Brand New Open-World RPG on Steam Takes the Best of Red Dead Redemption and Gives It a Little Touch of Valheim

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I’ve played a lot of Western games, but Red Dead Redemption really set the bar high for how immersive and detailed those worlds can be. Now, there’s a new game on Steam called Westlanders that’s looking to capture some of that magic. It’s an open-world RPG coming to Early Access in 2026, and it feels like a cool mix of Red Dead‘s open world and Western vibes with the survival and base-building aspects of Valheim. From what I’ve seen, it’s not just copying those games, though – it’s trying to build something unique of its own, which is awesome.

Westlanders is an open-world western adventure where players explore a rich and dangerous landscape. You can play solo or with friends, building a customizable mobile base called The Wagon to help you survive. The game focuses on building outposts, recruiting companions, and creating a thriving economy as you tame the wilderness and forge your own legacy. Essentially, Westlanders offers a classic ‘taming the west’ experience.

Westlanders’ Features at a Glance

  • SURVIVE a dynamic open world, teeming with life and fraught with peril.
  • EXPLORE vast landscapes from your customizable wagon.
  • DISCOVER vital resources, hidden locations, and unique characters.
  • CRAFT & INNOVATE everything from basic tools to ingenious innovations.
  • PROGRESS through a deep tech tree, unlocking powerful gear and useful buildings.
  • BUILD & CUSTOMIZE your own settlements, transforming the wilderness into bustling hubs.
  • PRODUCE & HARNESS the land’s bounty through farming, ranching, and mining.
  • OPTIMIZE your production lines through research and worker automations
  • THRIVE by forging a network of settlements across the entire valley.
  • FIGHT bandits, wild beasts, and anyone who dares challenge you.

via The Breach Studios

Westlanders’ Open World Takes the Lived-In Approach of Red Dead Redemption 2

Explore a vibrant, ever-changing open world filled with lush plants, dangerous creatures, and fascinating people. Each day brings new challenges, and every night, you’ll be tested.

Players will explore the Westlands, discovering resources, interesting people, and hidden secrets. It’s unclear if these discoveries will be as memorable as characters from games like Red Dead 2 or mysteries like the Ghost Train, but the description is certainly exciting. As you journey, you’ll encounter other survivors – you can compete with them for land, or choose to help them with their struggles.

As a fan, I’m really excited about how challenging this game is going to be! It’s not just about the main quest – you’re constantly battling the environment too. Seriously, you’ve got to watch out for both overheating and freezing to death! And it’s not just the weather; you’ll be dealing with all sorts of nasty stuff like diseases you can catch from water, painful bites that cause bleeding, hidden mines, and even the possibility of getting sick with tuberculosis. It feels like a truly dangerous open world where you really have to think about survival.

  • Bandits (everywhere!)
  • Wild animals (everywhere!)
  • Hidden Threats (everywhere!)
  • An Events system that puts players’ wagons, homesteads, and production

As a fan of games like Satisfactory, I’m really excited about this! It looks like you can build up your own little empire in the Wild West – think mining operations, lumber mills, and even ranches for animals. There’s a ton of resources to gather out in these Westlands, and building efficient production lines to process them all seems like a lot of fun.

Trust in Your Wagon Like Arthur Morgan Trusts His Horse

As a huge fan, I’m really excited about the Westlands! It looks like we’ll get our own customizable Wagon – basically a mobile base! We can pick out the best horse we’ve bred to pull it, and then add all sorts of upgrades to make it even more useful. Plus, you can set up a full campsite with workshops and tools whenever you stop, which is awesome for crafting and prepping for the next adventure.

Westlanders’ Open World is Fitting for Its Survival-Crafting Features Too

Okay, so Westlanders definitely gets its vibe and how the story unfolds from Red Dead Redemption – you’re exploring a Wild West world and learning through what you see and do. But what really sets it apart is how you interact with that world. It feels like taking the best parts of survival games like Valheim or The Forest – building, gathering, that kind of thing, but without all the scary monsters – and mixing it with the automation stuff you love from Satisfactory. It’s about making the world work for you, not just surviving in it.

In Westlands, players can build and grow large settlements, creating their own frontier towns. Success depends on skill, as you’ll progress from simple tools and crafting to more advanced techniques. The game’s technology is inspired by the late 1800s, starting with wilderness survival skills and eventually leading to iron tools and even firearms. Players will unlock these advancements through a detailed tech tree, gradually building from basic camps to fully automated outposts.

via The Breach Studios

In Westlanders, you’ll build and manage outposts to gather resources. You can hire workers with unique skills and weaknesses, assign them tasks, and pay their salaries to create a thriving, automated economy. These workers can even improve their abilities over time. By building roads and establishing trade routes between your outposts, you can dominate the wild west and create a powerful trade empire – or simply settle down and enjoy your success.

Westlanders offers a fresh spin on the Wild West genre, combining open-world exploration with survival crafting and automation. If you enjoy those types of games, it’s planned for release in Early Access next year.

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2025-12-18 20:38