Dwarf Fortress

On this page

How it plays
Origins
In Minecraft’s lineage
Compared with Factorio
Later games
Related
Mechanics
References
Sources

Dwarf Fortress is a simulation of a dwarf colony, by Tarn and Zach Adams^1,2. Bay 12’s 2006 features page describes a single-player game in a randomly generated world that persists from one game to the next, played as a dwarven outpost or as a lone adventurer³. Tarn Adams describes the line of fantasy games behind it as his and his brother Zach’s², and by 2011 the brothers’ company, Bay 12, had been posting their games as free downloads⁴. Its full title, “Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress”, comes from Armok, Tarn Adams’s earlier fantasy role-playing game, whose development moved into the dwarf game^5,6. He started it in October 2002⁷, and the earliest build on Bay 12’s version list is dated 8 August 2006⁸.

In 2006 the features page listed, for the main mode, commanding dwarves as they search for wealth in a mountain, crafting goods from its materials, and defending against attack⁹. In 2011 the New York Times Magazine described the aim as building as much as possible before some calamity wipes the fortress out, and reported “Losing is fun!” as the game’s unofficial slogan on message boards¹⁰. In 2008 Gamasutra called it one of the biggest indie success stories¹, and Wired described it in 2010 as roguelike dungeon crawling crossed with city-building sims¹¹. By 2011 the free builds had been downloaded about a million times, the New York Times Magazine called it perhaps the most complex video game ever made, and the game was still in alpha¹². The Museum of Modern Art showed it that year in “Talk to Me”, a design exhibition¹³.

A paid edition with a pixel art tileset, mouse controls, and a tutorial came to Steam on 6 December 2022^14,14. As of the 2019 announcement, Kitfox Games was to publish it while Bay 12 kept ownership of the game¹⁵, and Eurogamer quoted the announcement giving serious health problems in the creators’ close family among the reasons¹⁶. The edition passed Kitfox’s two-month sales estimate in under a day¹⁷, and by March 2023 Tarn Adams put its Steam sales at about 600,000¹⁸ after refunds. It won Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 26th D.I.C.E. Awards¹⁹. Bay 12’s archive lists free builds, labelled Classic, through 2026²⁰.

#How it plays

Digging and building start as designations, which mark tiles for dwarves to work, by rectangle, tile by tile, or as a box across several levels; a dwarf with the right labor carries each one out²¹. Each layer of the map has a wall and a floor: mining clears the wall and leaves the floor, and channelling takes the floor too, turning solid rock beneath into a ramp up²². Priorities from 1 to 7 order the work, and designations placed in blueprint mode let the player plan ahead without any dwarf acting on them²¹.

The Dwarf Fortress Wiki says anything produced in the fortress is processed at a workshop, worked by dwarves who have its labor, and that a more skilled dwarf tends to make better goods²³. It counts 31 workshops²³ in three tiers, each working the products of the tier below²⁴. Metal shows the chain: a wood furnace burns wood into charcoal, a smelter turns ore into bars with charcoal for fuel, and a metalsmith’s forge turns bars into weapons and armor²⁴. Across the fortress, one industry’s end products are often another’s raw materials²⁵.

Every step is a job a dwarf has to take up. An order at a workshop waits for a dwarf with the right labor, who fetches each ingredient, makes the item, and leaves it in the workshop. Carrying it away is a separate hauling job, and a cluttered workshop works more slowly²⁶. Stockpiles are areas the player draws and sets to accept chosen categories and items, and haulers carry goods to them; the wiki advises placing them to keep carrying time down²⁷. A stockpile can be linked to take from or give to particular workshops²⁷. The wiki says no process can be truly automated. Standing orders queue some refining jobs whenever their inputs exist, and a manager can queue work orders for an exact number of items²⁸.

#Origins

Tarn Adams described Mutant Miner as one of the short projects he wrote in time off from Armok, a turn-based digging game. When extra miners made its turns drag, he made the miners dwarves and the game real-time, so the player would be “digging out minerals in a mountain, combating threats inside, and making little workshops”²⁹. Bay 12’s page for Armok placed that game closest to Hack, Rogue, ADOM, Larn, and Angband⁶. Adams has traced Dwarf Fortress’s persistent worlds directly to the bones file of Hack 1.03³⁰, and called Hack, Starflight, and the Ultima series almost exclusively “why we’re doing what we’re doing”³¹.

#In Minecraft’s lineage

Markus Persson wrote that RubyDung, the prototype he worked on before Minecraft, was meant to be a base-building game inspired by Dwarf Fortress, and called Dwarf Fortress and roguelikes some of the biggest inspirations for Minecraft’s gameplay³². He described that prototype as “a lightweight Dwarf Fortress”, crossed with RollerCoaster Tycoon³³, until Infiniminer showed him the game he wanted to make³⁴.

