The first 10-minute ONTOS gameplay reveal centers on a philosophical puzzle: scientist Crombie says his consciousness is trapped inside a computer server built from 60 wired rats. Players research the lab, manipulate probes and choose how the experiment ends. Frictional Games plans to release ONTOS in 2027 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, but no exact date has been announced.
The footage is a better explanation of ONTOS than its original reveal because it shows the pace as well as the premise. This is not ten minutes of running from a monster. It is a slow investigation in which terminals, physical objects, conversations and limited tools can change the solution a player is able—or willing—to attempt.
ONTOS gameplay: quick facts
- New footage: the first extended gameplay reveal runs for about 10 minutes and was published September 2.
- Playable character: Aditi Amani, who travels to Samsara while following the cryptic legacy of her estranged father.
- Setting: Samsara, a repurposed moon hotel built over a failed mining colony and converted into a scientific complex.
- Featured experiment: Crombie and a server rack made from 60 rats, with no single required solution shown.
- Gameplay style: research, testing, physical interaction, resource management and consequential choices.
- Release window: 2027 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC; the exact date and price remain unannounced.
- Xbox feature: Xbox Play Anywhere lets one purchase work across the console and Xbox PC versions.
What the first ONTOS gameplay actually shows
The sequence begins before the main experiment. Aditi explores nearby rooms, reads terminals, listens to recordings and finds a smaller rat setup. Frictional says these spaces are not optional lore dumps separated from the puzzle. The information teaches the player how the people and machinery work, which can support a more informed choice later.
A voice named Zike can also be heard over an intercom. He is described as being obsessed with finding the soul. That detail matters because the experiment is not framed as a lock with one numerical answer. It asks whether a mind can be copied, whether two conscious beings can share one physical system, and what responsibility Aditi has when every available action may hurt someone.
Inside the main lab, Crombie’s human body is connected to probes while the copied mind speaks through the Rat Server. The key Aditi needs is around his neck. Removing it becomes both a practical objective and a moral test: the fastest route may not be the route the player considers acceptable.
How the Rat Server puzzle works
Frictional’s official explanation says the server uses 60 rats. The deliberately implausible machine is the point. A person simulated by conventional hardware is a familiar science-fiction idea; a person apparently simulated through living animals forces a harder question about where Crombie ends and the rats begin.
The gameplay shows Aditi delicately moving probes on Crombie’s head. Instructions exist, but players can follow them, ignore them or apply information found elsewhere. Frictional says the tension comes from combining uncertain goals, incomplete guidance and the possibility of ruining the experiment. Different endings are expected, and understanding more on a replay should reveal approaches that were not obvious the first time.
Inside ONTOS and the Rat Server experiment
3 screenshotsThree Rat Server outcomes observed in the demo
Xbox Wire’s hands-on preview found at least three materially different routes through this one scenario. These are examples from the preview build, not a complete list of every possible outcome in the final game.
- Shut down the server and restore Crombie’s body: the copied consciousness is removed while the physical Crombie is brought back from the brink.
- Overwrite the original with the copy: Aditi transfers the server consciousness into Crombie’s body, replacing the mind that was there.
- Cut the server without completing either process: both versions die, leaving the key available with the most severe immediate consequence.
The preview also describes smaller variations that can change dialogue and reactions. That suggests ONTOS is tracking more than one final selection screen. How the player prepares, which tools remain available and how a procedure is performed may matter alongside the broad outcome.
Advertisement
Why ONTOS is not simply SOMA 2
Frictional calls ONTOS a spiritual successor to SOMA because both games turn questions about consciousness and identity into physical situations. The first demo, however, does not use SOMA’s familiar rhythm of hiding from a pursuing threat. Xbox Wire saw no stalking enemy or stealth sequence in this section; the pressure came from understanding the experiment and deciding what to do.
That does not mean ONTOS has no horror. Its imagery, injuries and moral outcomes are intentionally disturbing, and the Steam listing includes mature warnings for violence, gore and harm to people and animals. The distinction is mechanical: the material shown so far emphasizes puzzle-like experiments, exploration and player-authored solutions rather than presenting ONTOS as a conventional chase-based survival horror game.
Research and resources can change the available solution
The Xbox preview provides a concrete resource example. A blowtorch can cut server wires, but it needs oxygen canisters. A player can understand the desired route and still arrive without enough oxygen to execute it. Exploration therefore affects more than story comprehension; it can determine which physical actions remain possible.
Samsara is built for this kind of searching. Doors are manually unlatched and pushed open, drawers are pulled out, and ordinary objects can be picked up and inspected. Terminals, audio logs and locked cabinets may contain clues. Frictional describes ingenuity and research as the player’s main weapons, so preparation replaces a traditional combat loadout in the experiment shown.
Aditi Amani and the Samsara moon hotel
Aditi Amani arrives at Samsara because of the legacy of her estranged father, whom the official description calls a brilliant mind turned prophet. The location began as a mining colony and opulent moon hotel before becoming a divided scientific complex. Labs occupy casinos and theatres, experiments fill drained pools, and machines extend into lunar caves.
That layered history gives Frictional a reason to place philosophical factions, broken hospitality spaces and improvised laboratories in the same environment. The first gameplay reveal stays inside one research area, so it should not be treated as a tour of the full base. It establishes the design language: old luxury, industrial infrastructure and experiments that make human identity physically uncomfortable.
ONTOS release date, platforms and Xbox Play Anywhere
ONTOS is scheduled for 2027. PlayStation lists PS5, Steam lists Windows PC, and the Xbox Store lists Xbox Series X|S and PC. The Xbox preview also confirms Xbox Play Anywhere, which supports playing the Xbox console and PC versions with one purchase.
Frictional Games is the developer. The Steam listing names Frictional Games and Kepler Interactive as publishers, while the Xbox Store identifies Kepler Interactive as the publisher. No exact day, month, price or edition comparison is available in the official pages checked for this article.
What is still unconfirmed
- Exact release date: only the 2027 window is official.
- Price and editions: not announced.
- Public demo: the footage comes from a preview sequence shown to press and creators; a downloadable public demo has not been announced.
- Game length and experiment count: Frictional has not published either number.
- PC requirements: the Steam page still lists the detailed minimum and recommended specifications as unconfirmed.
- Every Rat Server solution: the developers and preview confirm multiple endings, but the three observed routes are not presented as an exhaustive solution list.
ONTOS gameplay FAQ
How many rats are in the ONTOS Rat Server?
Frictional Games says the computer server is made from 60 strapped-in rats. The setup is designed to make the player question whether Crombie, the animals or both can be conscious within the same physical system.
Is ONTOS a combat or stealth horror game?
The first extended demo does not show combat, a stalking enemy or a stealth sequence. It focuses on exploration, research, physical machinery, limited resources and choices. Other parts of the full game may contain encounters not represented in this one preview.
Is ONTOS connected to SOMA?
Frictional describes ONTOS as a spiritual successor to SOMA, not a direct sequel. The games share philosophical science-fiction themes, but ONTOS introduces Aditi, Samsara and its own experiments.
When does ONTOS release?
ONTOS is planned for 2027 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. An exact release date has not been announced.
The ONTOS game hub keeps the confirmed platforms, release window, official trailer and future coverage together.
