In Gold West, players will compete as prospectors building their mining empires while vying over the precious metals of the frontier. In a delicate balance of resource management and area control, players must plan their building strategies while also carefully managing their supply tracks to refine the right resources at the most opportune times. Stay one step ahead of the competition and you could lead the West into the Golden Age.

The aim of Gold West is to accumulate the most victory points through clever management of your growing mining empire. There are five resources in the game: the metals Copper, Silver, and Gold are used to score victory points in a variety of ways, while Timber and Stone are building materials used to build camps and settlements on the board to collect more resources and influence the landscape.

Every hex contains either two or three resources. Gold usually earns players the most points, with silver and copper yielding slightly less. In addition, every terrain type scores points for the player with the most influence therein at the end of the game. Copper terrains are the most valuable, with Silver, Gold, and Forest Terrains earning slightly less points.

When gaining new metals and materials, players will place them in their "supply track", a mancala-style track in which you will manage your resources. You will get points the further back in the track you place them, as this creates a more refined product, but it will take longer to get these resources to the front of the supply track where they can be used. Shipping, investments, and Boomtown offices often reward players who fulfill them earlier, so it is a careful balance of risk and reward.