#Compared with Factorio

The resemblance isn’t lineage: in 2014 Factorio’s founder listed Dwarf Fortress among the games people compare Factorio with that the team had never played³⁵. The two games’ production chains move goods differently. In Dwarf Fortress dwarves fetch each ingredient and haul each product away, and in Factorio inserters feed machines from belts, and an assembling machine set to a recipe crafts once its ingredients are in place³⁶.

#Later games

Game Developer quoted Tynan Sylvester in 2016 saying RimWorld set out to push further the stories players wrote from Dwarf Fortress, approachably and without what he called its design traps³⁷, and in 2013 he named it among the games driven by what he calls the Simulation Dream³⁸. At the Steam launch the official Terraria account wrote that without it there may not have been Terraria, the Caves of Qud account called it one of that game’s biggest influences, and Tom Pedalino, who worked on Prison Architect’s console Escape Mode, wrote that without it there would never have been a Prison Architect³⁹.

Mechanics

Mechanic	Kind	How
Destructible terrain		dwarves dig out any tile the player marks, on any level of a three-dimensional map; mining clears the wall, and channelling takes the floor as well
Permadeath		a fortress lost to calamity stays lost, but its world persists into later games
Production chain	Worker-run	the player orders jobs at workshops in three tiers, and dwarves fetch the inputs, make the item, and haul it to a stockpile; no process can be truly automated

Every claim about this game, by concept (38)

