Red Barrels has released a major update for The Outlast Trials, bringing some of the most substantial new content since launch. The update introduces Invasion, a new Experimental Therapy mode where players can invade others’ Trials as knife-wielding Imposters, turning cooperative survival into a tense battle of deception. The update also marks the return of Program Geister, a limited-time event featuring its own Geister 2025 Catalog packed with exclusive cosmetics, alongside new MK-Challenges and a Twitch Drops campaign running until November 18.
In addition, the update revamps the Catalogs interface, introduces an in-game store with Murkoff Coins, outfits, and DLC packs, and launches Easy Anti-Cheat to combat exploits. The developers describe this as a new chapter for The Outlast Trials, expanding both gameplay variety and player progression systems while rewarding community engagement through events, new mechanics, and store incentives.
Full Patch Notes
Major Additions
- New Permanent Game Mode: Invasion (Experimental Therapy)
- Players can now enter Trials as Imposters, disguising themselves as fellow Reagents to eliminate others.
- Supports solo and co-op play for 2–4 players.
- Includes a new progression system with Imposter Chems (abilities such as Imitate, Slash, Stalk, Pursuit, Breach, and more).
- Invasion matchmaking allows players to attack random or friend Trials (unlocked at Therapy Level 30).
- New Limited-Time Event: Program Geister 2025
- Returns with fresh Trials, hallucination effects, and increased enemy aggression.
- Two-part event schedule:
- Part 1: Oct 21 – Nov 4, 2025
- Part 2: Nov 4 – Nov 18, 2025
- Earn Event Tokens to unlock rewards in the Geister 2025 Catalog.
- New Limited-Time Catalog: Geister 2025
- Unlock exclusive cosmetics and outfits using Event Tokens.
- Tokens expire after Nov 18, 2025, at 9:59 AM ET.
- Catalog will be vaulted post-event but return later to the in-game store.
- New MK-Challenges:
- Beguile the Children: Manipulate media and subvert subliminal programming.
- Investigate the Minotaur: Expose the crimes of the “Buffalo Minotaur” in a corporate conspiracy-themed challenge.
- Featured Trial Maker Creations:
- Community-made Trials will now be showcased daily on the Therapy Selection screen.
- Twitch Drops Special Event:
- Earn exclusive cosmetics by watching approved Twitch streams until November 18, 2025.
- In-Game Store:
- Purchase exclusive outfits, DLC packs, and Catalogs from past events.
- Includes Blackmarket, Catalogs Collection, and Daily Murkoff Box for free daily rewards.
- Players receive 500 Murkoff Coins as a launch gift.
- New store-exclusive outfit awarded with the first Murkoff Coin purchase.
Gameplay & System Changes
- Added Easy Anti-Cheat for improved game integrity and to prevent exploits.
- Added new Evidence Documents for Geister and Invasion.
- Reworked “Kill the Snitch” Trial on Introductory difficulty to better accommodate new players.
- Updated Therapy Selection Screen to integrate new features.
- Rebirth Rewards increased to 10,000 XP / 100 Stamps (previously 500 XP / 50 Stamps).
- Solo Rebirth (Mansion) now includes the Mirror variator randomly.
- Jammer Rig: Ex-Pop Specialist hack duration adjusted to 5s base / 4s upgraded (was 6s / 5s).
- Performance XP: Fixed incorrect XP gain from specific in-game actions.
- Visual update for Murkoff Mines to better indicate their type (Fire, Cold, Explosive).
- Added Push-to-Mute voice chat option in audio settings.
- Reworked Social Menu with dropdown options, including direct invasion of friends.
- Fixed multiple NPC Imposter behavior issues.
- Adjusted UI: non-purchased customization items now only appear in the in-game store.
- Improved matchmaking systems for Invasion and Trial selection.
Known Issues
- Matchmaking for the new Invasion mode may not be optimal immediately following launch.
- Developers will monitor performance and balance to improve stability and player experience over time.
The Outlast Trials is a first-person psychological survival horror prequel to the acclaimed series, developed by Red Barrels. Set during the Cold War, players become Reagents—subjects of twisted mind-control experiments orchestrated by the Murkoff Corporation. Each Trial forces players to endure terror through stealth, resource management, and cooperation, either solo or with up to four players in co-op.
The game fully released on March 5, 2024, and is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store.
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