Buy The Long Dark Iron Road PC key

The Long Dark Iron Road is a survival journey through Cauldron Island, a remote northern archipelago formed by a flooded volcanic caldera. You follow Alice McLeod’s investigation into her family’s past, restoring a century-old train and travelling its abandoned railway to uncover the mystery behind an erased industrial empire. The discoveries you make affect how you survive in the Aurora-battered world.

Cauldron Island

A railway stretching over 100 kilometres winds across the island chain’s craggy, desolate landscape, past the abandoned remains of a once-thriving whaling industry. The five main islands are named after Hamish McLeod’s daughters: Anna, Stella, Freya, Morag and Skye. Each has points of interest, new regions and tens of kilometres of railway to explore.

A century ago, industrialist Hamish McLeod sought economic domination by harnessing the island’s unusual properties for whale-oil-powered technology. The history of his plan—and the truth about its failure—was erased. You trace the path of his great-granddaughter Alice, who came to investigate her family legacy and began documenting the island’s increasingly intense Aurora effects.

Restore the train

The Prototype Train, hidden for a hundred years, was at the centre of McLeod’s planned industrial revolution. You find it, restore it and use it to explore deep into Cauldron Island. The train is both transportation and a mobile shelter, and it is your only way back once you cross the threshold. You must keep it running, improve it and protect it as you travel towards the end of the line.

The railway and its surroundings present hazards including broken track, Aurora effects, rock falls and avalanches, as well as the slumbering remnants of McLeod’s empire. Aurora effects grow more extreme the farther you travel along the island’s spine. The train is central to surviving these dangers and exploring this preview of the post-WINTERMUTE Aurora-changed world.

Explore and uncover

You can find dozens of Wax Cylinders containing historical recordings from people connected to the island’s mystery. Listen to their voices, learn their stories and piece together what they experienced. Repair Bays let you unlock train upgrades and customization options, including engine improvements, comforts for your mobile base and enhancements that open access to new areas.

Travel between islands

The Autopilot Boat connects Desolation Point on Great Bear Island to Port Remnant on Cauldron Island. From Port Remnant, you explore Anna Island and nearly 30 kilometres of railway. The Fulmar provides a connection between Cauldron Island and Great Bear Island: travel requires preparation, but it lets you bring useful gear and resources back to Great Bear Island for use in the Survival Mode Base Game. The Fulmar waits in Desolation Point when you are ready to return.

Content for Great Bear Island

Some content is designed to carry over to the Base Game and Great Bear Island, while other content, including the train, is specific to Cauldron Island.