Controls and Gameplay

Overview

Outbound supports keyboard-and-mouse and gamepad input. The game has two primary modes: on-foot exploration and van driving. Interactions with the van are physical. The player opens the front door to access the steering wheel and lifts the back hatch to reach the Crafting Table.

Camera

On foot, the camera follows the player in third person. When driving, players can switch between a third-person exterior view and a first-person cockpit view. Third person is generally recommended for resource gathering since it provides better visibility of the surroundings. First person is more immersive for scenic drives.

On-foot controls

While on foot, the player walks, runs, gathers resources by interacting with objects, uses tools, and commands the dog companion. Nearby interactable objects are highlighted, simplifying resource collection. A compass navigation tool was added during alpha testing based on player feedback.

Driving

The van uses standard vehicle controls: accelerate, brake, steer. Its handling changes based on terrain type and the total weight of installed modules. A heavily built van with many workstations and building components handles differently from a stripped-down, lightweight setup. In the early game, the van feels slow.

Building mode

Entering building mode switches to a grid-based placement interface. Players select modules from their blueprint catalog, preview placement with a ghost outline, rotate, and confirm position. Items can be freely rearranged within the van's building boundaries at any time.

Languages

Outbound supports 17 languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Latin American Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, and Ukrainian.