Explore the wilderness and set the foundations of society in the Old West with the latest open-world survival game, Westlanders.
I was recently invited to a play-test of Breach Studios and Team17’s upcoming title, Westlanders. While it was only a small taste of what the full game will offer, I’m still confident it will make it onto a few people’s wishlist’s when it eventually enters Early Access.
First of all, yes, this does play by the usual survival game playbook. You need to manage your food and water, craft your tools, deal with an eternal need for plant fibre, and avoid getting over-encumbered. So, let’s look at how Westlanders is doing things differently.
Starting on the trail
The Wild West aesthetic. Set in the late 1800s during the peak of American westward expansion, you were part of a caravan that got separated during a storm and now have the whole wilderness to claim as your own. Ever since Red Dead Redemption 2’s release, I personally enjoyed the sandbox slightly more than the story and wished there was more to the camp-building aspect. Westlanders seems to be scratching this particular itch, and speaking to other players, I’m not alone in this sentiment.
A content warning, though: the game starts pretty heavy with you burying a family member, a sombre start that showcases the struggles of the period.
Automating the Grind
Building a community. Westlanders’ building mechanic relies more on prefabricated structures than on full customisation. Each building has a function and, more importantly, can be manned by NPCs. Scattered around the open world are non-player characters that can be hired and, provided you supply lodgings, can live at your encampments. For a daily wage, they will staff the workstations, automating resource gathering and processing. The play-test has you set up a logging outpost which, when fully manned, can produce wood and logs.
Home Is Where the Wagon Is
A mobile base. The main problem with open-world games is that once you set up your base, you inevitably have to make longer treks to and fro, or build multiple bases as the map expands. Westlanders bypasses this by making your wagon your base. Along with ample storage, you get a customisable tent you can pack into your wagon and move with you, and setting it back up is as simple as two button presses. Customisation isn’t just cosmetic either; you have six interchangeable slots for workstations, like a crafting bench or a campfire, making sure you have the basics with you wherever you go.
Early Access Growth
There is still a long way to go before launch, however. The play-test is only a fraction of the overall game, with features like a more customisable character still promised. I did have a few gripes and quality-of-life issues, like having to craft intermediate ingredients to make other things, especially when other games in the genre automatically craft them if you have the base materials. I also somehow managed to lose my hat in the character customisation menu.
With some love and attention, I can see Westlanders being a worthy title, and I can already predict a couple of communities I know making custom worlds to share amongst themselves. Keep an eye on this one.
The Westlanders play-test will be active throughout November 2026, and you can request access on their Steam page.
Developer: The Breach Studios
Publisher: Team17
Proposed Platforms: PC, Xbox, PlayStation
Early Access Launch: 2027
Key Provided by: PressEngine
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