Blood West

About Blood West

Blood West is made by Hyperstrange, the studio behind POSTAL: Brain Damaged, and published by New Blood Interactive together with Hyperstrange. It left early access in December 2023 on PC and came to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on 16 October 2025. It costs $24.99, with two add-ons, Dead Man's Promise and Scavengers. The gunslinger is voiced by Stephen Russell, known as Garrett from the Thief series.

You are the Undead Gunslinger, doomed to roam the Barren Lands until you find a way to purge the curse that has fallen on them. The game is split into three scenarios, the Canyons, the Swamp and the Mountains, each an open map you can explore at your own pace. There are fully voiced and strangely twisted characters to meet, quests to take, hidden stashes to find and vendors who will sell you a map if you cannot find your way.

The makers name Thief, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Hunt: Showdown as its inspirations, and it plays like them: you scout an area, track patrols and strike from the shadows with knives, bows and tomahawks, or fight in the open with revolvers, rifles, shotguns and possessed guns when stealth fails. Enemies hit hard and ammunition runs short, so players say charging in rarely works. Perks and slotted artifacts let you shape your style.

The horror is in its creatures and its land: pale ghouls in candlelit shacks, masked locals, some in horned skull masks, hulking monsters in night forests, skinless creatures among skulls and bones in night-time forts, and occult magic as dangerous as bullets. It is gory and grim, told in a low-res, low-poly look. It suits players who want a slow, tense horror shooter rather than a pure fright game.

How to play Blood West

1. Pick a scenario and explore its open map; buy a map from a vendor if you need one.
2. Scout each fort or camp from a distance and note where the monsters patrol.
3. Crouch, stay in the dark and take enemies down unseen with melee weapons or bows.
4. Use revolvers, rifles and shotguns when you are spotted, and fall back if too many come.
5. Loot bandages, tinctures, explosives and artifacts, and slot artifacts to gain new abilities.
6. Spend experience on perks to build a stealth hunter, a gunman or a brawler.

Tips

• Do not rush in shooting; players say alerted enemies swarm you and soak up more damage.
• Sneak attacks with blades deal the heaviest damage, so get close while unseen.
• Keep rare potions in the stash crate rather than carrying everything.
• Talk to the strange locals; their quests lead to better gear and allies.

Questions