Frictional Games Delays Psychological Thriller ONTOS to 2027 on PS5

Frictional Games, the studio behind horror classics Amnesia and SOMA, has confirmed that its upcoming PS5 psychological thriller ONTOS will no longer arrive this year. As Push Square reports, the developer announced the game is being delayed to 2027 to ensure it can fully realise its creative vision.

ONTOS was originally revealed at The Game Awards in December with a planned 2026 launch window. That timeline has now been scrapped, according to a statement shared by the studio on social media.

Studio Cites Scale and Ambition Behind the Delay

Explaining the decision, Frictional Games 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.” The studio added, “In order to deliver this vision, we have decided to push the release of ONTOS to 2027,” as quoted by Push Square.

The team also promised more details about the game’s characters and world would be shared in the coming months, though no specific date has been given for when that information will surface.

What Is ONTOS About?

According to Push Square’s coverage of the reveal, ONTOS casts players as Aditi Amani, who is drawn to a repurposed moon hotel called Samsara following the death of her estranged father, a scientist turned prophet. What starts as a personal search for closure reportedly unravels into a much stranger investigation, as Samsara turns out to be a place where reality itself seems to fracture and long-buried secrets come to light.

The game is being published by Kepler Interactive, and its cast includes actor Stellan Skarsgård, known for roles in Andor, Dune, and Thor: Love and Thunder, lending his voice to the project.

High Expectations After SOMA

Frictional Games built its reputation on atmospheric, story-driven horror, with SOMA in particular earning a devoted following for its unsettling take on identity and consciousness. Given that legacy, fans on Push Square’s comment section expressed enthusiasm for the delay, with several noting they’d rather wait than see the studio compromise on its ambitions for ONTOS.

With the extra development time now confirmed, all eyes will be on Frictional Games and Kepler Interactive for the next wave of details about the PS5 exclusive as 2027 approaches.