Gold Rush: The Game

Oh... close to 500hours already? Man time sure flies by, eh?
Okay. Time to review this old hunkajunk.
If you want to play a game to relax and enjoy digging up dirt, you won't find anything better. Neither older nor younger than this game. Period.
Buuuuuut, let's hop into our usual process:
We start with Graphics!
Does it look breathtaking and stunning?
Weeeell... yes, in a sense it does. If you expect a title this old to be on par with current gen GPU eyecandy, it sure will take away your breath while you gasp in horror.
For real, way back when it released, it looked pretty decent and even today it looks acceptable.
Sure, you see that it's old but so what? It IS an old game.
You play minecraft and enjoy looking at clunky cubes but complain over seeing edges in another game? Get lost, now will ya.
For how old it is it gets a solid 3/5 Stars in this department.
Next... next... Sound!
Do you love big machines? Yes? Well, you will enjoy them good over here.
Turning the excavator, digging up the dirt, scraping the ground with the teeth of it's bucket, it is all well enough designed to keep you diggin on with glee.
Ambient sounds are okayish, too.
The sounds of the working washplants and water are excellent, albeit too loud if you're too close to them while working.
Well, one could argue "Well, duh! Standing next to a jackhammer IS loud, no?" and indeed, it is a minor grape mostly due to dreaded realism! haha! didn't see that one coming in a simulator.
taking the age into account again...
4/5 Stars.
Off we go tooooo GAMEPLAY!!!
I have a glas of diiiirt! I have a glas of diiiirt!
Jack would jump in endless joy for sure.
The Dirtmechanics are top notch. There are a few problems with how the different layers of dirt work if you dig from the ground up and I dunno if the gripes with that ever got fixed, but overall despite loosing some of the gold because of it, terrain deformation, dirt transport etc all are god damn good.
I mean... I shovelled megatons of dirt for almost 500 hours by now so trust me, It either is god damn marverllous or I'm a bonafide Masochist.
Or both? You'll never know *grin*
Besides playing around with dirt... well... that's it. It is a dig around in dirt and get Gold Simulator. There's nothing else to simulate.
The Machines work, the mechanics how the machines work are implemented well and albeit a tad bit tedious at times, the process of refining your paydirt into a sellable Goldbar over several Steps in between still feels rewarding after millions of times doing it.
Yupp, I'm doing it. Stop screaming, I'm doing it!
5/5 Stars! For what it claims to be and do, no other game reached a comparable good feeling about it. Yet!
Last but not least: BUGSSSSSSSS! *insert meme here*
Let's be honest folks.
Yes, the game is plagued by some bugs and those are like cockroaches. Is it bad for a several years old game to have bugs since ancient times plagueing it? yes.
But, to it's defense, the game went through several hands by now.
The new Devs try their best to mitigate what they can in a spaghetti code not even the original writer ever wanted to touch again after the game made it into a working version somehow.
So... I give the new Devs 3/5 Stars for their effort to straddle through this code swamp they didn't even produced and bring some QoL and Bugfixes as best they can, while working on the Successor with hopefully better maintained code and features.
Where does that leave us overall?
Well, The game is the best gold mining simulator out there. No pun intended.
It is old, clunky and not without bugs even after all its years in existence, but if you love mining, it is the undefeated King in its field.
We settle at not fully 4/5 Stars.
It is almost constant in a sale nowadays so go and get it.
If you encounter a bug, shrug it off. Happens and compared to current AAA Games, this old clunker is way less bugridden, then those abominations the big publishers call Releases anyways.