general	The earliest build on Bay 12 Games' version list is Dwarf Fortress 0.21.93.19a, dated 8 August 2006, both on the download page as captured a week later and in the archive as it stands in 2026. Tarn Adams said in 2008 that he "finally got it out in August 2006".	Publisher
	The 2006 release page gives the full title as "Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress". Adams said in 2008 that all development of Armok, his earlier fantasy game, had moved to the dwarf game, so it was Armok 2 as well, "hence the long-winded name".	Publisher
	Tarn Adams describes the line of fantasy games that led to Dwarf Fortress as his and his brother Zach Adams's.	Interview
	The New York Times Magazine reported in 2011 that the brothers had started a company called Bay 12, as Toady One (Tarn) and ThreeToe (Zach), and posted games that could be downloaded free.	Web
	Tarn Adams said in 2008 that he started the dwarf game in October 2002, expecting it to take two months.	Interview
	Adams described Mutant Miner as one of the short projects he wrote in time off from Armok and grad school: a turn-based game, after Miner VGA, in which you dig tunnels for minerals and deal with threats. When he wanted more miners, turns began to drag "like a battle in an SSI Gold Box game", so he made the miners dwarves and the game real-time: you would dig out minerals in a mountain, fight threats inside, and make little workshops.	Interview
	The New York Times Magazine quotes Tarn Adams saying the game began as "a simple mining game, like Dig Dug".	Web
	Adams said that by around 2004 Armok was "floundering under its own weight", and he announced on the forums that he was switching to the dwarves, keeping adventure mode secret.	Interview
	Bay 12's page for Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, the earlier game, calls it a single-player fantasy RPG "closest perhaps to Hack, Rogue, ADOM, Larn, Angband", and links Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress.	Publisher
	Bay 12's 2006 features page describes a single-player fantasy game in a randomly generated, persistent world, played as a dwarven outpost or as an adventurer, and notes that the game was still a work in progress.	Publisher
	The 2006 features page lists adventurer mode: exploring the world without plot restrictions, meeting adversaries from previous games, and retiring a character to meet again later.	Publisher
	Wired's Gus Mastrapa wrote in 2010 that the work-in-progress "mashes the brutal dungeon crawling of roguelikes with the detail-oriented creativity of city-building sims", with ASCII graphics by default and downloadable tilesets.	Web
	Gamasutra's 2008 interview introduced it as an ASCII freeware simulation of a dwarf colony and one of the biggest indie success stories.	Interview
	In July 2011 the New York Times Magazine put its downloads "in the neighborhood of a million", called it perhaps the most complex video game ever made, and noted it was still in alpha, at version 0.31.	Web
	The same article describes fortress mode's goal as building as much and as imaginatively as possible before some calamity wipes the player out, and gives "Losing is fun!" as the game's unofficial slogan on message boards.	Web
	The article, published on 21 July 2011, said the Museum of Modern Art would that week include Dwarf Fortress in "Talk to Me", a design exhibition.	Web
	Eurogamer reported in March 2019 that, announcing a paid edition for Steam, Bay 12's FAQ gave as reasons wanting more people to find the game and serious health problems in the creators' close family.	Web
	Eurogamer reported that Kitfox publishes the Steam edition while Bay 12 keeps ownership, taking 20 per cent of revenue after Valve's 30, and quoted the FAQ that Kitfox has no access to the source code. The free version, Dwarf Fortress Classic, was to keep being updated alongside, without the new art, music, and Steam features.	Web
	Polygon reported on 1 November 2022 that the edition would come to Steam on 6 December, with a pixel art tileset, mouse support for the first time, a basic tutorial, and a soundtrack.	Web
	Bay 12's archive of free builds runs from 0.21.93.19a (8 August 2006) to 53.16 (5 August 2026). After 0.47.05 (28 January 2021) the next build it lists is 50.04 (22 December 2022), labelled Classic.	Publisher
	PC Gamer reported that Kitfox's economist had estimated about 160,000 copies sold in two months, and that the game passed that in under 24 hours.	Web
	In March 2023 Tarn Adams told PC Gamer the game had sold roughly 630,000 copies on Steam, "probably hovering around 600,000" after refunds.	Web
	The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences named Dwarf Fortress Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 26th D.I.C.E. Awards.	Publisher
	Game Developer quoted RimWorld's Tynan Sylvester in 2016 saying Dwarf Fortress amazed him with the stories players wrote from it, and that he wanted to push that further, approachably, without the design traps that in his opinion marred it.	Interview
