SEONGNAM, South Korea — [July 15th 2026] — Korean studio Nexelon revealed Derby Life: Ranch & Race, an open-world simulation that blends deep racehorse breeding with free-roaming ranch life. Where classic horse games keep players clicking through menus, Derby Life puts them in the saddle — galloping across forests, sandy coastlines and world-famous racetracks in a single connected world. The game is coming to PC via Steam, with a free playable demo planned for Steam Next Fest.
Players inherit a once-legendary ranch that has fallen into decline and set out to raise the next great champion. That means more than watching races unfold: it means designing bloodlines through a genetics-driven breeding and taming system, training horses across purpose-built courses, and proving them on a globe-trotting World Tour of action races synced to Steam leaderboards.
Between races, the ranch is yours to explore and grow. Ride out to hunt wild game with a gun, fish from a seaside pier at sunset, gather resources, care for livestock, and reinvest the proceeds into stables, training facilities and staff. A Steam Workshop stud-sharing system lets players trade prize bloodlines with the community, turning a champion horse into a lasting, shareable legacy.
“Horse-racing games are usually something you watch, not something you play. We wanted the opposite — a living ranch you can ride out into, and races you actually steer. Derby Life is the open-world horse life we always wanted to exist on Steam, so we built it.”
— David Park, CEO & Founder, NexelonKey features
● Open-world ranch life — Ride freely across pastures, forests, mountains and beaches that change with the seasons.
● Genetics-driven breeding & taming — Design bloodlines, then shape a foal’s potential through a taming system you can push as far as you like, using standard, item and special taming.
● Hands-on training — Build stats by riding your horse through dedicated training courses.
● Action racing World Tour — Take direct control on real-time 3D tracks modelled on racecourses in the USA, Japan, Hong Kong and France, or hire a jockey; compete on global leaderboards for the Hall of Fame.
● Hunt, fish & forage — Hunt wild animals from horseback, fish the coast, and sell your spoils to fund the ranch.
● Ranch management economy — Balance income and expenses, hire trainers and vets, and upgrade every building on the estate.
● Steam Workshop stud-sharing — Publish and trade prize bloodlines with the community for a player-driven ecosystem.
● Built for controller & Steam Deck — Full gamepad and keyboard-and-mouse support from the ground up.
Availability
Derby Life: Ranch & Race is coming to PC via Steam. A free playable demo is planned for Steam Next Fest (October 2026), with Early Access to follow and a full launch targeted for 2027. The game supports 13 languages, with English interface and full English audio. Wishlists are open now.
Wishlist on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/4402300
About Nexelon
Nexelon is a Seongnam-based studio specialising in sports and life-simulation games. Founded in 2017, Nexelon has launched more than 25 titles that have surpassed 120 million downloads worldwide, including the fishing-life hits Fishing & Life and Monster Fishing. The studio’s work has been recognised with Google Play Best of awards (Best Casual) across dozens of countries and multiple MWU Korea honours. With Derby Life: Ranch & Race, Nexelon brings its simulation and live-service expertise to Steam and a genre Korean studios rarely tackle: the racehorse life sim.
Assets & links
- Steam page: store.steampowered.com/app/4402300
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvnexDdOxRE
- Website: nexelongames.com