Loulan Kingdom, once a real oasis along the ancient Silk Road is coming back to life in the new action-RPG Loulan: The Cursed Sand. Developed by ChillyRoom, the game will launch on PS5 and PC (Steam), focusing on a single-player story of love, loss, and redemption in the desert.
Loulan Kingdom: A Real Place Behind the Legend
Loulan Kingdom might sound like a a myth from a fantasy game but it was once real. It existed in solid history. Long centuries back, Loulan stood beside the rim of a desert in what is now Xinjiang, China. People built their lives around an oasis and a salty lake called Lop Nur. Traders, monks, and travelers stopped there to rest, swap stories, and trade silk, spices, and ideas. Loulan sat right on the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that connected East and West.
Loulan: Where Cultures Met
The first contemporaneous mention of Loulan, in Chinese records, is from 126 BCE, a letter to the Chinese emperor. Loulan city was a hub, people from all over met there. You could hear different languages, see clothes from faraway lands. When researchers sifted the dunes they stumbled on carved wooden tablets, strands of silk, bright woven textiles and ancient canals that had guided water across the arid plain. They also exposed houses, protective walls, and a solitary Buddhist stupa.
Powerful Fall of Loulan Kingdom
Loulan lay between powerful empires like the Han dynasty of China and the northern steppe tribes. When one king was killed by a Chinese envoy, the Han court renamed the region as Shanshan. Yet, Loulan’s biggest problem wasn’t war, it was water. The rivers feeding its canals changed direction over time. By the 4th century CE, the water vanished and the city was abandoned.
Loulan The Cursed Sand: Turning History Into Adventure
Developers say the hero’s look draws on Loulan’s mummies and the golden sands of western China. Loulan: The Cursed Sand, takes real history and gives it life again. Players control a skeletal warrior with sand powers who explores ancient ruins inspired by Loulan’s past. The game’s desert puzzles and flowing dunes echo the real canals and sandstorms that shaped the old kingdom.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loulan_Kingdom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_of_Loulan
https://grokipedia.com/page/Loulan_Kingdom
https://blog.playstation.com/2025/10/27/loulan-the-cursed-sand-is-coming-to-ps5/