December 19, 2025
Outbreak: Shades of Horror Gifts Co-op Festive Frights on Xbox Series X|S Today
This year’s festive feast is being served with an extra heaping of zombie flesh! My name is Julia Wolbach, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Dead Drop Studios. I’m overjoyed to welcome you to the doomed city of Cypress Ridge just in time for the holidays because Outbreak: Shades of Horror is releasing on Xbox Series X|S today!
Unwrap Your Very Bloody Gift
When you dive into Outbreak: Shades of Horror, you’ll discover a full course of content awaiting you. You can enjoy every morsel of it in single player or in online four-player co-op, and you can swap between first-person and third-person views at any time. Access action-packed modes and mini-games from Cypress Reel, which functions as both a hub world and as a lobby in multiplayer. We’ve included two prequel campaigns playable both online and offline: Chromatic Split Enhanced Edition, a classic Survival Horror adventure rebuilt from the ground up with new content, and Trials of Hank, a new, frenetic thrill ride you have to play to believe. Feeling lonely? Optionally enable AI teammates to aid you in your struggle to endure our Invasion and Raid modes. You can even access a robust Photo Mode from anywhere in the game; share your favorite gory snapshots with your Xbox friends!
A Growing World & Adventure
Just when you think you’ve seen everything Cypress Ridge has to offer, think again! At launch, Dinobreak will be our first featured game crossover event. Explore a distinctive, sprawling Raid Mode map, obtain roaringly fun cosmetics, and take a few pictures at the special photo booth in Cypress Reel! Immerse yourself further by assuming the role of fan-favorite characters from the original game with the Dinobreak Crossover Character Pack DLC, also available today.
You can also expect regular seasonal events for even more cheeky chills. To kick off release, we’re extending our Halloween seasonal event for Xbox players. Unlock spooky cosmetics, and explore Farmer Clay’s Pumpkin Patch, a seasonal map with a gothic twist. At the same time, prepare to brave the Winter Wonderland season, which will also be available at launch. This season has its own gifts to offer; earn merry costume pieces and weapon skins, survive a frozen tundra in the Wordy’s Winter Wonderland map, and admire themed decorations in Cypress Reel. We even have the technology to make it snow indoors! What will future seasons have in store? Stay tuned!
A Frightening Technical Delight on Xbox Series X|S
Outbreak: Shades of Horror is a dazzling visual treat on Xbox Series X|S. This is one of the first Unreal Engine 5.6 titles leveraging Epic’s new technology to enable full ray tracing on console. On Xbox Series X, the game runs at a higher fidelity and still maintains a buttery 60+ FPS. You can utilize built-in graphics quality settings to tailor your experience; prioritize frame rate or activate higher fidelity options for features such volumetric lighting on your character’s flashlight, additional critters roaming the sleazy city streets, and breathtaking weather effects. The lineup of diverse playable characters is designed with the latest metahuman bells and whistles; each Survivor is unique and carefully detailed, and with an abundance of mix-and-match cosmetics, there are endless dress-up possibilities. In 2026, you can look forward to Outbreak: Shades of Horror supporting Xbox Play Anywhere — blast the undead on console, mobile, and PC, and maintain your progress across all platforms!
The Fight of Your Life Begins Now
Do you have what it takes to escape Cypress Ridge with your life? Alongside today’s game launch, you can purchase the Dinobreak Crossover Character Pack DLC, which adds two additional, fully customizable characters to your roster. To celebrate the beginning of the Winter Wonderland season, the free character Illena will be added for all players, bringing the default selection to thirteen. New to the world of Outbreak? Catch up on the series with the Outbreak: Cypress Reel Ticket Collectionbundle, also available today.
Unwrap a new generation of salacious survival horror gameplay, either in single-player or in four-player online co-op, with the release of Outbreak: Shades of Horror, available now on Xbox Series X|S!
Outbreak: Shades of Horror
Dead Drop Studios LLC
$29.99
$23.99
Outbreak: Shades of Horror is inspired by retro survival horror from the '90s and '00s! The title blends bleeding edge tech and modern gameplay mechanics with archaic concepts from the roots of survival horror, like a restricted inventory, heavy resource management, and crushing difficulty. If you're an old hat, or a lover of the past, you'll find a lot to love in the janky but crushing experience. If that's not your jam, proceed with caution as this nightmare is unforgiving!
Welcome to Cypress Ridge!
Experience the harrowing beginning of a full-scale Zombie Apocalypse as it descends on the Midwestern city of Cypress Ridge. Start from the (relative) safety of the beloved local movie theater, Cypress Reel. Choose between a central cast of 9 characters, with loads more on the way, and then venture out into a city fundamentally changed with the goal to survive and outlast the mysterious horrors that have suddenly arisen?
Do You Want To Play a Game? Or maybe some shopping?
Between rounds of running and gunning, there is plenty to do at Cypress Reel. Shop ‘til you drop at Ferret’s Emporium, where you can earn new guns, weapon skins, and millions of different combos of clothing to customize your character just the way you like. If you are in the mood for a different kind of game, Cypress Reel Arcade has a vast array of small-scale mini modes to cleanse your palette before you go back to chasing zombie flesh. Can you survive the Boss Rush gauntlet? Will you be able to skip a creepy rural town in Looming Dread? Test your reflexes as you escape a flooding subway tunnel in Collapse! While short and sweet, these mini-games will put your skills through drills! Plus – with adjustable difficulties, there’s always new challenges to face.
Past Meets Present
Players will also have access to Outbreak: Shades of Horror Chromatic Split, the original prologue to Shades of Horror, and an all new side story, Trials of Hank.
Shades of Horror: Chromatic Split Enhanced Edition: Enjoy the classic, three act prequel to the main game, now enhanced with new weapons, items, and mechanics. Can Lydia get essential information from her contact in the Cypress Ridge underground before it’s too late?
Trials of Hank: While Lydia is traversing the underground in Chromatic Split, fan-favorite Hank hits the rooftops in this over-the-top side campaign where the answers to all of life’s problems are lead, explosions, and more lead! Will Hank complete his mission, or will the monsters that haunt the Cypress Ridge skyline be too much for him to handle?
Challenges and Events: Seasonal and game-crossover events begin immediately with a Halloween celebration and DINOBREAK-themed content and cosmetics. Players can enjoy fun decorations in the theater, thrilling seasonal maps, special challenges to complete, and unique rewards to earn. In addition, test your mettle with Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Crossover and Seasonal challenges.
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