Northbound

NORTHBOUND is a cozy railway game set in the northern wilderness. You have a train, a bunch of packages to deliver, and a huge world to explore. What you do along the way is mostly up to you.

You can play alone or invite up to three friends to join you.

The idea is pretty simple. Pick up delivery jobs, load your train, figure out where you need to go, and hit the tracks. Along the way, you can explore small towns, discover abandoned places, or just enjoy the scenery.

Your train is also your home. You can walk around inside, cook something while traveling, organize your packages, or just sit back and watch the forest pass by.

Driving the train

The trains are a little more involved than just pressing W to go forward.

You'll need to start the locomotive, manage the brakes, operate switches, and keep an eye on your instruments. We're trying to make the trains feel believable without turning the whole game into a hardcore railway simulator.

Sometimes things won't go exactly as planned, either. You might have to stop and clear something off the tracks or figure out a different route.

Playing with friends

NORTHBOUND is designed to work both alone and in co-op.

You can split up the work however you like. One person drives, another handles navigation, someone sorts the packages, and someone else is probably busy cooking dinner.

You'll also have to work together when things get a little more complicated, like reversing into a station or figuring out which tracks to take.

There's no fixed way to play. Just figure things out together.

A world to explore

The game takes place in a large northern landscape with forests, small villages, railway stations, and abandoned buildings.

There's a day and night cycle, changing weather, and the occasional northern lights.

Some trips are busy. Others are just you, your train, and a long stretch of railway through the forest.

That's kind of the point.

Current features

• Singleplayer and online co-op for up to 4 players
• A large world with towns, forests, and railway lines
• Drivable locomotives with interactive controls
• Package deliveries and route planning
• A train you can actually live in
• Cooking and other activities during your travels
• Railway switches, shunting, and cooperative train operation
• Day/night cycle and changing weather
• Plenty of places to explore

About development

NORTHBOUND is an indie project that's still in active development.

There's a lot I want to add, and plenty of things still need work. I'm focusing on getting the core gameplay right first, especially the trains, deliveries, and co-op experience.

The goal isn't to make the most realistic train simulator out there. I want to make a game where you can spend an evening driving through the wilderness with your friends, delivering some packages, and having a good time.

If you find bugs, have suggestions, or just want to share your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for checking out NORTHBOUND!