The Best Order to Play Outlast Games
Outlast is a series of horror video games that became a reference in the video games industry, in particular the horror genre. Most Outlast games are first-person survival horror games, featuring puzzles, stealth, hiding and enemies. While the Outlast games are possibly inspired by other first-person survival games that were released earlier, such as Penumbra: Overture and Amnesia: The Dark Descent, the Outlast series became known for the quality put into the games, which not only bring a refreshing survival horror experience to players, but also a significant amount of backstory. The first Outlast game, released in 2013, tells the story of a journalist who travels to psychiatric hospital Mount Massive Asylum to investigate a report.
The Outlast games distinguished themselves not only for the first-person horror gameplay, the puzzles and the stealth, but also for their scary atmosphere, one which some players find scary to the point of not being able to continue the game. For this reason, playthroughs of the Outlast games became popular in media, to the point of some people considering a challenge to be able to complete an Outlast video game. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the Outlast series has had an impact in the video games industry and in the horror game genre. Indeed, the Outlast games are able to tell an immersive story as well as provide a scary, horror atmosphere. For this reason, playing the Outlast games is a unique, immersive experience in the horror video game genre.
What Are Outlast Games Like?
The Outlast video games are generally first-person, story-rich survival horror games in which the player character must solve puzzles, read logs and notes, escape enemies, hide, and survive different dangers. Outlast games often require the player not only to adventure and to be brave in the face of danger, but also to think about the best ways of overcoming different situations.
In What Order Should I Play the Outlast Games?
A lot of people assume that the chronological release date order of a series is identical to the chronological story order of a series. However, that is often not the case. And in the case of the Outlast games, the release order is definitely not identical to the chronological order of story events of the Outlast video games. For this reason, players who want to have the best possible story experience while playing the Outlast games, it is suggested to play them in the story order presented in this list, and not in the chronological order of release. For example, Outlast: Whistleblower is a downloadable content (DLC) that was released after Outlast, but which story takes place before the story of Outlast, even though it was released later. This is only one example to show that the chronological order of release can be quite different to the story order.
While each Outlast game can be played separately and enjoyed for its gameplay, there is a story connection between the different games in the series. For this reason, playing the Outlast games in story order is important to having a better understanding of how the different story events happened and how they are connected to each other. In this article, the chronological story order of the Outlast games, or the chronological order of events in the Outlast games universe, is presented.
It is suggested that players try to play the Outlast games in the order presented in this article to have a more complete understanding of the backstory of the video games, as well as the order in which all the events happened. However, it is possible to enjoy the Outlast games for their gameplay, and still understand the story, without playing these games in the story order presented in this list. Instead, the list in this article should be considered a suggestion for the players that want to have the most comprehension of the Outlast story and chronological order.
The Chronological Story Order of the Outlast Video Games
This is the chronological story order of the Outlast video games. In other words, this is the chronological order of the story events that happen in the different Outlast games. This is the suggested order in which to play these games for a comprehensive understanding of the story development throughout the series. Playing the Outlast games in the order presented in this list will make the player immerse more in the Outlast games universe, and have a better understanding of the backstory of each Outlast game.
In this list, Outlast: Whistleblower was written as its own entry. In other words, The Outlast Trials, The Outlast and Outlast 2 are video games, while technically Outlast: Whistleblower is downloadable content (DLC). However, Outlast: Whistleblower tells its own story, which is relevant to the overall story of the Outlast series. And considering that this story is not only relevant to the series, but that it also has a place in the continuity, in my opinion it is reasonable to consider Outlast: Whistleblower one of the entries in this chronological story order list of the Outlast games.
The Outlast Trials
Outlast: Whistleblower
Outlast
Outlast 2
The Outlast Trials is a game that takes place before Outlast and Outlast 2. For this reason, story-wise, it is suggested to play The Outlast Trials before playing either Outlast or Outlast 2. The Outlast Trials also takes place before Outlast: Whistleblower.
While technically Outlast: Whistleblower is a downloadable content (DLC) for Outlast, the story contained in Outlast: Whistleblower takes place before the events of Outlast. For this reason, story-wise, it is suggested to play Outlast: Whistleblower before playing Outlast.
The Story Timeline Order of the Outlast Video Games
For Outlast fans and for horror game fans, this is a timeline that includes the years in which each Outlast game is set. In other words, these are the years when the story of each game takes place. While in some cases these years can be quite similar to the release date years, these should not be confused. These years are meant to be the years in the Outlast universe, so they could be called "years in Outlast time", "the time in Outlast games", "years in the Outlast universe" and so forth.
For the purpose of this timeline with years of the Outlast games, I've written the years in which each game starts, and not necessarily the years in which each game ends. For this reason, this timeline should be considered the chronological order of the time when each Outlast video game starts.
19?? The Outlast Trials
20?? Outlast: Whistleblower
2013 Outlast
2015 Outlast 2
The Outlast Trials is set during the Cold War period. At the time of writing article, an exact year had not been revealed, and for this reason, it is only reasonable to suppose that The Outlast Trials is set sometime during the second half of the 20th century. Unfortunately, the exact year was still unknown by the time of writing this article.
Outlast: Whistleblower is set before Outlast. Considering that Outlast is likely set in 2013, then Outlast: Whistleblower necessarily takes place either in the year 2013 or before that year.
Outlast very likely takes place in 2013 because of a document that appears in the beginning of the game with that year. The document states September 2013, so the game is very likely set in September 2013 or October 2013.
Outlast 2 very likely takes place in 2015 because of a document that appears in the game with that year. The document states September 2015. For this reason, the game likely takes place either in September 2015 or October 2015.
If you are interested in the story timeline order of horror video games, you may also be interested in checking out the story timeline orders of Dead Space, Resident Evil and Silent Hill,
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