. So, it’s really up to the player to decide how much investigation he or she wants to do.

"Sony was the one to reach out to us. They were very proactive. They sent us a dev kit and invited us to E3."

Ravi Sinha: Will Outlast have multiplayer? If so, how will it work?

Philippe Morin: No multiplayer! We love playing single-player games and we love making single-player games. As long as there’s an audience for such games, it’ll be our focus.

Ravi Sinha: Sony has been driving to get more and more indie developers on board with the PlayStation 4. Is that the reason for the game only coming to the PS4 and not Xbox One?

Philippe Morin: Sony was the one to reach out to us. They were very proactive. They sent us a dev kit and invited us to E3.

Ravi Sinha:  What features of the PlayStation 4 will Outlast take advantage of? Perhaps the DualShock 4’s touchscreen or Cloud computing? Will it be markedly different from the PC version in terms of visuals?

Philippe Morin: The PS4 version of Outlast will come out early 2014, so we will focus on it after we launch on PC this summer. The PS4 has exciting features, but at this point we can’t commit for sure about anything specific.

Ravi Sinha:  As someone who is developing on both the PC as well as the PS4, what is your take on the extra RAM on the PS4? Are you guys utilizing it to the max?

Philippe Morin: Development on the PS4 is still early, but I’m sure we’ll be taking advantage of the RAM available.

"Our development background is made of single-player action adventure games like Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted."

Ravi Sinha: Several other games like Dying Light, Daylight, Amnesia: A Machine of Pigs and others are looking to stake their claim in the first-person horror adventure genre. What does Outlast provide that is unique to other titles?

Philippe Morin: What we’re trying to achieve is to put our own spin on the genre. Our development background is made of single-player action adventure games like Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Assassin’s Creed and Uncharted. So we’re basically letting our own experience shape what the game will become. It’s like when you’re jamming with other musicians, you may start off with the same chords from another song, but the song won’t sound the same.

Ravi Sinha:  What are your thoughts on the current direction of horror gaming in general? It must be a harder niche to fulfill, especially since horror games are becoming more action oriented these days (Dead Space 3 and Resident Evil 6 come to mind).

Philippe Morin: Those games are becoming more action-oriented because big studios are looking for ways to expand the audience of those games. We’re a small team (10 people) and we don’t need to sell millions of copies to be profitable and have enough money to make a second game. So, we’re simply focused on making a game we’d like to play as gamers and of course we hope enough people will dig it.

Ravi Sinha: What are your thoughts on next generation consoles, and the influence they will have on both indie games and AAA titles going forward?

Philippe Morin: What we’ve seen in recent years is a democratization of the market. There is a wider variety of games. A mobile game can be as successful as a big blockbuster. The movie industry has been like this for a long time, think about The Blair Witch Project, but new platforms and the rise of the downloadable games has transformed the industry. I don’t feel like consoles are the center of the gaming industry anymore. They don’t have has much influence as they used to. Certainly more powerful hardware will help make spectacular games and online stores will help indie games reach the console market, but I doubt the next generation of consoles will create a revolution. And it’s not necessarily a problem. Books have been around for a long time and people are still writing them and reading them.

New gaming experiences will come, but it won’t necessarily result in the death of old and/or current games. The same way some people still have a blast playing Pac-Man. That’s why we simply focus on what we like to play and don’t pay to much attention to trends and fashion.

A big thank you to Stephanie Palermo from Triple Point PR for setting this interview up.

In a yet to be published interview with GamingBolt, Red Barrels’ co-founder Philippe Morin has shared his thoughts on next generation consoles, and the influence they will have on both indie games and AAA titles going forward.

He believes that due to democratization of the gaming industry and the rise of mobile gaming have made sure that consoles are no longer the center of the gaming industry.

“What we’ve seen in recent years is a democratization of the market.  There is a wider variety of games.  A mobile game can be as successful as a big blockbuster.  The movie industry has been like this for a long time, think about The Blair Witch Project, but new platforms and the rise of the downloadable games has transformed the industry.

I don’t feel like consoles are the center of the gaming industry anymore.  They don’t have has much influence as they used to.  Certainly more powerful hardware will help make spectacular games and online stores will help indie games reach the console market, but I doubt the next generation of consoles will create a revolution.  And it’s not necessarily a problem.  Books have been around for a long time and people are still writing them and reading them,” he said.

He also believes that the current trends in video games will continue to exist but new gaming experiences will be created in the way.

“New gaming experiences will come, but it won’t necessarily result in the death of old and/or current games.  The same way some people still have a blast playing Pac-Man.  That’s why we simply focus on what we like to play and don’t pay to much attention to trends and fashion,” he added.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

We recently interviewed  Philippe Morin, co-founder of Red Barrels, the development team behind the upcoming survival horror game Outlast. We asked several questions about the PS4 version of Outlast to Philippe and he assured us that it will have ‘exciting’ features.

Outlast is coming to PC later this year and in 2014 for the PlayStation 4. Given the fact that Sony have been really pushing for indies on their next generation console, we asked why the game is not coming on the Xbox One.

‘Sony was the one to reach out to us.  They were very proactive.  They sent us a dev kit and invited us to E3,” said Philippe.

We also asked him whether they are using cloud computing and the DualShock 4 features for the PS4 version. Philippe did not revealed any specific details about it but it will surely have features that gamers can look forward to.

“The PS4 version of Outlast will come out early 2014, so we will focus on it after we launch on PC this summer.  The PS4 has exciting features, but at this point we can’t commit for sure about anything specific,” he said.

One of the strongest parts of the PS4 is its super fast 8GB of GDDR5 RAM and Outlast developers will surely be taking advantage of the same.

“Development on the PS4 is still early, but I’m sure we’ll be taking advantage of the RAM available,” he added.

Are you looking forward to Outlast? Let us know in the comments section below. For our complete coverage of the game, please click here.

Red Barrels Games- a new individual development team formed by people who’ve worked on the likes of Uncharted, Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia- recently revealed their upcoming survival horror game, Outlast. They revealed a trailer, and an extended version of that trailer. But surprisingly, we have little info on the game, since those two videos didn’t show  any gameplay. However, that’s changed somewhat now.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Red Barrels’ co-founder Philippe Morin talked about the game, saying that “Our main goal is to scare the shit out of players.”

“You can’t do rebounds and running and stuff like that, but we wanted wanted the character to be able to interact with the world and use those abilities while they’re running away from the enemies to make those chases as exciting as possible,” Morin said. “It doesn’t feel like you’re just a floating camera in the world.”

“You’re going to have to explore and figure out what you need to do and in what order you need to do it, and while you’re doing that there’s going to be enemies doing their own stuff,” he continued, explaining that while the game would be linear, certain “puzzle hubs” in the game would be open areas. “They mostly become obstacles between you and your objective.”

He went on to say that the game wouldn’t have a lot of focus on weapons of any kind, so that the fear inside of the players could be alleviated. “We’re still exploring the possibility of having weapons here and there,” he said, “but it’s going to be very minimal and definitely not part of the core experience… If players feel empowered then the stress – the fear – is not as high. Our main goal is to scare the shit out of players.”

“If you do die and respawn, things will not happen the same way,” Morin explained, in order to keep players on edge and the game unpredictable. “We’re trying to think in advance ‘What if a player does this?’ ‘What if a player does that?'”

Outlast releases next year for the PC and Mac. Stay tuned for more information.

Playing as a journalist investigating unknown experiments in an abandoned asylum, you’ll find yourself having to out-maneuver and out-think ruthless and intelligent mutants at every turn. The camera, with it’s night-vision, only accentuates the horror aspect. Look out for it on PC in early 2013.