A weird sci-fi thriller starring Stellan Skarsgård? That takes place in a hotel on the moon? From the makers of SOMA? Yeah, I'm in

Half a head connected to cables
(Image credit: Frictional Games)

A computer hooked up to a wall of mice is talking to you. A woman is clawing at a gaping hole in her neck. Just the upper half of a man's head is plugged into a bunch of cables but he is still, somehow, alive.

And an elegantly dressed man with the iconic, gravelly voice of Stellan Skarsgård is asking you about the meaning of existence while standing in the lobby of a hotel on the moon.

ONTOS – Reveal Trailer - YouTube ONTOS – Reveal Trailer - YouTube
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"In ONTOS, players will become Aditi Amani, a resourceful engineer, as she explores the repurposed moon hotel Samsara in search of the truth around her estranged father," says Frictional Games. "Samsara is a vast labyrinth built atop the ruins of a failed mining colony, and players will explore this open, interconnected environment in their quest for the truth."

In the sci-fi mystery adventure, "Players will scavenge for helpful items, manipulate intricate machinery and face intense tests of morality as they encounter horrific Experiments throughout Samsara. There is no ‘one solution’ to the obstacles players will encounter in ONTOS. Players will need to use their wits and ingenuity to reach the narrative’s mysterious conclusions and face the consequences of their choices. "

The game has been in development at Frictional "for more than 10 years," and be released in 2026.

Christopher Livingston
Senior Editor

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.

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