ONTOS: Everything We Know

SOMA remains burned in memory among the best survival horror games ever made. Sure, it may not fit into your typical mold of terror and grotesque creatures. But its creepy atmosphere sure does linger past your REM sleep cycle. Its setting is haunting but also impressive, telling a sci-fi thriller story that isn’t afraid to go big or go home. 

And now, SOMA’s developer returns with a spiritual successor. Relatively along the same lines, but taking us from the marine, underwater setting to space. The trailer melds a Bioshock feel with sci-fi, space exploration, potentially leading us to yet another unsettling adventure that will give us sleepless nights. 

Senses alert: here’s everything we know about ONTOS. 

What is ONTOS?

The upcoming game, ONTOS, is described as a sci-fi mystery title, set on a moonbase that functions as a hotel called Samsara. Here, you’ll navigate the mysterious environments, searching for clues and evidence of cryptic experiments. You’ll uncover the secrets hidden here by bracing yourself against terrifying enemy encounters. And slowly but surely, you’ll tie several loose endings to a core story that will blow your mind.

Each step you take to dig deeper into the truth will reveal more mystery and danger. But at the heart of it all will be the primal question: What is reality?

Story

ONTOS’ Steam page is already out now, and it suggests that the game will be a solo adventure. A sci-fi one, to be specific, which will bend the fabric of reality. Your protagonist will be Aditi Amani, who sets foot on the moon, converted to house the hotel Samsara. You’ve landed here because of your father’s estranged legacy, cryptic but of a brilliant mind. Steam says your father’s “mind-turned-prophet” ignites your search for answers. 

But as these stories tend to go, something far more sinister brews. Things quickly grow more mysterious and strange as you begin to wrap your head around Samsara’s hidden secrets. The hotel is no ordinary place, with the events you unfold starting to bend reality itself. To get to the truth, you have to keep digging deeper, discovering little truths that tie your father’s past to the disturbing discoveries you make about Samsara, the nature of existence, and your role in this strange place.

A core story arc is the bone-chilling experiments you’ll discover. And they tie to the terrifying enemy encounters you’ll run into. These threaten your understanding of science and morality. With every test, you learn more about Samsara and draw closer to discovering the truth. 

Gameplay

The experiments seem shaped to be a core gameplay experience as well. Players will unravel the story via debating existential questions: soul-searching, about suffering, and reality itself. While the experiments seem to be implemented as puzzles, they’re also implied to be choice-based. And that your choices will influence the future, at times bearing heavy consequences. And thus, foreseeing the future is important. Yet, even with the best intentions and morals in mind, the outcomes can still lead to despairing results.

ONTOS promises an “immersive narrative.” Players will engage with a “tactile, systems-driven” playthrough. Research will matter toward beating the game, but also cleverness. You’ll scavenge resources, use complex machines, and analog systems that need you to carefully calibrate and interact with them hands-on. You’ll plan ahead and make wise decisions that bear consequences. Without a specific solution to challenges, it’ll be up to you to adapt. 

And lastly, players will explore the Samsara hotel, which will be an interconnected labyrinth on the moon. Once a mining space colony, the moonbase has been transformed to house the hotel. Plenty has changed in Samsara, now harboring philosophical factions that mix science and faith. Among the places you’ll explore are research labs, expensive-looking casinos, spectacle theatres, experiments run inside pools, weird machines set up in ancient caves, etc. With every new place, it’ll tell a story, one that has layers waiting to unfold.

Development

Frictional Games, a developer and publisher, no stranger to the gaming world, is the force behind ONTOS. They are responsible for SOMA, one of the best survival horror games that nails a creepy atmosphere and tells a compelling story. Since that was ten years ago, it’s exciting to see the studio back with an experience they say will take the SOMA experience to the next level. 

Thomas Grip, the Creative Director at Frictional Games, reveals more information about ONTOS in an Xbox Wire blog post. He says the studio wanted to create a place that feels “lived-in.” “Every door can be opened, and every corner of the station has secrets,” he adds, which is certainly exciting for building depth into the story and exploration.

Furthermore, Grip reveals that they used a new proprietary game engine called HPL4. Apparently, this new engine will help create more seamless, interconnected spaces, where “if you can see something from a window, you can go there.” Contrary to what may be first obvious, he clarifies that ONTOS isn’t a horror game. Rather, it’ll be a sci-fi thriller, unsettling in the story it tells and the detailed world it creates. No monster chases or stalking, just mind-bending.

Trailer

The reveal trailer launched at The Game Awards 2025 shows enough to be invested, that’s if being SOMA’s spiritual successor didn’t already sell it for you. The start itself is chilling, with a talking computer made of lab rats. Onward, it’s clear SOMA’s renowned atmosphere drips deeper into ONTOS, with a storyline that will potentially play around with the ideas behind ontology, the philosophical study of existence and reality. 

Release Date, Platforms, & Editions

ONTOS will be coming in 2026. It’s unclear when exactly the release date will be, but you can go ahead and add it to your wishlist to get prompt notifications as soon as it launches. In the meantime, you can ready your PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC platforms. And keep an eye out on the socials, whether X, TikTok, or Instagram, or register for updates on the game’s official website.