Game: Out of the Shadows
Developer: Lobster Games
Publisher: Lobster Games
Genre: Co-op Horror Escape Game
Released: October 20, 2026
Price: $7.99 · $6.79 until November 3
Players: 2–4 (online co-op only)
Platform: PC (Steam)
🔦 How we reviewed it: we played Out of the Shadows in online co-op on PC. It’s still very new on Steam, with only a handful of user reviews so far, so we’ve also noted the feedback from early players where it’s relevant.
👥 Know this first: you need at least one friend. Out of the Shadows is online co-op only, for 2–4 players, with no solo mode. The player base is tiny right now, so bring your own group. The good news: there’s a free demo you can try together first, and the full game is just $6.79 (15% off) until November 3. It’s also part of Steam Scream V (October 26 – November 2).
🏚️ You’re Not Alone in the Shadows
Out of the Shadows is a cooperative horror escape game about trespassing in places your team was never meant to enter. Explore unsettling locations, uncover their stories, solve puzzles together, and find a way out, all while their hostile inhabitants make it very clear you don’t belong.
Making too much noise, getting isolated or losing focus can be fatal. In the developer’s own words: without teamwork, no one gets out.
Split up. Talk it out. Get out alive.
From small indie studio Lobster Games (the team behind Gatherings), Out of the Shadows lands somewhere between a co-op puzzle game like We Were Here and a jump-scare horror romp. Its best ideas are its asymmetric puzzles, where teammates are split up or given different information and have to talk each other through it. At its budget price, it’s a fun, spooky night in with friends, even if it doesn’t always know how to keep the tension up.
Our verdict: “Out of the Shadows delivers tense cooperative horror with genuinely creative asymmetric puzzles that demand real teamwork from your group.”
Cooperation Is Not Optional
🧩 Asymmetric Puzzles
One player may see the solution while another must act. Guide each other from a distance.
🔒 Split Up & Trapped
Sometimes a teammate is trapped, and the rest of you have to search for a way to free them.
🗣️ Use Your Voice
Count objects, decode strange symbols, manipulate light, and even use your voice to solve puzzles.
✋ No Inventory
Objects are handled directly in the world: pick them up, move them, throw them or use them where needed.
The no-inventory approach is a smart touch. Rather than hoarding keys in a menu, you physically carry, place and toss things around the world, which keeps everyone hands-on and makes for some chaotic co-op moments. Combined with the split-team puzzles, it makes communication the real game.
Stay Alert
👻 Ambience, Lighting & Jump Scares
The centrepiece is a large mansion, with its own escape-game storyline, puzzles and threats. Rich ambient sound, moody lighting, unsettling environments and jump scares build a steady tension, made worse by the knowledge that getting separated or making a mistake can be fatal. It’s the kind of horror that works best with friends screaming in your ear.
⚠️ Mild spoiler about the main map’s structure: tap to reveal
• The monsters can kidnap you. On the main map, getting caught drags you into a room you’ll need to solve your way out of.
• One early player found this loop repetitive: get kidnapped, solve the room, repeat. In a house they felt was too big.
Where It Stumbles
⚠️ A Few Things Lurking in the Dark1. Vague puzzles, no hints. The asymmetric puzzles are clever, but one early player found them too vague, with no hint system if your group gets stuck. That can stall a session.
2. An identity crisis. The same player felt the game doesn’t quite know what it wants to be yet, and that the main map’s structure lost them once the kidnapping loop kicked in.
3. Thin settings. They also found accessibility and graphics options lacking, with no options for things like foliage or motion smoothing.
4. Light on content (for now). There are two maps at launch. More are on the way (see below), but groups that blitz through will run out of things to do quickly.
5. Bring your own friends. There’s no solo mode, and with very few players online right now, you’ll want to bring your own group.
🎮 Platforms & Settings
PC only (Windows), with partial controller support. Steam Deck compatibility hasn’t been rated yet. It’s fairly light on hardware, with a minimum of a GTX 970 / RX 470 and 8 GB of RAM, and 10 languages are supported. The developers are actively patching: one recent update lets you restart both maps from scratch.
The Road Ahead
Lobster Games has a roadmap with three new locations planned through 2027:
AsylumQ1 2027
The first new location on the roadmap.
GraveyardQ2 2027
The second planned addition.
Skull IslandQ3 2027
The third planned location, rounding out the 2027 roadmap.
Things to Know
📋 Before You Buy
• $7.99, or $6.79 with the 15% launch discount until November 3
• Free demo available, so try it with your group first
• 2–4 players, online co-op only · Steam Cloud · Family Sharing
• 10 languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese
• Minimum: i5-4460 / FX-8350, 8 GB RAM, GTX 970 / RX 470 and 5 GB of storage
The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
Asymmetric PuzzlesSplit information forces real teamwork.
No HintsVague puzzles can stall your group.
No Solo ModeAnd very few strangers to play with.
No-Inventory InteractionPhysically handling items creates great chaos.
Repetitive LoopThe kidnap-and-escape cycle can wear thin.
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AtmosphereAmbient sound, lighting and jump scares do the job.
Limited SettingsFew accessibility and graphics options.
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Budget Price$6.79 at launch, with a free demo.
Two MapsContent is thin until the roadmap lands.
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A Clear RoadmapAsylum, Graveyard and Skull Island are coming in 2027.
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The Verdict
Out of the Shadows is at its best when it’s forcing your group to talk: one of you trapped, one with the clue, one who has to act on it, all while something stalks the halls. The asymmetric puzzles are genuinely creative, the no-inventory interaction leads to great co-op chaos, and the atmosphere does exactly what a cheap-and-cheerful horror night needs.
It’s rough around the edges, though. There’s no hint system, the main map’s loop can feel repetitive, settings are thin, and there are only two maps until the 2027 roadmap starts landing. You’ll also need your own group, as there’s no solo play and very few players online.
The honest read: if you have two or three friends who love co-op puzzle games like We Were Here, grab the free demo together, and if it clicks, the full game is an easy buy at $6.79. Solo players should look elsewhere.
Hey, I’m ColdMoon! If there’s a game in front of me, I’m playing it—especially co-op adventures where teamwork shines. I love exploring vast digital worlds just as much as I enjoy venturing into nature in real life. When I’m not gaming, I’m out with my dogs or admiring the beauty of snakes. Whether we’re strategizing in-game or just having fun, let’s dive into new adventures and explore together! 🎮🐍🐕
