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Railborn is a first-person survival game developed and published by Washbear Studio. Players begin with almost nothing on a hostile alien planet and must scavenge resources to construct a train that serves as both a mobile base and the primary means of survival. The game supports one to four players in single-player and online cooperative modes.

The game was announced at the PC Gaming Show on June 8, 2025, with a gameplay reveal trailer. It is planned for release on Steam Early Access for Windows PC, with a full 1.0 release to follow. Washbear Studio is an Epic Games MegaGrants recipient.

Setting

Railborn takes place on a dying alien world 350 light years from Earth. The planet is covered in an endless network of railroad tracks that carve through mountains, dive beneath the sea, and stretch through ancient ruins. Beyond the safety of the player's train, the planet itself is hostile: the air is toxic, food and water are scarce, and the environment is in a state of collapse.

Abandoned colonist outposts and mysterious alien monoliths are scattered across the world. Players can explore these sites to uncover the history of the planet and the truth behind why it became consumed by tracks. The story culminates in a climactic journey up a track that rises into space, offering a final chance to rescue scattered colonists and preserve the planet's remaining environment.

Gameplay

See Gameplay for a full breakdown of core mechanics.

Players start with a small handcar assembled from a few pieces of wood and must build it into a fully functioning train over the course of the game. Progression is built around scavenging the world on foot and by rail, gathering materials, and returning to the train to expand and upgrade it.

Cooperative Play

Railborn supports one to four players in online co-op. Players share the same train and divide responsibilities such as driving, construction, resource gathering, and system management. The game is designed to function as a complete experience in single-player as well.

Early Access

Railborn is planned to launch in Steam Early Access. Washbear Studio estimates the Early Access period will last one to two years before the 1.0 release. The studio plans to share its development roadmap with the community via a public Trello board and will conduct regular beta tests with community members. The price is expected to increase before the end of Early Access.

In March 2026, Washbear Studio announced the first closed alpha playtest. The playtest focused on co-op stability, construction systems, shared resource gathering, and core survival loops. The studio noted that testers could expect only small portions of the game in a rough state.

Developer

Railborn is developed by Washbear Studio, a small independent team based in Canada. See Washbear Studio for more information about the developer.

Progression Systems

Beyond simply expanding the train, progression centers on a technology tree powered by motes, a currency harvested mainly from plants grown in biomes on the train's cars. Depositing motes into vaults unlocks technology and rebuilds the planet's ecosystems. The Nexus serves as the train's central upgrade structure, expanding abilities such as incline, engines, platforms, and oxygen.

Players read and navigate the branching rail network through different track types and through information towers that reveal nearby points of interest. As an in-development title, these systems may change before and during Early Access.