Survival games like DayZ, Rust, The Long Dark, and The Day Before owe it all to The Oregon Trail, the defining text-based educator launched all the way back in 1971. Naturally, over the last 51 years, the OG of decision systems, resource management, and brutal permadeath has more than aged a little, but don’t count it out – The Oregon Trail is back, in a full remake about to ford the river from the App Store all the way over to Steam.
Developed by Gameloft, the spin-off studio largely responsible for mobile ports of Ubisoft games like Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia, The Oregon Trail aims to honour the presentation and history of the original while making it prettier, smoother, and more accessible for modern players. All the classic hazards are still here – if you’re not careful, your settlers can starve, break their legs, or contract dysentery – but combined with fresh mechanics like new random events, unlockable achievements, and an expanded health, morale, and inventory management system.
More significantly, however, the remake of The Oregon Trail takes a broader and fairer view of history, focusing not just on the western-expanding pioneers, but Native Americans and their struggles to live on and defend their land. With new stories and playable Native American characters, Gameloft says it has undertaken “thorough research…to ensure accuracy and respectful representation of all peoples depicted in the game.” The full remake of The Oregon Trail will be available on Steam this November, though no specific date has been given.
You might want to try some of the other best old games, if remembering The Oregon Trail has you feeling all nostalgic. The best western games might also be your thing, or perhaps, as a glutton for punishment, the best roguelikes on PC.