Is This New Game Secretly Set in Montana?

There’s a new survival game on the horizon, The Gold River Project. It’s said to take place in the “Pacific Northwest.” That said, anyone from Montana who sees the trailer will have the same reaction: “That’s Montana. That’s 100% Montana." The tall pines, the misty lakes, the scattered cabins, the bumpy dirt roads… if you’ve ever camped your way up the Blackfoot or got lost outside Libby, you’ve seen this game before.

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And it’s not just the landscapes that feel familiar. There’s a mystery at the center of this thing. The Gold River Project begins as a chill camping escape. Just you, a few good friends, and the woods. Then the guide disappears. Cameras show up. Weird stuff starts happening. Suddenly, you’re not on vacation, you’re on display. And you’re definitely not alone.

The game’s not out yet, but an active alpha demo is live on Steam. So if you’re curious, you can play it while the developers continue to flesh it out. Consider it early access, the bugs are still getting squashed, and new features are rolling out as the game takes shape.

So what does it play like? If you boiled Far Cry 5 down to its essence, removed all the cults, and added in the survivalist sensibility of DayZ, you’d land somewhere close. Open-world exploration, crafting, base building, and a slow-burn mystery that gets weirder the deeper you go. It’s not quite a horror game, but it’s got that Cabin in the Woods meets reality TV uneasiness that keeps you glancing over your shoulder.

Bottom line: If you like games where you wander the beautiful wilderness, build campfires, and uncover dark secrets that suspiciously resemble western Montana, then The Gold River Project should be on your list.