At a glance

  • Rebalances Imposter attacks, traps, night vision, respawns, and solo Invasion timing.
  • Improves Escalation disconnections and restores resumable Escalation Weekly savegames.
  • Fixes rank, Struggle minigame, hint-screen, and Imposter exit-rule issues.
  • Fixes crashes, including an Invasion-camera loadout out-of-memory issue.

Player impact

Invasion participants receive less lethal backstabs, lighter trap penalties, and several timing adjustments, while Escalation players regain save resumption and improved connection behavior. The three posts together represent the latest complete Project Boneyard hotfix state.

Quick facts

  • Game: The Outlast Trials
  • Official publication time: July 25, 2026 at 11:34:49 PM CST for the latest hotfix
  • Last checked: July 28, 2026 at 11:02:47 AM CST
  • Platform scope: Not stated in the three official posts
  • Version: No numbered version is stated
  • Source: Project Boneyard hotfix for July 25 on Steam

What changed

Red Barrels published three Project Boneyard hotfixes between July 22 and July 25. The July 22 release contains the largest gameplay changes. Backstabs take longer to charge, require a narrower angle, and incapacitate instead of killing immediately. Slash cooldown increases, Steel Traps require less mashing to escape and deal 12.5 damage instead of 25, and solo Invasion active time falls from five minutes to three.

That first hotfix also increases Imposter night-vision battery duration, changes its visual effect, increases the minimum solo-Reagent camera time to 45 seconds, slightly lengthens Stim injection, allows syringes to spawn throughout a Trial, and permits Regroup while Imposters are present. Escalation disconnections, early-exit ranking, a missing Struggle minigame, and a missing Cancel the Broadcast hint are also addressed.

The July 24 follow-up restores resumable Escalation Weekly saves, enforces the rule that the relevant Imposter must leave after downing or killing a Reagent, and fixes unspecified crashes. The July 25 hotfix then removes an out-of-memory issue tied to repeatedly opening and closing the loadout menu while using Invasion cameras.

Key changes

Invasion balance

  • Backstab charge rises from 2.0 to 2.5 seconds and no longer instantly kills.
  • Slash cooldown rises from 1.5 to 2.0 seconds.
  • Steel Trap radius and damage are reduced, and escape requires less input.
  • Solo active time is reduced; Imposter camera time against a solo Reagent is increased.

Escalation, progression, and fixes

  • Escalation connection behavior is improved and Weekly saves can be resumed again.
  • Imposters receive a rank when leaving early through the documented menu path.
  • A missing Struggle minigame and a missing MK-Challenge hint are restored.
  • Crash fixes include the later Invasion-camera memory repair.

What this means for players

The sequence lowers several of Invasion’s most abrupt penalties while making solo timing more constrained. Escalation runs should be less vulnerable to disconnection and save-resume failures, and the final memory fix targets players who repeatedly change loadouts through camera interfaces.

Who is affected

The notes explicitly identify Invasion players, solo Reagents, Imposters, Escalation players, and people entering Steel Traps or the Cancel the Broadcast MK-Challenge. No platform, region, or save-conversion step is stated.

Rollout and known limitations

The three hotfixes were published on July 22, July 24, and July 25. The July 24 post describes some crash fixes without itemizing them.

Editorial context

Steam Update Radar assessment: combining the sequence avoids presenting the substantial July 22 balance pass as current without the two later stability fixes. No platform behavior or unlisted crash cause is inferred.

Verification record