How to play Dead Rails
Last verified 2026-10-27. Sources are listed at the bottom.
First departure
- Sell. Sell the starting gold bar. The wiki price is 50 dollars.
- Fuel. Buy coal for 20 dollars. One load is about 25 percent fuel. Corpses and junk also burn, with worse return, except a Tesla corpse which the wiki says fills the tank.
- Drive. Someone sits in the driver seat. Do not expect reverse.
- Stop. Safe zones sit near every 10 km. Search the town, then roll before night.
- Spend. Bonds buy classes and trains. Do not spend them on the first junk pile.
- Finish. Outlaw's Town is listed at 78.5 km. Players call it 80 km. Clear the outlaws, turn the bridge crank, and hold for about 4 minutes.
| Night | What the wiki says shows up |
|---|---|
| Cloudy | Runners. This is night one. |
| Blue | Werewolves |
| Blood | Vampires |
| Lightning | Lightning night |
| Hunter's Moon | An invasion |
Community video references
Optional external references, not official uploads or verified walkthroughs. Videos do not load on this site.
Questions
Can the train go backwards?
The strategy notes say it cannot reverse. W and S accelerate and brake on PC. A driver has to sit in the seat.
How long is a day?
The day-cycle page uses 8 minutes. Enemies start spawning around 10 PM. The first night is a cloudy night.
Do I have to buy a gun first?
No. The opening purchases the wiki stresses are the gold sale and coal.