Since it was first announced in 2024, the relaxing exploration game Outbound has been highly anticipated by gamers. The game allows you to create and customize a mobile base built on a camper van as you explore a stunning natural world. Its unique blend of cozy, relaxing gameplay and survival elements really grabbed my attention. Outbound will launch on PC and Xbox on May 11th, and will be available on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch just a few days later on May 14th. I recently had a chance to play the PC version early for review, and my initial impressions are somewhat mixed.
Outbound was originally supposed to come out last month, but the release was delayed after players had a lukewarm reaction to a preview version. I’ve played the game both before and after the delay, and it feels like it’s unsure of its own identity. While the basic elements are intriguing and the game looks beautiful, the main gameplay doesn’t successfully blend relaxing and challenging survival elements, and doesn’t fully satisfy fans of either type of game.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stunning visuals bring the worrld to life | Resource grind is poorly balanced and often frustrating |
| Good variety of collectibles and quests for completionists | Sometimes takes intentionally slow gameplay past its limits |
| Solid customization for van life basebuilding | Lack of story & character interactions detracts from immersion |
Outbound Strives to Be a Cozy Survival Game, And Falls Short of Both
Outbound is interesting because it combines the relaxing appeal of van life with the challenge of survival games, creating a lot of potential. However, it doesn’t fully succeed as either a truly cozy experience or a gripping survival game.
Similar to other relaxing games, Outbound is deliberately paced slowly. You can’t fast travel and must drive your van between locations. While you can upgrade the engine, the van remains frustratingly slow. This is made worse by the game frequently requiring you to revisit areas you’ve already explored – not just to collect hidden items like Gnomes and Cairns, but also to gather the resources and recipes needed to progress.
I appreciate games that prioritize exploration and a relaxed pace, but Outbound struggles with this. It becomes frustrating to constantly backtrack in a slow van to find radio tower signals in areas you’ve already seen, especially when there’s not much new to discover. Movement on foot is also clunky, and you quickly fill up your backpack. Unfortunately, there’s no way to improve your stamina or carrying capacity, forcing you to slowly trudge back to the van or abandon useful items. While a slow pace can be enjoyable, Outbound doesn’t quite get the balance right.
The survival aspects of the game currently feel underdeveloped. While you do collect resources and build a base, the health and hunger meters decrease so gradually that they’re easy to overlook. While not everyone wants a super-challenging survival experience, offering a higher difficulty option would improve the game. These are issues that could likely be adjusted with updates, and there’s potential for a really good, relaxed survival game here. However, as it stands, Outbound isn’t quite delivering on that potential.
The Slow Life Becomes a Punishing Grind, But At Least the Views are Nice
Besides being a slow-paced game, Outbound doesn’t have a compelling story or meaningful interactions with characters, making its world feel underdeveloped. While your character occasionally comments on the journey and you find notes left by others, you’re largely alone with just your van. The world feels strangely empty – you see evidence of people everywhere, but never actually meet anyone. This leaves you focusing mostly on collecting resources, which can be a difficult and repetitive process.
I really wanted to love Outbound, but I struggled with how much grinding it requires. The game’s resources aren’t well-balanced. You end up with too much of some things – like bottlecaps for the gacha machine – and not enough of others. For example, you might need Redwood to light campfires for a quest, but the area is filled with a different, less useful type of wood, and Redwood is incredibly rare. This means you’re constantly driving around, unable to complete objectives, and endlessly searching for the resources you need.
Despite its flaws, the game creates a truly beautiful and relaxing atmosphere. I often stopped to take screenshots, just like I would when enjoying a real camping trip. If the game had more engaging activities and a better balance between effort and reward, it could be fantastic. Thankfully, the game runs smoothly on PC, and many of the current problems seem like they could be addressed with updates. Right now, though, I found myself more annoyed than captivated, and I was hoping for a more fulfilling experience.
ComicBook was provided with a PC copy of Outbound for the purpose of this review.
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2026-05-08 16:10