	In a 2013 essay Sylvester named Dwarf Fortress among the games driven by what he calls the Simulation Dream, and gave its dwarves' appearances, which do nothing but help players form mental images, as an example of detail that feeds the player's picture of the world.	Dev blog
	At the Steam launch PC Gamer collected posts from other developers: Tom Pedalino, who worked on Prison Architect's console Escape Mode, wrote that without Dwarf Fortress there would never have been a Prison Architect; the Terraria account that there "may not have been Terraria"; and the Caves of Qud account called it one of the biggest influences on that game.	Web
	Bay 12's 2006 features page lists, for the fortress: commanding dwarves as they search for wealth in the mountain, crafting treasures and furniture from many materials and improving them with precious metals and jewels, defending against hostile civilizations, the wilderness and the depths, keeping the dwarves happy, and building floodgates to divert water for farming or to drown adversaries.	Publisher
	In version 53.16, as the wiki describes it, anything produced is made at a workshop, a building, nearly always 3×3 tiles, where dwarves process materials into more valuable or useful items. The wiki counts 31 workshops: 14 in its first tier, 11 in the second and 6 in the third. Each needs dwarves with its labors, and more skilled dwarves tend to make better or faster work.	Wiki
	In version 53.16, as the wiki describes it, an order at a workshop becomes a job that waits for a dwarf with the right labor. That dwarf fetches the nearest suitable material, nearest to the dwarf and not the workshop, or only from linked stockpiles if any are set, carries each ingredient to the workshop, makes the item, and leaves it there. Taking it to a stockpile is a separate hauling job, queued later, and items piling up in a workshop slow its work.	Wiki
	The wiki, describing version 53.16, ranks workshops by how far they are from raw materials: a tier 1 workshop processes raw materials, tier 2 the output of tier 1, tier 3 the output of tier 2, each possibly with lower-tier inputs as well. In the metal chain a wood furnace (tier 1) burns wood into charcoal, a smelter (tier 2) turns ore, with charcoal or coke for fuel, into metal bars, and a metalsmith's forge (tier 3) turns bars, with fuel, into weapons, armor, furniture and more.	Wiki
	The wiki, describing version 53.16, groups the fortress's work into industries, primary, secondary and tertiary, and notes that one industry's end products are often another's inputs.	Wiki
	The wiki, describing version 53.16, says no process can be truly automated, and lists the game's partial tools: standing orders, which queue some single-use refining jobs whenever their inputs exist; jobs set to repeat; and, once a manager is appointed, work orders for an exact number of items, which the manager must approve and which re-queue until their inputs are in place.	Wiki
	In version 53.16, as the wiki describes it, a stockpile is an area the player draws, and its settings choose the items it accepts by category, subcategory, and individual item. Dwarves with the hauling job carry items not already in an accepting stockpile to one, and the wiki advises placing stockpiles carefully to minimize the time spent carrying. A stockpile can be set to take from or give to particular workshops and other stockpiles; two can't feed each other, though a larger loop can.	Wiki
	In Dwarf Fortress's production chains (version 53.16, as its wiki describes it), where one industry's end products often feed another, fetching the materials and hauling the product away are dwarves' jobs, and the wiki says no process can be truly automated. In Factorio, the Factorio Wiki says, inserters move items between belts and into and out of machines, and an assembling machine set to a recipe "should craft the item" once all its requested ingredients are in its input slots.	Wiki
	Tarn Adams said in 2016 that the Hack 1.03 lineage was largely inspirational for Dwarf Fortress, especially the bones file, where something of a dead character carries into a later game, which he traced directly to Dwarf Fortress's persistent worlds.	Interview
	In the same 2016 interview Adams said Hack, Starflight, and the Ultima series were almost exclusively "why we're doing what we're doing".	Interview
Destructible terrain	In version 53.16, as the Dwarf Fortress Wiki describes it, the Designations menu marks tiles for dwarves to work: mining, wood cutting, plant gathering, stone detailing and other jobs, by rectangle, by painting, or for some designations as a box across z-levels. Each designation takes a priority from 1 (highest) to 7, and can be placed in blueprint mode, which dwarves don't undertake, to plan work ahead. A Mine designation needs a dwarf with the Mining labor.	Wiki
Destructible terrain	The wiki, describing version 53.16, divides each layer of the three-dimensional map into a wall part and a floor part. Mining removes the wall and leaves the floor; channelling removes the floor too, opening the tile to the layer above, and turns a wall below into an upward ramp.	Wiki

