How to play the Outlast games in order

The Outlast franchise is known for delivering a deeper horror than mere jump scares, and it has grown over the years with its story of Murkoff Corporation and the depravity science can bring. With multiple titles spanning decades of story, figuring out where to jump in canonically can be a bit of a headache.

The Outlast Trials (2023)

Taking place during the Cold War, The Outlast Trials brings up to four players together in an attempt to survive unspeakable horrors in various locations. Players are more than welcome to attempt solo clears, but everything is better with friends. It’s understood that this title shows Murkoff Corporation in its infancy, but that doesn’t mean the scares are smaller.

Whether you’re secretly terrified of carnivals, dentists, or something speakable, The Outlast Trials brings more than enough fear for you and three close friends.

Related: When is the release date for The Outlast Trials? Answered

Outlast (2013)

This is the first Outlast title created by developer Red Barrels, but canonically it comes after The Outlast Trials. Investigative journalist Miles Upshur goes to track down rumors regarding Mount Massive Asylum. With a mere video camera to pierce through the oppressive darkness, players explore the insane asylum (and the horrors inside) to uncover precisely what occurred there.

While it’s the first Outlast title from Red Barrels, this title allows the developer to flex its horror muscle: rarely does a scare miss, the tension is suffocating, and the gameplay loop is rewarding throughout until its final sadistic reveal.

Outlast: Whistleblower (2014)

This DLC is tricky to place as Whistleblower tells the story of Waylon Park — the man who emailed journalists internationally in an attempt to shine a light on the horrors of Murkoff Corporation, which is what brought Miles to Mount Massive Asylum. Thus, this DLC begins before Outlast but then ends after the original story concludes. It’s even more disturbing than the original, although it runs a bit shorter in terms of content.

Outlast 2 (2017)

A pregnant woman is murdered, and Blake & Lynn Langermann are two married investigative journalists that dive a bit too deep for a scoop. This title isn’t directly tied to Outlast and the Mount Massive Asylum but shows the machinations of Murkoff Corporation in a different region of the same universe. The tangential tie-in to Outlast makes this challenging to place, but the depth of Murkoff makes it plausible to drop shortly after Outlast, yet before the final events of Whistleblower.