Observer (stylised as >observer_) is a psychological horror video game developed by Bloober Team and published by Aspyr.

It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in August 2017, followed by versions for Linux, macOS and Nintendo Switch.

Critics praised the world design, visual effects and hacking sequences but criticised the stealth and its focus on style over substance.

[5] Observer is set in 2084 Kraków, Poland after the nanophage,[5] a "digital plague" that cost the lives of thousands, resulting in war and rampant drug use.

[9] One morning, Observer detective Daniel Lazarski receives a call from his estranged son Adam, whose caller ID is traced to a tenement building.

[5] Helena is found dead inside the parlour; hacking her brain reveals she was working for Adam, smuggling data out of Chiron.

Daniel is urged to manually override the signal that caused the lockdown, releasing Adam from the building's private network.

Daniel manages to steal the body of the drone's owner and uses it to attack Adam but is shot dead by police as the lockdown is finally lifted.

[5] At Kraków-based Bloober Team, a staff, at times exceeding thirty members, developed Observer with Unreal Engine 4.

Development began with the idea of changing the setting from that of the studio's previous title, Layers of Fear, to a dystopian society embellished with 1980s and '90s references to Eastern European culture and architecture,[10][9] and adding in-game propaganda reminiscent of the Soviet Union.

Przemek Laszczyk, with whom Reikowski worked on the 2015 video game Kholat, provided additional ambient music like the tattoo parlour theme.

[43] Game Informer's Javy Gwaltney wrote "Observer makes the most of its fusion of cyberpunk sci-fi and terror", citing the minimalistic setting as something that distinguished it from other futuristic stories.

The game was praised for its puzzles, consistent scares and plot revelations, which Gwaltney thought kept it from being boring, despite the lack of combat.

[33][34] Macgregor complained that, although the visual effects looked "kind of cool", they eventually lost their appeal; similarly, he called the cat-and-mouse sequences "overused".

[36] In December 2017, a film adaptation with American production company Zero Gravity was announced, increasing the value of Bloober Team's shares by over 8%.