References

^ a bGamasutra's 2008 interview introduced it as an ASCII freeware simulation of a dwarf colony and one of the biggest indie success stories.InterviewGame Developer (Gamasutra), Harris interviews Tarn Adams, 2008
How we know
There have been few indie gaming success stories as big as Dwarf Fortress … an ASCII freeware simulation game in which the player helps to establish and govern a colony of dwarves
standfirst · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^ a bTarn Adams describes the line of fantasy games that led to Dwarf Fortress as his and his brother Zach Adams's.InterviewGame Developer (Gamasutra), Harris interviews Tarn Adams, 2008
How we know
The first has to do with our (my brother Zach Adams and I) "fantasy game."
section "Games Leading Up To Dwarf Fortress", first answer · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Bay 12's 2006 features page describes a single-player fantasy game in a randomly generated, persistent world, played as a dwarven outpost or as an adventurer, and notes that the game was still a work in progress.PublisherBay 12, Dwarf Fortress features page, October 2006
How we know
Dwarf Fortress is a single-player fantasy game. You can control a dwarven outpost or an adventurer in a randomly generated, persistent world. … Although Dwarf Fortress is still in a work in progress, many features have already been implemented.
opening lines · archived copy ↗
The world persists as long as you like, over many games, recording history and tracking changes.
world list · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^The New York Times Magazine reported in 2011 that the brothers had started a company called Bay 12, as Toady One (Tarn) and ThreeToe (Zach), and posted games that could be downloaded free.WebNew York Times Magazine, Weiner on Dwarf Fortress, 2011
How we know
The brothers started a company called Bay 12, nicknaming themselves Toady One (Tarn) and ThreeToe (Zach), posting games that could be downloaded free
section on Slaves to Armok and Bay 12 · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^The 2006 release page gives the full title as "Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress". Adams said in 2008 that all development of Armok, his earlier fantasy game, had moved to the dwarf game, so it was Armok 2 as well, "hence the long-winded name".PublisherBay 12, Dwarf Fortress download page, 15 August 2006 · Game Developer (Gamasutra), Harris interviews Tarn Adams, 2008
How we know
Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress
page subtitle · archived copy ↗
all Armok dev had moved over there, so it was Armok 2 as well. Hence the long-winded name
answer beginning "It took longer than I thought" · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^ a bBay 12's page for Slaves to Armok: God of Blood, the earlier game, calls it a single-player fantasy RPG "closest perhaps to Hack, Rogue, ADOM, Larn, Angband", and links Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress.PublisherBay 12, Slaves to Armok index page
How we know
Armok is a single-player fantasy RPG closest perhaps to Hack, Rogue, ADOM, Larn, Angband, etc., although it is quite distinct in many respects.
first paragraph · archived copy ↗
Chapter II: Dwarf Fortress can be found here.
last line · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Tarn Adams said in 2008 that he started the dwarf game in October 2002, expecting it to take two months.InterviewGame Developer (Gamasutra), Harris interviews Tarn Adams, 2008 · New York Times Magazine, Weiner on Dwarf Fortress, 2011
How we know
That was the idea. It was supposed to take two months. I started in October 2002.
answer ending "I started in October 2002" · archived copy ↗
the computer game they began devising in 2002
opening paragraphs · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^The earliest build on Bay 12 Games' version list is Dwarf Fortress 0.21.93.19a, dated 8 August 2006, both on the download page as captured a week later and in the archive as it stands in 2026. Tarn Adams said in 2008 that he "finally got it out in August 2006".PublisherBay 12, Dwarf Fortress download page, 15 August 2006 · Bay 12, Dwarf Fortress older versions list · Game Developer (Gamasutra), Harris interviews Tarn Adams, 2008revised
How we know
DF 0.21.93.19a (August 8, 2006)
download page, "Older Versions" list (15 August 2006 capture) · archived copy ↗
DF 0.21.93.19a (August 8, 2006)
the version list's last entry · archived copy ↗
It took longer than I thought, but I finally got it out in August 2006.
answer before "It was our only fantasy project" · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Bay 12's 2006 features page lists, for the fortress: commanding dwarves as they search for wealth in the mountain, crafting treasures and furniture from many materials and improving them with precious metals and jewels, defending against hostile civilizations, the wilderness and the depths, keeping the dwarves happy, and building floodgates to divert water for farming or to drown adversaries.PublisherBay 12, Dwarf Fortress features page, October 2006
How we know
Command your dwarves as they search for wealth in the mountain. Craft treasures and furniture from many materials and improve these objects with precious metals, jewels and more. Defend yourself against attacks from hostile civilizations, the wilderness and the depths. … Keep your dwarves happy and read their thoughts as they work and relax. Build floodgates to divert water for farming or to drown your adversaries.
fortress list · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^The same article describes fortress mode's goal as building as much and as imaginatively as possible before some calamity wipes the player out, and gives "Losing is fun!" as the game's unofficial slogan on message boards.WebNew York Times Magazine, Weiner on Dwarf Fortress, 2011
How we know
The goal, in the game’s main mode, is to build as much and as imaginatively as possible before some calamity — stampeding elephants, famine, vampire dwarves — wipes you out for good.
second paragraph · archived copy ↗
The game’s unofficial slogan, recited on message boards, is “Losing is fun!”
third paragraph · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Wired's Gus Mastrapa wrote in 2010 that the work-in-progress "mashes the brutal dungeon crawling of roguelikes with the detail-oriented creativity of city-building sims", with ASCII graphics by default and downloadable tilesets.WebWired, Mastrapa on Dwarf Fortress, 2010
