Co-op horror shooter GTFO reaches a skin-crawling, claustrophobic release

The creatures of the complex are awake once more as GTFO releases out of Early Access after two years of development. The FPS has been on our radar for a few years, a uniquely hardcore cooperative shooter that loves to scare you with extremely tense stealth sections and labyrinthine exploration in pursuit of variously mysterious objectives.

The 1.0 release includes some big updates to GTFO. The biggest is probably bots, turning the game from unplayable alone to somewhat-feasible in the simpler missions. With a duo, I expect you'll be able to handle it quite well. It's a huge upgrade from the Early Access period, which at one point lacked matchmaking.

1.0 also has checkpoints, which makes the game no less hardcore but does make it much more forgiving for new players. That's to say: You can no longer doom your entire expedition because you made a simple mistake. (The checkpoints are optional if you're a masochist.)

GTFO is made by 10 Chambers, an indie studio headed up by Ulf Andersson, who was once the lead designer on the Payday series. It also has really rather horrific and disgusting monsters who I like a lot because they make me uncomfortable.

Monsters and prisoners in horror game GTFO — (Image credit: 10 Chambers)

To be honest, I had a rather mixed relationship with GTFO over the years, but the 1.0 release really has patched up my primary beefs. I'll have to spend more time with it before I've got a real solid opinion, but so far I'm finally inclined to agree with the game's 88% Positive steam reviews.

You can find out more about GTFO on its stylish official website or on Steam, where it's normally $40 but is 25% off, that's $30, until December 22nd.

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.