Westbound — Frequently Asked Questions

Travelers, supplies, river crossings, saving your expedition, and how your data is handled.

What is Westbound?

Westbound is a single-player, turn-based wagon expedition for iPhone and iPad. You choose a leader and four companions, then guide them 1,600 miles across five regions — from Ashwood Landing to Haven Homestead. Each day you decide whether to travel or make camp, how hard to push, and how to spend your food, water, cash, and parts. It's inspired by classic wagon-trail games, with original characters, writing, routes, and artwork.

What is Westbound called on the App Store?

Search for Westbound: Wagon Trail. Once installed, the app appears on your Home Screen simply as Westbound.

How long does an expedition take?

A full expedition is designed to take roughly 45 to 75 minutes. It saves after every action, so you can play in short sessions — close the app at any time and it resumes exactly where you left off.

Is it timed? Does anything happen while I'm reading?

No. Westbound is fully turn-based. Nothing advances until you confirm a day, and every cost, forecast, and risk is shown before you commit. Trading at an outfitter, browsing the map, or planning camp tasks never uses up a day.

What do the leader backgrounds and companion skills do?

Your leader is a Carpenter (better wagon repairs and one-day timber repairs), a Trader (an extra $50 starting cash), or a Guide (sharper river-crossing estimates and a look at upcoming weather). Companions are carpenters, scouts, caregivers, or foragers — scouts improve crossing estimates, caregivers make medicine work better, and foragers bring back more food. You can rename any traveler.

How do river crossings work?

When you reach a river, Westbound shows its depth, current, and the weather, along with the cost and estimated risk of each option: pay for a ferry where one operates, float the wagon, ford shallow water, or wait and scout for a day to sharpen your estimate. Scouts and Guides narrow the risk estimate. Weather can rule out some options, and the outcome is only decided once you commit.

Can a traveler die?

Yes — illness, injury, and shortages have real consequences, but nothing kills a traveler without warning. Health, illness, and shortage effects are always shown in advance, and you can rest, treat illness with medicine, and adjust rations to recover. If your leader is lost, you choose a new leader from the survivors and carry on. The expedition succeeds if at least one traveler reaches Haven Homestead.

What if my wagon breaks down or I run out of supplies?

Westbound always shows you a way forward before it calls an expedition stranded. You can repair the wagon with a spare part or timber, rest your oxen to recover their condition, trade at a settlement, or request a rescue once per region for a disclosed price.

Does Westbound need an internet connection?

No. Westbound is fully offline. It makes no network requests and has no account or login, so it plays the same anywhere — no signal required.

Does Westbound collect any of my data?

No. Westbound contains no analytics, no crash reporting, no advertising, and no third-party SDKs. Your expedition and settings are saved only on your device, and nothing is ever sent to us. Traveler names you enter stay in your save and leave your device only if you export an expedition file yourself.

Can I move my expedition to another device?

Yes. Open Settings & help and choose Export expedition JSON to save a file through the Files app or share it with AirDrop. On the other device, choose Import from Files. Westbound validates the file and asks before replacing your current expedition.

Are there ads or in-app purchases?

No. Westbound has no advertising, no in-app purchases, and no subscriptions. The cash and prices at outfitters are part of the game — no real money is involved.

Which devices does Westbound support?

Westbound runs on iPhone and iPad with iOS or iPadOS 18 or later. It plays in portrait on iPhone and in any orientation on iPad.