There is something uniquely unsettling about The Outlast Trials. While previous entries in the series trapped players in abandoned asylums and remote Arizona deserts, Red Barrels found an even more disturbing setting by placing horror within a social experiment. The monsters remain terrifying, but the real fear comes from knowing that every scream, every chase and every impossible choice has been engineered by people who genuinely believe they’re making the world better.
Season 7, Project Boneyard, builds on that twisted foundation by introducing one of the game’s strongest thematic settings yet. Trading classrooms and laboratories for a grim prison complex, this latest free update transforms Murkoff’s experiments into a brutal correctional facility where authority is weaponised and rehabilitation is simply another excuse for cruelty. It is an environment perfectly suited to The Outlast Trials, expanding both the gameplay and the narrative while reminding players that Murkoff always finds new ways to make human suffering feel procedural.
Rather than feeling like a simple content drop, Project Boneyard arrives as a substantial evolution of the game. New trials, terrifying enemies, progression improvements and meaningful quality-of-life changes combine to make Season 7 one of the strongest updates the game has received since launch.
A Prison Designed to Break You
The new Prison Farm immediately establishes itself as one of the most memorable locations in the entire game. Every corridor, exercise yard and rusting cell block tells its own story without lengthy exposition. The setting captures the hopelessness of institutional decay, where years of violence have seeped into every concrete wall and iron door.
Red Barrels has always excelled at environmental storytelling, and the Prison Farm continues that tradition beautifully. Blood-stained hallways, improvised barricades and abandoned prison facilities paint a picture of a place that collapsed long before players arrived. Every room feels lived in, even if the people who once occupied it have become something far worse.
Lighting plays a major role in creating tension. Long stretches of flickering fluorescent bulbs are broken by suffocating darkness, forcing players to rely on their night-vision goggles while never fully knowing what waits beyond the next corner. The sound design deserves equal praise, with distant screams, rattling chains and metallic echoes constantly reminding players that they are never truly alone.
Unlike many horror games that rely on sudden jump scares, The Outlast Trials excels through anticipation. The Prison Farm embraces that philosophy perfectly.
Sergeant Coyle Returns
Few antagonists in The Outlast Trials have left as strong an impression as Sergeant Leland Coyle. His return as the central threat of Project Boneyard feels entirely appropriate, as the prison setting allows his authoritarian personality to flourish.
Coyle has always been disturbing for how believable he feels. Unlike grotesque monsters driven by instinct, he embodies institutional abuse wrapped in absolute confidence. He believes every act of violence is justified, every punishment deserved, and every victim simply another lesson waiting to be taught.
His presence throughout the new Trial, Locksock the Warden, creates constant pressure. Players are never simply avoiding another enemy. They are attempting to outsmart someone who views control as an obsession rather than a responsibility.
Red Barrels has also ensured that Coyle remains mechanically engaging. His patrol routes, aggressive pursuit and ability to disrupt player plans make every encounter tense without becoming predictable. Veterans familiar with his behaviour will still find themselves adapting to new situations within the prison environment.
Cooperation Remains King
Like the base game, Project Boneyard shines brightest when played with others. Communication remains essential as players navigate escape-room-style objectives while avoiding Murkoff’s latest horrors.
The new Trial asks players to divide responsibilities carefully. One teammate may distract enemies while another searches for keys or completes objectives, creating constant moments when teamwork is the difference between success and failure.
This balance between puzzle-solving and survival continues to set The Outlast Trials apart from more traditional multiplayer horror games. Running away is rarely enough. Players must think under pressure, communicate clearly and trust one another even as panic begins to set in.
Playing solo remains possible, but the experience becomes far more stressful. That heightened difficulty may appeal to some players, though the game clearly reaches its full potential when shared with friends.
Meet The Biter
Every major update needs a memorable new threat, and The Biter certainly qualifies. Its design is deeply unsettling. Stripped of its arms and fitted with horrifying mechanical restraints, the creature relies on powerful legs and reinforced jaws to hunt its prey. The result is a creature that moves unlike any previous enemy in the game.
What makes The Biter particularly effective is its unpredictability. Its sudden bursts of speed force players to constantly reassess their positioning, preventing comfortable strategies from taking hold. Even experienced players can be caught off guard when one charges unexpectedly through narrow corridors.
Rather than replacing existing enemy types, The Biter complements them, creating more varied encounters in which players must monitor multiple threats simultaneously. It adds another welcome layer of unpredictability without overwhelming the game’s existing balance.
More Than Just New Maps
While the Prison Farm understandably receives most of the attention, many of the update’s best improvements come through system changes. Loadout presets are among those additions players quickly wonder how they ever lived without. Saving preferred equipment configurations removes unnecessary menu management and allows groups to prepare for Trials far more efficiently.
Rig and knife customisation adds another welcome layer of personal expression. Cosmetic additions never affect gameplay directly, but they help strengthen player identity within Murkoff’s nightmarish world.
The Escalation Therapy overhaul is arguably the most significant gameplay improvement. Better pacing, clearer progression and new leaderboard support make repeated runs feel more rewarding than before. Likewise, the Invasion rework introduces smarter matchmaking alongside additional tools for attackers, creating a more balanced and engaging competitive experience.
These changes may not be as immediately exciting as a new monster or map, but they demonstrate Red Barrels’ continued commitment to refining every aspect of the experience.
Blood, Rewards and Replayability
The limited-time Blood Drive event adds another compelling reason to keep returning. Community goals encourage players to donate blood across multiple Trials, unlocking shared milestones and earning exclusive cosmetic rewards.
It is a clever system because it strengthens the game’s cooperative identity beyond individual matches. Even players tackling different Trials contribute towards a collective objective, reinforcing the feeling that everyone remains trapped in Murkoff’s horrifying experiment together.
The new Deluxe Catalogue also expands cosmetic progression without feeling intrusive. For long-term players who enjoy personalising their Reagents, there is plenty to unlock over time. Combined with new MK Challenges like Bribe the Judges and Cancel the Broadcast, replayability remains one of the game’s greatest strengths.
Horror That Still Feels Fresh
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Project Boneyard is that it proves The Outlast Trials still has room to evolve. Many live-service games eventually fall into predictable routines, adding more content without meaningfully expanding the experience. Red Barrels, instead, continues to refine the core formula while introducing new ideas that naturally fit the game’s disturbing universe.
The prison setting feels fresh without abandoning the psychological horror that defines the series. The gameplay improvements remove frustrations without reducing tension. Most importantly, every addition reinforces the sense that Murkoff’s experiments are constantly adapting alongside the players trying to survive them. Very little here feels like filler.
Final Verdict
The Outlast Trials: Season 7 – Project Boneyard is one of the game’s strongest updates to date. The Prison Farm is an outstanding new environment, steeped in an oppressive atmosphere, with memorable encounters and some of the best environmental storytelling Red Barrels has produced. Sergeant Leland Coyle returns as an unforgettable antagonist, while The Biter injects fresh fear into already stressful encounters.
The new Trials, meaningful progression improvements and extensive quality-of-life updates ensure that this season offers far more than another map pack. Whether you’re returning after time away or have been enduring Murkoff’s therapy since launch, there is plenty here to experience.
Few multiplayer horror games maintain this level of tension while continuing to evolve their systems in meaningful ways. Project Boneyard proves that The Outlast Trials is still finding disturbing new ways to test both your nerves and your friendships.