How we know
The obtuse, wildly ambitious work-in-progress mashes the brutal dungeon crawling of roguelikes with the detail-oriented creativity of city-building sims. … As in Nethack, the game's default graphics are simple ASCII text, but those who can't yet see the Matrix can download a wide array of tilesets
second paragraph · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^In July 2011 the New York Times Magazine put its downloads "in the neighborhood of a million", called it perhaps the most complex video game ever made, and noted it was still in alpha, at version 0.31.WebNew York Times Magazine, Weiner on Dwarf Fortress, 2011
How we know
Its various versions have been downloaded in the neighborhood of a million times
second paragraph · archived copy ↗
After nine years of development, Dwarf Fortress is, from the perspective of game play, perhaps the most complex video game ever made. And yet it is still only in “alpha” — the most recent release is version 0.31.
paragraph after the Garfield passage · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^The article, published on 21 July 2011, said the Museum of Modern Art would that week include Dwarf Fortress in "Talk to Me", a design exhibition.WebNew York Times Magazine, Weiner on Dwarf Fortress, 2011
How we know
This week, the Museum of Modern Art will include Dwarf Fortress in a major design exhibition called “Talk to Me,”
paragraph on the game's growing profile · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^ a bPolygon reported on 1 November 2022 that the edition would come to Steam on 6 December, with a pixel art tileset, mouse support for the first time, a basic tutorial, and a soundtrack.WebPolygon, Hall on the Steam release, 2022
How we know
comes to Steam on Dec. 6
first paragraph · archived copy ↗
The new implementation features a new pixel art tileset and, for the first time, mouse functionality. There is also a basic tutorial, a kind of in-game encyclopedia, a full soundtrack
third paragraph · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Eurogamer reported that Kitfox publishes the Steam edition while Bay 12 keeps ownership, taking 20 per cent of revenue after Valve's 30, and quoted the FAQ that Kitfox has no access to the source code. The free version, Dwarf Fortress Classic, was to keep being updated alongside, without the new art, music, and Steam features.WebEurogamer, Yin-Poole on the Steam edition, 2019
How we know
The Steam version is published by Kitfox, but Dwarf Fortress is still owned by Bay 12 Games. Kitfox will get a 20 per cent cut of revenue from the Steam version after Valve takes its standard 30 per cent cut.
paragraph after the video · archived copy ↗
Kitfox has no access to the source code, and will have no influence on the design, programming, or updates to Dwarf Fortress.
FAQ quoted in the same paragraph · archived copy ↗
Dwarf Fortress Classic won't change, the developers reassured, and it'll be updated alongside the new premium versions, just without the new art, music, and Steam features.
paragraph on the premium features · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Eurogamer reported in March 2019 that, announcing a paid edition for Steam, Bay 12's FAQ gave as reasons wanting more people to find the game and serious health problems in the creators' close family.WebEurogamer, Yin-Poole on the Steam edition, 2019
How we know
Dwarf Fortress is going premium because we want more people to encounter the game, grow the community, and some of the creator's close family members have developed serious health issues within the past six months, and money to support them is tight
FAQ quoted after "Why Steam now?" · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^PC Gamer reported that Kitfox's economist had estimated about 160,000 copies sold in two months, and that the game passed that in under 24 hours.WebPC Gamer, Wolens on Dwarf Fortress sales, 2022
How we know
The prediction was respectable: About 160,000 copies sold in two months. Dwarf Fortress hit that in under 24 hours.
third and fourth paragraphs · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^In March 2023 Tarn Adams told PC Gamer the game had sold roughly 630,000 copies on Steam, "probably hovering around 600,000" after refunds.WebPC Gamer, Chalk on Dwarf Fortress sales, 2023
How we know
Dwarf Fortress co-creator Tarn Adams told us during a GDC chat that the total figure has now climbed to roughly 630,000 copies sold on Steam. … "There is some percentage of refunds and so it's probably hovering around 600,000," he continued.
second paragraph · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences named Dwarf Fortress Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year at the 26th D.I.C.E. Awards.PublisherAIAS, 26th D.I.C.E. Awards winners, 2023
How we know
Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year Dwarf Fortress
winners list · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Bay 12's archive of free builds runs from 0.21.93.19a (8 August 2006) to 53.16 (5 August 2026). After 0.47.05 (28 January 2021) the next build it lists is 50.04 (22 December 2022), labelled Classic.PublisherBay 12, Dwarf Fortress older versions list
How we know
DF 53.16 (August 5, 2026) x64 (64-bit): Classic Windows Linux
head of the page · archived copy ↗
DF 50.04 (December 22, 2022) x64 (64-bit): Classic Windows (Small) DF 0.47.05 (January 28, 2021)
the 50.04 and 0.47.05 entries · archived copy ↗
DF 0.21.93.19a (August 8, 2006)
the version list's last entry · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^ a bIn version 53.16, as the Dwarf Fortress Wiki describes it, the Designations menu marks tiles for dwarves to work: mining, wood cutting, plant gathering, stone detailing and other jobs, by rectangle, by painting, or for some designations as a box across z-levels. Each designation takes a priority from 1 (highest) to 7, and can be placed in blueprint mode, which dwarves don't undertake, to plan work ahead. A Mine designation needs a dwarf with the Mining labor.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Designations menu"revised
How we know
