Whenever a certain genre takes over, Steam offers up thousands of experiences just like it. Think back to a few years after Stardew Valley really struck it big, and you might be able to recall the droves of farming simulator games that are still popping up to this day. It’s a phenomenon that’s always been the case in the entertainment industry, but in games, things sometimes move very quickly.

As far as Steam is concerned, it moves faster than pretty much every other platform out there. If you blink, you might miss a hundred games being released, and thankfully, there are myriad forms of curation that can help keep interesting games to the forefront, even before they’re released.

Take this particular project, which is live on Steam. It mixes up a few popular franchises in a unique way, and you can try it for free now.

Valheim Meets Red Dead In A New Survival Sim

As revealed on Steam, Nomad: Steppeborn Saga is coming next year. While roaming an open world inspired by the Silk Road era, you’ll hunt, trade, and form alliances as you try to survive, while migrating across the map. You’ll need to breed and manage horses, plan migrations, encounter mythological oddities, and trade with NPCs.

Here’s how developer Gamegine describes it: “Nomad: Steppeborn Saga is an open world co-op survival crafting adventure set in a vast, ever changing world of nomadic culture. Explore, trade, forge alliances, and face threats while packing up camp, migrating, and forging your legacy.”

A weather system makes survival a little tougher than usual, and summer droughts, harsh winters, and dynamic wildlife are teased. While the game is co-op focused, there’s also the ability to form trade rivalries, including “direct PVP combat” that can transpire among territories in-game. It’s ambitious to say the least, but a lot of these ideas seem fully formed already, and you can try it out for yourself now, before release.

You Can Sign Up For The Playtest Now

The playtest is live at the time of publication, and there’s no waiting list required. In our case, we opted in to the Nomad playtest and were granted instantaccess. There is no date for the playtest’s end, but Nomad itself is slated for a 2027 debut. Since there’s a lot of moving parts there’s a chance it could slip out of that window, but for now, the fact that it’s playable is a great sign.

There’s a lot more to the game than meets the eye, including the way the world is presented: “Face creatures from ancient Asian mythologies, explore enchanted forests glowing with mystical flora, resonating with shamanic rituals, survive cursed groves haunted by spirits, and unlock hidden wisdom through sacred stone totems. Every encounter with a creature is a turning point; some demand combat, others offer cryptic paths through dialogue. You choose your stance: Hunt them. Hear them. Or become something else entirely.”

For Steam users looking for something different, Nomad: Steppeborn Saga seems like a great game to keep an eye out for. While it might be a ways out, it’s ambitious enough to warrant some attention.

Brand

Valve

Original Release Date

September 12, 2003