Gold Mining Simulator is a slow-paced, methodical simulation that places players deep in the heart of Alaskan gold country. Starting with basic tools like a pan and shovel, the game challenges you to build up a full-scale mining operation, complete with excavators, wash plants, water pumps, and generators. What begins as a simple dig in the dirt quickly turns into a complex operation that requires careful management of both equipment and natural resources. It’s a deliberate experience, meant for players who enjoy investing time into mastering heavy machinery and squeezing every ounce of gold from the terrain.
The mechanical realism is the core appeal here. Each vehicle and piece of equipment operates with its own controls and quirks, demanding attention to detail and a strong grasp of how different systems work together. Whether you're running a mobile wash plant or positioning a massive excavator, there’s a tactile satisfaction to the work. The terrain is fully deformable, and environmental conditions—like weather and seasons—introduce real obstacles. Winter can shut down operations entirely, while rain might bog down equipment or affect your fuel and power efficiency. Every decision has weight, and the constant balancing of power, fuel, water, and maintenance keeps things engaging.
However, the pacing can be punishingly slow. Gathering gold takes time, and the repetitive nature of digging, washing, and refining becomes apparent after extended sessions. It’s a grind-heavy experience by design, but one that lacks dynamic variety or narrative structure. The reward loop hinges on unlocking better machines and refining your process, but the lack of more diverse challenges or events can make the mid-game feel stagnant for players looking for a more varied experience.
Visually, the game presents a rugged, realistic Alaskan wilderness with a functional, if not overly detailed, art style. The changing seasons, day/night cycle, and weather effects add immersion, but graphical fidelity and polish vary. Performance issues are not uncommon, especially in larger operations—frame drops, glitches, and memory leaks are frequently reported by players. Despite multiple updates, these technical rough edges persist and can detract from the immersive quality of the game.
Audio design is minimal and mostly ambient. The sounds of machinery, rustling trees, and distant wildlife contribute to a grounded atmosphere, but it lacks the kind of auditory richness that could elevate the immersion. In many ways, the sound design mirrors the gameplay—utilitarian, serviceable, but not particularly compelling.
While the core simulation is impressively detailed, the lack of multiplayer and mod support holds the experience back. Many players have expressed a desire to work cooperatively in multiplayer scenarios or to mod in new content like maps, machines, or economic systems. These features are notably absent, with developers confirming that they won’t be implemented in the current version. Instead, these elements are expected in a planned sequel, which leaves the current iteration feeling a bit constrained despite its potential.
Overall, Gold Mining Simulator is a niche but rewarding experience for those who appreciate realism, patience, and the gritty details of operating heavy machinery. It's more of a simulation sandbox than a traditional game, prioritizing process over action. For players who enjoy digging deep—literally and figuratively—it can be a satisfying and meditative journey. But for those looking for fast-paced gameplay, variety, or a polished, bug-free experience, it may feel more like work than play.
Rating: 7/10

This game used to be Gold Rush game, licensed from Discovery Channel. All attempts to make games with Discovery Channel connections seems to have failed. Deadliest Catch: The Game, Diesel Brothers: Truck Building Simulator, Street Outlaws: The List, ...
Maybe Discovery Channel licensing options are horrible. Or just so expensive, that there is no money left for actual game development.
This game seems to have plenty on half baked features too. Controlling heavy machine with keyboard makes brain hurt, when not done properly. Even simple excavator has nearly dozen axles of movement. And user should be able to control most simultaneously and fluently, without looking at keys. That does not happen here.
First tier is gold mining is pretty much done with shovel, bucket and pan. That part was only bit grindy and mostly fun. Even second tier was still fun, just light machinery and bit better tools. And just one man, digging for gold. This game does feels fun for first 20 hours or so.
There is some open world element, but only limited. You have to dig in allotted area. And you can't go backpacking and prospecting in mountains.
After initial gold rush, game just turn into endless grind. Then you have purchased first larger machines, and try set those up. And find out, that even with all machines, you're still alone digging for gold. Just doing work of 5 people. And machine controls are really bad.
i stopped playing, since game did not feel fun anymore. Only bit over 20 hours feels quite low in game this big. But it was fun at beginning. And a go it well discounted. So bang for buck ratio is acceptable.
Game now has new developer. My playtime was with original version only. New developer seems to have made updates, so maybe this game has some hope.
Recommended if you have urge to rush for gold. And get it on discount, maybe.

This is a great game from 2017. It has a bit of a learning curve but pretty easy once you get going. It's in need of a 2025 upgrade and multi-player but that's what we are getting with Gold Mining simulator 2. This is always on sale and the DLCs are worth it.
This game will require a grind so if you expect to have millions of dollars after one cleanout, you might want to go play something else. It's pretty much everything you could ask for in a gold mining simulator, minus some extra help from your friends!

It's a good game for what it is. It doesn't take a huge amount of time to get all the equipment to mine on a large scale, but does take an allot of time to get most of the good DLC stuff (which sucks - I pay real money to buy it, then it takes a massive amount of time & game money to buy them again in the game). So if you buy Gold Mining Simulator, don't worry about the DLC stuff until you progress in the game.

And the game takes a massive amount of time to progress through all the different dig sites, so you'll get your monies worth with game-time buying this game.

On a side note, I totally dislike having to wait 5-7 mins of real time for the blacksmith to smelt my gold into bars. Yes realistic, but totally boring beyond belief. I seriously hope they don't do it again in GMS 2. Make it an option to turn on/off.

Honestly, I love the game, even if I rarely play it, but it's got a major issue in my eyes, it's strictly singleplayer, this game would be made easily my top game if this were an experience I could enjoy with a couple of buddies, share goals, and have everyone running specific equipment to keep the mine running, it'd just be a 100% more enjoyable experience if it were multiplayer of up to like, 4 or 5 guys

Very fun alot of things you can do in this game and its in depth like the tv show. Cons the city is kinda dead its just you out there it gets kinda spooky. Great game other then that.