provides the means to mark tiles with various designations including mining, wood cutting, plant gathering, stone detailing as well as removing constructions, controlling traffic and other miscellaneous designations. … You can also choose to "paint" an area (B), which lets you specifically designate tiles one by one. … Depending on the designation, this also works across z-levels, allowing 3-dimensional designations in the shape of a cuboid. … All designations can be prioritized, with 1 being the highest priority and 7 being the lowest. … They also can be assigned as "Blueprint only", which is similar to the job being suspended, as it marks tiles in a blue-colored square. This is useful for planning out designations and rooms without dwarves suddenly moving in to do anything yet.
opening paragraph · archived copy ↗
Dwarves will not actually undertake blueprint mode designations. This can be used to plan future projects
Blueprint mode · archived copy ↗
Mark tiles to be mined out. Removing stone/soil walls and leaving stone/soil floors. May leave stone/ore/gems. (req. Mining labor)
Designations Menu, Mine (mm) · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
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In the claim ledger
^The wiki, describing version 53.16, divides each layer of the three-dimensional map into a wall part and a floor part. Mining removes the wall and leaves the floor; channelling removes the floor too, opening the tile to the layer above, and turns a wall below into an upward ramp.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Mining"
How we know
Each layer in the three-dimensional Dwarf Fortress map consists of two parts: a wall-part, and a floor-part. Mining a tunnel removes the wall-part but leaves the floor-part in place. Channeling removes the floor-part as well, leaving open space above, and if a wall-part exists below, it becomes an upward ramp.
Understanding digging · archived copy ↗
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^ a bIn version 53.16, as the wiki describes it, anything produced is made at a workshop, a building, nearly always 3×3 tiles, where dwarves process materials into more valuable or useful items. The wiki counts 31 workshops: 14 in its first tier, 11 in the second and 6 in the third. Each needs dwarves with its labors, and more skilled dwarves tend to make better or faster work.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Workshop"revised
How we know
Workshops are buildings where materials are processed by dwarves into more valuable or useful items. There are a total of 31 workshops: 14 first tier, 11 second tier and 6 third tier across the game's various industries.
opening paragraph · archived copy ↗
Anything that is created, refined, cooked, altered, decorated, or generally "produced" is processed at a workshop. … they have specific labors that are required by dwarves to build them or to work there, and dwarves with more of the appropriate skill tend to produce higher quality objects*, and/or produce them faster. … Almost all workshops measure 3 tiles square, 3×3, but a few are 5×5, or even a single tile.
Description · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^ a bThe wiki, describing version 53.16, ranks workshops by how far they are from raw materials: a tier 1 workshop processes raw materials, tier 2 the output of tier 1, tier 3 the output of tier 2, each possibly with lower-tier inputs as well. In the metal chain a wood furnace (tier 1) burns wood into charcoal, a smelter (tier 2) turns ore, with charcoal or coke for fuel, into metal bars, and a metalsmith's forge (tier 3) turns bars, with fuel, into weapons, armor, furniture and more.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Workshop" · Dwarf Fortress Wiki, "Industry"
How we know
A Tier-1 workshop processes raw materials directly; a Tier-2 workshop processes the output of a Tier-1 workshop (but may also include new raw materials); and a Tier-3 workshop processes the output of a Tier-2 workshop (but may also include inputs from lower levels)
Tier system · archived copy ↗
Wood furnace b-o-u-f Uses Tier 0 Item: Wood Produces: Fuel (Charcoal), Ash
Tier 1 workshops, Wood furnace · archived copy ↗
Smelter b-o-u-l Uses Tier 1 Items: Fuel (Charcoal, Coke) Uses Tier 0 Items: Coal, Ore, Flux … Produces: Coke, Metal bars
Tier 2 workshops, Smelter · archived copy ↗
Metalsmith's forge b-o-i Uses Tier 1 Item: Fuel (Charcoal, Coke) Uses Tier 2 Item: Metal bars Produces: weapons, trap components, bolts, ballista arrowheads, armor, chains, crafts, coins, goblets, studding, anvils, blocks, furniture, animal traps and mechanisms.
Tier 3 workshops, Metalsmith's forge · archived copy ↗
Metal industry: Raw ore is refined into metal bars, which may be used for weapons, armor, furniture, and crafts.
Primary industries, Metal industry · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^The wiki, describing version 53.16, groups the fortress's work into industries, primary, secondary and tertiary, and notes that one industry's end products are often another's inputs.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Industry"
How we know
Note that the end products of one industry are often the inputs to another, and some industries can fit into more than one category.
introduction · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^In version 53.16, as the wiki describes it, an order at a workshop becomes a job that waits for a dwarf with the right labor. That dwarf fetches the nearest suitable material, nearest to the dwarf and not the workshop, or only from linked stockpiles if any are set, carries each ingredient to the workshop, makes the item, and leaves it there. Taking it to a stockpile is a separate hauling job, queued later, and items piling up in a workshop slow its work.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Workshop"
How we know
When there are items ordered at a workshop, the workshop will generate item creation jobs until it finds a suitable dwarf with appropriate labors … The dwarf finds the nearest, most suitable base raw material. This is nearest to their current location, not the workshop. If any stockpiles are set to give to the workshop, only linked stockpiles will be looked in. … The dwarf gets that material and hauls it to the workshop. The dwarf repeats that until all the necessary ingredients are in the workshop. The dwarf labors in the workshop for a while and creates the item. The dwarf leaves the finished item in the workshop. … A new hauling job is (eventually) queued to take the finished item to the nearest suitable stockpile. … If you have no stockpiles to put finished objects in, workshops will become cluttered. … The more items there are, the longer tasks will take.
