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In the Van is an upcoming cozy pixel-art survival RPG from South Korean two-person indie studio Cosmic Tofu. It combines Project Zomboid-style scavenging and undead danger with Stardew Valley-like farming, cooking, decorating and domestic routines—except your home is a drivable, upgradeable van.
What is In the Van?
In the Van casts you as a survivor traveling through a post-apocalyptic world in a mobile home. The van is simultaneously shelter, transport, crafting station and living space. You drive between areas, search abandoned locations for supplies, make equipment and improve the vehicle before returning ahead of nightfall.
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Cosmic Tofu describes the concept as being “For everyone who plays Project Zomboid like it’s Stardew Valley.” That positioning signals a gentler survival game rather than a conventional farming simulator with a small zombie mode: exploration and undead threats remain central, but the game gives equal weight to building a comfortable daily routine.
How the survival loop works
- Choose where to go. Drive the van to different areas and decide which locations are worth the risk and fuel.
- Scavenge during the day. Search buildings and debris for resources, weapons, devices and useful trinkets while managing the threat from undead enemies.
- Craft and improve. Turn materials into items, weapons, defenses and upgrades for the van.
- Return before dark. The official description quoted by GamesRadar+ summarizes the rhythm as: “Scavenge by day, drive back before dark, and spend the night cooking, farming, and cracking open phones recovered from the dead to find out what happened to the world.”
- Make camp livable. Grow crops, cook meals, place decorations and prepare for the next expedition.
The evidence so far describes survival pressure that can be approached at your own pace. It does not establish detailed difficulty settings, combat systems or resource rates, so those specifics should not be assumed until Cosmic Tofu publishes them.
#1 Best Overall
A mobile home instead of a fixed base
Most survival games make you defend one permanent base. In the Van makes the base itself mobile. The van can be customized and upgraded, allowing its interior and defenses to develop as you travel. That design changes the strategic question from “Where should I build?” to “What should I carry, improve or risk on the next route?”
Between runs, the van supports the cozy side of the game. Coverage describes planting crops, fishing, cooking and arranging plushies and other furnishings. These activities are not separate menus around a farm; they are ways of turning the vehicle into a more functional and personal home.
Phones, trinkets and the world’s mystery
Story discovery is tied to objects recovered during scavenging. Phones and other digital devices can contain lore, clues and leads to hidden locations or caches. Instead of relying only on conventional quest markers, the game uses the remnants of everyday technology to explain what happened to the world and guide further exploration.
That structure gives ordinary loot a narrative purpose: a device can be useful because it contains information, not merely because it supplies a crafting material. The reports do not yet specify how branching the story is or how many locations and secrets are planned.
Rank #3
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In the Van compared with Stardew Valley and Project Zomboid
| Aspect | Stardew Valley | Project Zomboid | In the Van |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure | Relaxed, routine-based farming and community life | Intense survival against zombies, hunger and hazards | Cozy routines balanced with scavenging and undead danger |
| Home | Fixed farm and house | Player-built or occupied safehouses | Customizable mobile home that also serves as transport |
| Travel | Regular trips from a local farm area | Risky movement between locations | Driving the van to new scavenging areas |
| Progression | Crops, cooking, relationships and decoration | Skills, supplies, weapons and defenses | Farming, fishing, cooking and decoration alongside crafting, weapons and vehicle defenses |
| Narrative | Character and community storylines | Primarily emergent survival stories | Environmental clues and recovered phones pointing to hidden places |
| Play format | Single-player and multiplayer options vary by platform | Solo and multiplayer survival | Coverage describes both solo play and playing with friends |
Release date, platforms and playtest status
Cosmic Tofu is developing In the Van for Windows and macOS. The cited coverage reported a Steam wishlist page but no firm release date. GamesRadar+ said a closed playtest was forthcoming, while other reports likewise treated the game as in development.
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Rank #4
Who should watch In the Van?
- Stardew Valley players who want farming, cooking and decoration with more danger and exploration.
- Project Zomboid players who enjoy scavenging and preparation but prefer a more forgiving, cozy-focused pace.
- Solo players looking for a self-contained survival journey built around a personal home.
- Friends interested in a cooperative road-trip concept; current coverage says playing with friends is supported, but it does not detail player limits or networking features.
Its defining idea is the tension between leaving a safe, decorated van to search dangerous places and returning with enough supplies—and clues—to make the next night better. Until a release date and full systems breakdown are announced, that mobile-home survival loop is the clearest picture of what In the Van aims to deliver.
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