Outlaws of the Old West is a survival sandbox cowboy game with 'elaborate morality'

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Outlaws of the Old West is an open-world sandbox survival game set in the American frontier of the 19th century, an unforgiving time and place that challenges players to hunt, forage, mine, and craft—or die!

The game will give players a "vast" map to explore with terrain including deserts, plains, swamps, and mountains. Up to 150 players will be supported on PvP, PvE, and role-play servers with a player-driven economy and customizable settlements, and an "elaborate morality system" promises to enable players to create their own unique in-game narratives. That last bit sounds like it could be the most interesting aspect of Outlaws of the Old West, although neither the announcement nor the Steam page have much to say about it.

"Players decide the direction of the server(s) and the game," publisher Wandering Wizard explained. "With the morality system, players can build a reputation as a region defender, protecting other players and settlements from NPC or Player gangs—or become a cold-blooded outlaw terrorizing the locals."

The Early Access release is planned for March 12, with systems for combat, crafting, customization, home building, trading, and harvesting in a playable state. "Players will be able to play online, engage other players, and utilize all types of available resources to craft items and gear to survive," the listing says. "That said, we're also expecting to see some bugs and gameplay balance issues, especially during the beginning stages of Early Access."

The developers expect that Outlaws of the Old West will be in Early Access for about a year, and warned that the price will increase when it goes into full release—although the Early Access price hasn't been revealed yet, so we can't really nail down what to expect from that. You can tell 'em the law's coming, and Hell's coming with it, at outlawsoftheoldwest.com.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.