Today, GoldFire Studios announced Ranchonauts, an upcoming slapstick co-op game about herding alien sheep across a dangerous frontier. The game will be coming to PC next year.
In Ranchonauts, players take on the role of space explorers who are stranded on an alien world with a damaged ship and no money to pay for the repairs. Players can work solo or with up to five other friends to wrangle a flock of sheep through lightning storms, gravity anomalies, and physics-fueled disasters. The ultimate goal of this silly space western is to work hard to pay off debts to repair the ship and get home in one piece.
The game features ridiculous ragdoll physics and proximity voice chat to communicate with teammates. Players can choose to move a greater number of sheep at a time for a bigger payday, but of course, a larger herd also means a bigger risk.
Each ranch in the game features its own unique terrain and its own challenges, so players will need to expect the unexpected. Anti-gravity zones and the occasional exploding bush are all fair game.
There are also plenty of tools to use while herding sheep. Players can take hold of a shrink ray or a gravity cannon to get creative with their flocks. There is also the ability to upgrade horses, and there are unlockable cosmetics to make each cowboy look fabulous.
You can watch the announcement trailer that GoldFire Studios shared below.
It’s unknown when in 2027 Ranchonauts will release, but you can check out the Steam page for the game right here.
If you’re looking for other sheep-related games while waiting for more news about Ranchonauts, you can check out our coverage of Sheeps, an upcoming roguelike, Tiny Flock, a VR herding adventure, and Hubert, a shepherd dog adventure that released last month.
