Get ready to have your mind bent – Frictional Games, the creators behind the hauntingly brilliant Soma, are back with something even more ambitious. But here’s where it gets controversial: is Ontos a horror game, or something far more unsettling? Announced at The Game Awards 2025, Ontos is a sci-fi mystery thriller set to launch in 2026 for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox on PC as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. While it’s billed as a spiritual successor to Soma, Creative Director Thomas hints that this game is less about jump scares and more about moral dilemmas that will leave you questioning your every decision. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not about monsters chasing you; it’s about the monsters you might create within yourself.
In Ontos, you step into the shoes of Aditi, a woman haunted by an inexplicable miracle from her childhood. Drawn by a cryptic message from her estranged father, she ventures to Samsara, a once-glamorous moon hotel now fallen into disrepair. Every corner of Samsara is a puzzle, every door a potential revelation. The world feels alive, inviting you to explore its secrets—but beware, not all truths are comforting. Here’s the kicker: the game doesn’t hold your hand. You’ll face morally complex Experiments that force you to weigh your choices, often with no clear 'right' answer. Will you prioritize survival, justice, or something else entirely?
Take, for example, one of the game’s Experiments: you encounter a man trapped in a bizarre computer server made of rats. Is he who he claims to be? Can you trust his pleas for help? These are the kinds of questions Ontos will throw at you, and the consequences of your decisions will linger long after you’ve turned off the game. Is this the future of narrative gaming, or a step too far into ambiguity?
Powered by the new HPL4 engine, Ontos promises a level of interconnectivity and detail never seen before in a Frictional Games title. If you can see it, you can go there—a design philosophy that transforms Samsara into a sprawling, immersive world. But don’t let the lack of traditional horror elements fool you; the tension here is personal, cerebral, and far more unnerving than any monster could be. Are you ready to face the consequences of your choices?
While we’ve only scratched the surface of what Ontos has to offer, one thing is clear: this game is poised to challenge, provoke, and captivate. Wishlist it now and join the conversation on their social pages (https://www.ontosgame.com/link-hub). But before you do, ask yourself: how far are you willing to go for the truth? And what will it cost you?
