Dwarf Fortress is Coming to Steam

The inspiration behind games such as RimWorld, Minecraft, Prison Architect and so many more, Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam! Continually developed over 16 years, this lifetime “living” project is going to continue to be free to play and developed for the foreseeable future. Tarn and Zach (developers behind Dwarf Fortress) have decided to add Dwarf Fortress to Steam also due to some health issues, and while we do not wish to disclose further details, our best wishes are with them. Due to the uncertainty of Patreon, they decided to move the game to Steam as well as an additional means of support.

The premium version will have a few special features, such as graphics by default, access to Steam Workshop, and auto-updates. You can absolutely still play Dwarf Fortress for free, and it will continue to be updated alongside the premium versions – only without the new art, music, Steam features, et cetera. Bay 12 Games still owns Dwarf Fortress as well. Tarn and Zach just want to make games, and so Kitfox is acting as a publisher to help with marketing, logistics, and paying for other needs. In return, they receive a cut of the sales on those platforms. If you want to help them, but want to make sure all of the proceeds go to Bay 12, you can donate to them directly. They are also still working on the major villains’ update for Dwarf Fortress Classic (Slaves to Armok: God of Blood Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress Classic). Once that is stable, they can work on the graphics-related support for the STeam/itch.io premium edition.