Ontos, the Spiritual Successor to SOMA, Has Been Delayed to 2027 - Here’s What We Know

A Decade in the Making, The Story and Setting

Creative Director Thomas Grip has confirmed that Ontos has been in development for over 10 years, a remarkable span that underscores its status as a true passion project. Players step into the shoes of engineer Aditi Amani, who travels to the moon to investigate the laboratory of her deceased father. That laboratory is located within Samsara, a decaying luxury hotel on the lunar surface. The setting is a “vast, interconnected labyrinth” filled with analog machinery, the hum of dying vents, the flicker of emergency lights, the creak of a structure settling under its own weight. It’s a world designed to evoke the claustrophobic, philosophical horror that Frictional Games is renowned for.

Ontos is positioned as a spiritual successor to SOMA (2015), which explored deep existential questions about identity and consciousness. The title itself comes from the Greek word for “being” or “existence,” hinting at the themes players will confront. The decaying hotel Samsara is no mere backdrop; it is a character in its own right, a monument to failed ambition and hidden secrets. The narrative promises to weave together personal loss, corporate malfeasance, and the terrifying implications of what it means to be human when consciousness can be copied and stored.

Gameplay Breakthroughs, Non-Linear Exploration and Systems-Driven Puzzles

Ontos marks a significant evolution in Frictional’s design philosophy. Where Amnesia: The Dark Descent was a tightly scripted descent into madness and SOMA offered a linear but branching narrative, Ontos leans into non-linear exploration and genuine player choice. The studio has stated that decisions made throughout the game will influence the story, promising a level of replayability that previous titles only hinted at.

Puzzles are described as “systems-driven” and are called “Experiments” in the game’s fiction. They require tactile interaction with analog machinery, a hallmark of Frictional’s design seen in Amnesia: The Bunker. For instance, an early sequence tasks players with reactivating Samsara’s failing life support by rerouting power through a series of switches, but each toggle affects other systems in unpredictable ways, forcing players to think on their feet. The environment reacts to experimentation, rewarding curiosity over blind adherence to a set path. It’s the kind of immersive, hands-on design that makes every discovery feel earned.

This represents a major breakthrough for the studio. Ontos blends the philosophical depth of SOMA with the systemic, emergent gameplay of The Bunker, all set within a sprawling lunar hotel. The result is a game that feels both familiar and radically new.

Voice Cast and Studio Pedigree

Adding to the game’s dramatic weight, award-winning actor Stellan Skarsgård is part of the voice cast. His involvement signals the studio’s ambition to deliver a narrative performance on par with its most acclaimed works. Skarsgård, known for his roles in Chernobyl, Dune, and countless other films, brings a gravitas that should complement the existential horror of the story.

Developed by Frictional Games and published by Kepler Interactive, Ontos benefits from a team that has consistently delivered genre-defining experiences. From the terror of Amnesia to the emotional devastation of SOMA, the studio has built a reputation for thoughtful, horrifying games that linger long after the credits roll. Their commitment to taking the time to polish Ontos should give fans confidence that the delay is a sign of quality, not trouble.

Frictional first teased Ontos through an alternate reality game (ARG) in late 2025. An update to SOMA led players to a website for the fictional Hotel Samsara, complete with eerie promotional material and cryptic messages. The ARG built anticipation for the official reveal at The Game Awards in December 2025, where the first trailer dropped to widespread acclaim. The journey from that reveal to today’s delay has only heightened expectations.

Platforms and What to Expect in 2027

Ontos will launch on PC (via Steam and the Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. While the delay pushes the game out of 2026, it positions the title as a marquee release for 2027, a year already shaping up to be packed with major launches. The extra development time allows Frictional to refine the non-linear exploration and choice systems, ensuring that every player’s journey through the haunted halls of Samsara feels uniquely their own.

The game’s scope cannot be overstated. With over a decade of development already behind it, Ontos is not a project that needs to find its identity. The design is set; what remains is polish, balancing, and the kind of iterative refinement that separates a good game from a great one. Frictional’s track record suggests they will use the extra year wisely.

A 2027 Launch That Promises to Define Sci-Fi Horror

Delays can be disappointing, but the postponement of Ontos to 2027 is a welcome sign of Frictional Games’ dedication to craft. The studio is not rushing a game that has been a decade in the making. Instead, they are ensuring that their most ambitious project to date lands with the impact it deserves. When Aditi Amani finally steps into the cold, flickering halls of Samsara, we’ll be ready to question not just what it means to exist, but whether we ever truly did.