Project Castaway

Project Castaway is a survival crafting game currently in Early access on Steam. It’s made by the Canadian studio Maedonpol Inc., the same team behind Tech Corp. The game launched on September 23 ,2024 for Windows and Linux. Players start stranded in the Pacific Ocean after a crash and have to explore islands, gather resources, craft tools, and build shelters to survive.^[1]

Project casteaway
Developer(s)	Mardanpol Inc
Publisher(s)	Techcorp
Engine	Unityengine
Platform(s)	Windows
Genre(s)	survival
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

In Project Castaway, players find themselves stranded in the Pacific Ocean after a plane crash, starting out with nothing but a backpack and a survival guide. From there, the challenge is to explore nearby islands, gather materials, hunt wildlife, build shelters and rafts, grow food, and even mine and smelt ores. Survival isn’t just physical—players also have to manage their character’s mental health, as losing sanity can trigger hallucinations and other psychological challenges.

The game world is procedurally generated, meaning no two playthroughs are exactly the same. It features shifting weather, a day-night cycle, and immersive sound design that adds to the atmosphere. The developers have said they plan to expand the game over time with more islands to discover, new animals and plants, and additional crafting options.^[2]

Development

Mardonpol Inc., the studio behind the economic strategy game Tech Corp, is both the developer and publisher of Project Castaway. The game entered Early Access with the goal of building it together with the community, and players are encouraged to share their ideas and report issues through the game’s official Discord server or via in-game feedback tools that appear alongside new patches.

Before the Early Access launch, a demo was released on June 10, 2024, giving players an early look at the core mechanics.

The team itself is fairly small—just four programmers and one artist. While the game is currently single-player only, the developers have confirmed that co-op multiplayer is planned for the full release. Console versions are also being considered for the future^[3]

Reception

As of now, user reviews on Steam are mixed—approximately 67-68% across all time, with more recent feedback being more divided^[4][5]

Early impressions and coverage describe the game as promising but still showing the typical roughness of Early Access. Critics highlight its immersive atmosphere—praised for beautiful visuals and dynamic environments—while noting the experience remains incomplete