Rich River is a is a cozy indie simulation mining adventure game is working its way onto Linux with Windows PC, but has a Demo. Thanks to the ongoing creative talents of developer Garry Gatling. Which is coming to Steam.
I didn’t expect a quiet simulation mining adventure to hit me in the chest like this. But a few minutes into Rich River, I felt that rare calm you only get when a game stops trying to impress you and just lets you live in it. Sun-baked dirt. Empty streets. A promise that if you put in the work, something beautiful will grow.
That’s the core vibe here. Rich River isn’t about rushing to an endgame or flexing numbers. It’s about showing up to a dusty, half-built desert town with nothing but a dream and slowly turning that dream into a place that feels like home. And that exactly what is happening with native support and development.
I am developing the game with Godot, and making the assets with blender and krita. So ideally I will be able to test and release a build of the demo before steam next fest on Linux.
Garry Gatling has always gravitated toward free and open-source software when possible, with hands-on experience using Linux both professionally and as a hobby.
Right now, the main focus is finishing the Rich River Windows build. But has both Linux Mint and Kubuntu systems set up on different hardware, ready for testing.
The ideal scenario is to test and release a Linux demo before Steam Next Fest. But with development running a bit behind, there’s a real chance the priority will be wrapping up the Windows version first and tackling native support afterwards. Again, nothing is locked in yet. The final decision depends on how progress unfolds in the coming weeks.
Rich River | Official Reveal Trailer
Right now, there’s a demo out, and it focuses on mining, just one slice of what the full release is aiming to be. But honestly? That slice already feels satisfying. You head out into the wild, dig into the earth, pull up gems and metals, and sell what you find. The money you earn goes straight back into building your house and shaping the town around you. Simple loop. Surprisingly addictive.
What really sells Rich River , though, is how personal everything feels. Every interaction is a minigame. Not in a gimmicky way, but in a “this world respects your time” way. Mining isn’t just clicking rocks. It’s active. Focused. You feel involved. Same goes for everything else you do to earn a little extra coin.
You can help out at the bar or the hospital. Jump into card games at the casino. Tend horses. Work the wheat fields. Wander into different biomes and switch gears—pan for gold in the river, dig deep for metals, hunt gems in the rock. Each activity has its own rhythm, its own little rules, its own personality.
And when it’s time to sell your haul, you don’t just dump it into a menu. Every resource has its own quirky salesperson, each with their own clients and attitudes. You negotiate, play a value-based minigame. You try to squeeze out a better deal. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you walk away feeling like you could’ve pushed harder. It feels human, not automated.
The Setting
The Rich River setting helps a lot. This is a peaceful, atmospheric take on the “wild” west. No loud shootouts. No chaos. Just wide-open land, warm colors, and the sense that the town is waiting for you to define it. You’re not saving the world. You’re building a life.
One thing that really earns my respect is how the title is made. Everything, music, models, animations, textures is created from scratch. Mostly with free, open-source tools. As someone who cares about gaming and sustainable dev practices, that matters. It shows intention. It shows love.
Rich River mining is coming to Linux and Windows PC, and it wears the label “cozy indie simulation adventure” proudly. If you’re the kind of player who values atmosphere, performance, and games that let you breathe, this one deserves your attention.
The demo is small. Focused. Calm. But it already feels like the start of something special. And honestly? Sometimes that’s all I need to hit download on Steam. Due to release in 2026