Railborn is a first-person survival game built around constructing and managing a mobile train base. Players must scavenge resources from a dangerous alien planet, build and expand their train, and manage the systems that keep themselves and their train functional. The game blends survival mechanics, base building, resource management, and exploration.
Starting Out
Players begin with a small handcar assembled from a few squares of wood. This initial vehicle is barely large enough to stand on while traveling down the tracks. From this starting point, players scavenge the world for resources, gather food and water to stay alive, craft a working engine, and gradually expand the handcar into a proper train.
Train Construction
The train is built incrementally, piece by piece, floor by floor, and railcar by railcar. Players add new compartments and systems over time, customizing the layout to suit their needs and playstyle. The driving control panel can also be configured. Construction requires materials gathered from the world around the tracks.
Survival Systems
Beyond the train, the planet presents constant threats. Players must manage the following to stay alive:
System | Description |
|---|---|
Food | Players must gather and grow food to avoid starvation. Vegetable plots and farming cars can be constructed on the train. |
Water | Water must be captured from the environment and distributed through the train's plumbing systems. |
Air | The outside air is toxic. Players must manage breathable air supply when venturing off the train. |
Power | The train runs on a power system that must be managed and expanded as new railcars and equipment are added. |
Survival also extends to the world around the train. Players can swim on the surface and underwater to reach undersea areas, though deep water is dangerous in the early game. At night the world becomes very dark, and players can either keep working with the right tools or rest using sleeping items, from a basic sleeping bag up to better setups with added benefits. On the rails, obstacles called track blockers can obstruct the train, countered by researching and building a cowcatcher. See Survival Mechanics for these systems. Severe weather such as thunderstorms and sandstorms also sweeps the world, and the train is the main shelter from it.
Resource Management
Players direct the flow of resources through the train, managing power distribution, water supply, and material storage. Upgrading the train requires copper and other scavenged materials. A technology upgrade tree governs which new systems and railcars can be unlocked as the game progresses.
Biome Cultivation
Rare plants found across the dying alien world can be rescued and cultivated on the train. Players recreate small biomes in dedicated farming and greenhouse railcars, providing a sustainable food source and preserving plant life from an environment in collapse.
Exploration
The world consists of a branching network of railroad tracks. Players choose routes at junctions, navigating paths that lead through mountains, into the sea, and across ruins. Exploration happens both on foot and by train. Abandoned colonist outposts and alien monoliths can be discovered and investigated, revealing the history of the planet.
Navigation and Piloting
Players pilot their train directly along the track network. The customizable driving control panel allows each player to configure their driving setup to their preference. The track system is fixed; players choose paths at branching junctions rather than laying new track.
Cooperative Play
In co-op, up to four players share a single train. Each player can take on different roles: one may pilot while others gather resources, maintain systems, or expand the train. Construction, resource gathering, and system management are all shared across the group.
Technology and Progression
Progression in Railborn runs through a technology upgrade tree fueled by a currency called motes. Motes are harvested mainly from plants grown in biomes on the train's cars, then deposited into mote vaults to unlock technology and rebuild the world's ecosystems.
The Nexus is the central upgrade structure of the train, described by the developers as its brain. Building it up expands abilities such as incline (for climbing tracks), engines (speed and base size), platforms (production and biome space), and bonus oxygen. Expanding the Nexus requires Nexus Cores gathered from the world.
Navigation Systems
The world is crossed along a branching rail network. The game currently uses two baseline track types, a well-maintained mainline shown in white and a slower off-road type shown in orange, with some routes additionally affected by weather. Information towers can be reached to reveal nearby Core locations and local track layouts on the map. Tracks that pass through a mountain run through tunnels, and some routes open up only after exploring on foot to reach track bypasses.