I love me a good western shooter, even better if it’s a survival game. Looks like Jeff Kaplan, the former Blizzard director behind Overwatch and World of Warcraft, agrees. Not only do I have a soft spot for the Wild West setting, but what I’ve seen in the trailer looks amazing. And it just so happens there’s a playtest coming out soon. Pack those wagons… or is it barges? One way or another, we’re headed west.

The Legend of California is an open world Western survival game set on a fictional Island of California during the gold rush era. The game places players in a harsh frontier where gathering resources, crafting tools, and building infrastructure are essential to staying alive. Players can hunt wildlife, fight hostile groups, and shape the environment by establishing ranches, mines, and other structures. The world features multiple biomes, dynamic conditions, and a mix of PvE encounters alongside optional PvP combat. It is designed for both solo play and small groups, while shared progression systems available for teams.

With that said, the first public alpha playtest is scheduled to run from March 26 at 10 AM PT through March 30 at 10 AM PT. Selection is expected around March 25, but timing could shift. This early version won’t represent the full experience. It includes systems and content that are ready for public testing, but development is ongoing. Progress made during the alpha won’t carry over into future versions.

The test will be available exclusively on Windows PC through Steam. Those selected won’t receive a separate key. Instead, the alpha client will be automatically added to their library. The download size is approximately 50 GB, and an SSD is required to run the game. While it doesn’t include a traditional singleplayer mode, you can choose to join servers alone and group up with as many as three other players. Friend invites won’t be supported during this test phase due to its limited scale. It’s also worth nothing that controller support exists but is still in a basic state.

And for us streamers, there are no restrictions on sharing gameplay. Participants are free to stream, record, and discuss their experience publicly since the test is not under NDA. So that’s good to know, right?