Frictional Games delays Ontos to 2027

Frictional Games has pushed Ontos, its next sci-fi horror title, out of 2026 and into 2027. The studio announced the delay on July 2 via social media, citing the game's scope rather than any external pressure.

In the announcement, Frictional described Ontos as "our most ambitious game to date, both in terms of its size and scale, and in the depth and layers of our story and gameplay," adding that delivering on that vision required more time. Ontos is set on Samsara, a repurposed moon hotel, where players control an engineer named Aditi Amani who travels there to find her father — a scientist-turned-prophet whose past hides some deeply unsettling truths. The gameplay leans into immersive sim territory: scavenging materials, manipulating machinery, and working with analog systems. Samsara itself is described as a vast, labyrinthine space divided into surreal biomes controlled by different factions. The game is heading to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Ontos was first revealed at The Game Awards 2025 with a 2026 launch window. It marks Frictional's first entirely new game since Soma in 2015 — a sci-fi horror set at the bottom of the ocean that earned a devoted following for its slow-burn existential dread rather than jump scares. The studio has been clear that Ontos follows that same philosophy: back in January, Frictional said it isn't trying to make "a stressful or scary game in the traditional sense," but wants players to "grapple with heavy and thought-provoking themes" and feel "a deep existential terror that stays long after you finish playing."

No new release window within 2027 has been given, but the studio promised more updates on characters and the world are coming soon. Given how well Soma's reputation has held up over a decade, most players seem willing to wait.