The player can walk, run, crouch, jump, climb ladders and vault over objects. The game is played from a first-person perspective and features some stealth gameplay mechanics. In Outlast, the player assumes the role of investigative journalist Miles Upshur, as he navigates a dilapidated psychiatric hospital in Leadville, Colorado that is overrun by homicidal patients. The player can see their surroundings and other enemies in the dark, using night vision mode on their camcorder. The Murkoff Account, a comic book series set between Outlast and Outlast 2, was released from July 2016 to November 2017.

A sequel, Outlast 2, was released on April 25, 2017, while a prequel, The Outlast Trials, is set to be released in 2023. As of May 2018, the whole series has sold 15 million copies. As of October 2016, the game has sold 4 million copies.

Outlast received generally positive reviews, with praise for its atmosphere, horror elements, and gameplay. A Nintendo Switch version titled Outlast: Bundle of Terror was released in February 2018. Linux and OS X versions were later released on March 31, 2015. Outlast was released for Microsoft Windows on September 4, 2013, PlayStation 4 on February 4, 2014, and for Xbox One on June 19, 2014. The downloadable content Outlast: Whistleblower centers on Waylon Park, the man who led Miles there in the first place. The game revolves around a freelance investigative journalist, Miles Upshur, who decides to investigate a remote psychiatric hospital named Mount Massive Asylum, located deep in the mountains of Lake County, Colorado. Outlast is a 2013 first-person survival horror video game developed and published by Red Barrels.

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