Outlast 2

Outlast 2 is a psychological survival horror game by Red Barrels. You play cameraman Blake Langermann, who investigates the mysterious death of a woman together with his wife Lynn. The trail leads into the remote Arizona desert to the isolated community of Temple Gate.

Unlike action games, Outlast 2 focuses on escape, hiding and the oppressive exploration of its locations.

Outlast 2 was released on April 25, 2017 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. The Nintendo Switch version followed on March 27, 2018.

On Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox One version can be played via backward compatibility. It is not a standalone native Xbox Series version.

Outlast 2 was released natively for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. The PC version is offered through Steam. On Nintendo Switch the adventure can be played in both handheld and TV mode.

The Xbox store page lists Xbox Series X|S as compatible hardware, without listing a separate Series release.

You explore tight rooms, dark paths and remote settlements from a first-person perspective. When pursuers appear, you have to find an escape route or hide. Combat with weapons is not the focus of the game.

Switching between open outdoor areas and tight interiors means you have to pay close attention to light, sounds and possible hiding spots.

The minimum requirements call for an Intel Core i3-530, 4 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 260 or Radeon HD 4870 with 1 GB graphics memory, and 30 GB of free storage. Recommended are an Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM and a GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7850.

The original specifications account for older Windows versions. The current Steam client requires Windows 10 or later.

Blake and Lynn investigate the death of an unknown pregnant woman. Their inquiries lead to Arizona, where the religious community around Sullivan Knoth awaits the end of the world. The search for Lynn drives the course of the game and pulls Blake ever deeper into the secrets of Temple Gate.

Blake's camera accompanies exploration and helps orientation in threatening situations. It fits the perspective of an investigative cameraman: instead of fighting back with weapons, Blake has to observe his surroundings and avoid danger.

Temple Gate lies isolated in the Arizona desert. The community around Sullivan Knoth lives cut off from the outside world and organizes its daily life around the expected apocalypse. This setting shapes the religious themes and the oppressive atmosphere of the story.

Outlast 2 is a single-player adventure. It tells a continuous horror story with exploration and escape sequences. A cooperative mode is not part of the base game.

Outlast 2 was released on March 27, 2018 for Nintendo Switch. The version can be played in handheld and TV mode. The story mode was introduced on the same day, reducing the number of dangerous encounters.

The PC version offers German on-screen text and subtitles. English and French are also fully voiced. Other supported text languages include Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Polish.

Outlast 2 is aimed at adult players. Red Barrels points to intense violence, blood, sexual content, nudity and graphic language. The horror comes from both threatening chases and the themes and imagery of the story.

The game is controlled from a first-person perspective. The PC version lists 720p at 30 frames per second as the minimum target, and 1080p at 60 frames per second for the recommended hardware. The actual result depends on your setup.

Since March 27, 2018, Outlast 2 has offered a story mode with fewer enemy encounters and more time to explore. The new version was released alongside the Nintendo Switch version and is also available on the other platforms.