Gold Rush! Anniversary
Released Nov 2014
Gold Rush! takes you back to the year 1849, when gold was discovered in California. It was certainly one of the most exciting times in American history. Gold Rush! includes the three routes tens of thousands took to the gold regions. Become Jerrod Wilson and experience each trek as you travel from New York to California.
57% positive · 201 reviews
Not yet
Released, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Not yet
Released, content planned but development status unclear
Low confidence
Content Planned
Development Uncertain
Where to buy
Steam $1.69 $4.99 −66%
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Evaluation
Gold Rush! Anniversary launched on November 7, 2014 and received post-launch patches through early 2015, then went quiet for nearly a decade. Sunlight Games returned on May 17, 2024 with an announcement that a new update was coming — their first communication in roughly nine years. The v1.15 update shipped on May 30, 2024, modernizing the game engine and fixing a range of bugs. A small follow-up patch arrived on February 25, 2025.
Importantly, the May 17, 2024 announcement explicitly stated that "another update is in development that will add new features to the game," and the developer's quote in that post reinforced this: "The plan is to release more features soon." This promise of a feature-adding update goes beyond what v1.15 delivered (which was primarily engine and bug fixes). As of today, June 28, 2026, no such feature update has been released or mentioned in any subsequent post, and the last developer communication was on February 25, 2025 — over 16 months ago. The promised content remains unaccounted for, and the developer has been silent long enough that it is uncertain whether this update is still actively in development.
Evidence
Developer announced a new update fixing small issues, and explicitly stated that 'another update is in development that will add new features to the game,' with the plan to 'release more features soon.'
v1.15 released, covering engine update, save system overhaul, and various bug fixes — primarily maintenance-focused, not the feature update that was separately promised.
Content
1 of 1 released · no outstanding content
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
Sunlight Games
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Not rated
Players
Single-player
About this game
In 1988, Rush appeared with Gold! in one of the most comprehensive adventure games of the 1980s. Now, the fondly remembered game, Gold Rush! has been developed anew, to today’s highest standards. No aspect of modern gaming has been overlooked. You can experience the famous California Gold Rush with high-resolution graphics, speech synthesis, a superb sound track and modern user interface features. Optimized game-flow will enhance your traveling and interactions with other characters of the period.
Gold Rush! takes you back to the year 1849, when gold was discovered in California. It was certainly one of the most exciting times in American history. Gold Rush! includes the three routes tens of thousands took to the gold regions. Become Jerrod Wilson and experience each trek as you travel from New York to California.
Whichever route you decide to take, you will see many historical sights. Try going overland across the Great Plains and huge mountain ranges, crossing the Isthmus of Panama, or rounding Cape Horn on the tip of South America. If you survive and arrive at Sutter’s Fort, the adventure is still only half over! Many other puzzles remain to be solved before you achieve your goals in California.
Gold Rush! takes you back to the year 1849, when gold was discovered in California. It was certainly one of the most exciting times in American history. Gold Rush! includes the three routes tens of thousands took to the gold regions. Become Jerrod Wilson and experience each trek as you travel from New York to California.
Whichever route you decide to take, you will see many historical sights. Try going overland across the Great Plains and huge mountain ranges, crossing the Isthmus of Panama, or rounding Cape Horn on the tip of South America. If you survive and arrive at Sutter’s Fort, the adventure is still only half over! Many other puzzles remain to be solved before you achieve your goals in California.
Features:
- Over 130 pre-rendered images and animated scenes in full HD
- Three different routes west (3 adventures in one game)
- High quality voices and new recorded music
- Subtitles in English or German (Point & Click!)
- Optimized game-flow (minimizing dead-ends and random perils)
- Two possibilities for controlling (original parser as well as a new intelligent Point&Click control)
Bonus item: (Normal Edition)
- Historical map of the three routes
Bonus item: (Special Edition)
- Historical map of the three routes
- Over 90 unpublished original concept drawings of the developer from the 80s, as png
- Booklet with unpublished original concept drawings of the developer from the 80s, as pdf
- Making-of booklet, as pdf
- Gold Rush! Classic version (only PC!)
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Jun 28, 2026
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