Operation · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^ a bIn version 53.16, as the wiki describes it, a stockpile is an area the player draws, and its settings choose the items it accepts by category, subcategory, and individual item. Dwarves with the hauling job carry items not already in an accepting stockpile to one, and the wiki advises placing stockpiles carefully to minimize the time spent carrying. A stockpile can be set to take from or give to particular workshops and other stockpiles; two can't feed each other, though a larger loop can.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Stockpile"revised
How we know
Dwarves with the corresponding "hauling" job will seek out items that are not already on a stockpile that accepts them and carry them to an appropriate stockpile, if available. It's important to place your stockpiles carefully to minimize the amount of time spent carrying items back-and-forth.
opening paragraph · archived copy ↗
To create a stockpile, click the pStockpile button and left click to start drawing a rectangle with the mouse
Creating and Removing Stockpiles · archived copy ↗
In the Stockpile Settings, the first column are the major categories. In the second column there may or may not be subcategories. In the third you will see the individual items.
Stockpile Settings · archived copy ↗
Another feature of stockpiles allows you to tell dwarves to transfer items from or to one stockpile and/or workshop to another. … You can't make two stockpiles feed into each other, although larger loops (e.g. three stockpiles that feed into each other in a circle) are allowed.
Give and/or take from a stockpile/workshop · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^The wiki, describing version 53.16, says no process can be truly automated, and lists the game's partial tools: standing orders, which queue some single-use refining jobs whenever their inputs exist; jobs set to repeat; and, once a manager is appointed, work orders for an exact number of items, which the manager must approve and which re-queue until their inputs are in place.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Workshop"
How we know
Though no process can be truly automated, there are a few tricks to keeping your workshops productive.
Management · archived copy ↗
Thus, standing orders automate certain tasks, queuing them up whenever input materials are available
Management, Standing orders · archived copy ↗
Appointing a manager noble allows you to queue work orders using the job manager interface, though your manager will need time to approve work orders before production begins. … Firstly, it allows you to produce an exact number of items as opposed to putting a workshop on repeat, and secondly, it allows easier management of complex tasks … the tasks will simply re-queue, to be fulfilled as soon as the prerequisites are in order.
Management, Manager · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^Adams described Mutant Miner as one of the short projects he wrote in time off from Armok and grad school: a turn-based game, after Miner VGA, in which you dig tunnels for minerals and deal with threats. When he wanted more miners, turns began to drag "like a battle in an SSI Gold Box game", so he made the miners dwarves and the game real-time: you would dig out minerals in a mountain, fight threats inside, and make little workshops.InterviewGame Developer (Gamasutra), Harris interviews Tarn Adams, 2008revised
How we know
I would occasionally take time off from Armok and grad school to write really short projects on weekends or whenever I found time or had an idea. … A game called Mutant Miner is one of these. It was roughly inspired by Miner VGA and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mutagen, or something. As in Miner VGA, you'd dig out tunnels in the ground under a few buildings, looking for minerals and deal with threats. It's turn-based. … I eventually wanted to put in extra miners though, and since it was turn-based, it started to drag like a battle in an SSI Gold Box game. And instead of rewriting the game, I thought, well maybe it should be dwarves instead. And it should be real-time, to combat the SSI problem. Now, you'd be digging out minerals in a mountain, combating threats inside, and making little workshops.
Mutant Miner passage · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Tarn Adams said in 2016 that the Hack 1.03 lineage was largely inspirational for Dwarf Fortress, especially the bones file, where something of a dead character carries into a later game, which he traced directly to Dwarf Fortress's persistent worlds.InterviewPC Gamer, Tarn Adams interview, 31 March 2016
How we know
That lineage was big, largely inspirational for Dwarf Fortress, especially the bones file part where you die and then you have in your subsequent playthrough, something about your previous character, more than a score or whatever, incorporated in the game. You can trace that directly to Dwarf Fortress persistent worlds.
page 3 · archived copy ↗
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^In the same 2016 interview Adams said Hack, Starflight, and the Ultima series were almost exclusively "why we're doing what we're doing".InterviewPC Gamer, Tarn Adams interview, 31 March 2016
How we know
I’d say Hack, Starflight, and the Ultima series, those three things almost exclusively are why we’re doing what we’re doing.
page 3 · archived copy ↗
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In the claim ledger
^Markus Persson wrote in 2009 that RubyDung, the prototype he worked on before Minecraft, was meant to be a base-building game inspired by Dwarf Fortress. In a 2010 interview he called Dwarf Fortress and roguelikes in general some of the biggest inspirations for Minecraft's gameplay.Dev blogNotch, "The origins of Minecraft", 30 October 2009 · Gamasutra, Notch interview, 23 March 2010
How we know
was supposed to be a base building game inspired by Dwarf Fortress, but with a heavy focus on accessibility.
The origins of Minecraft, first paragraph · archived copy ↗
Dwarf Fortress and roguelikes in general are some of the biggest inspirations for the gameplay of Minecraft
interview, on Dwarf Fortress · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
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In the claim ledger
^In a 2010 interview Persson described the builder game he was working on when he came across Infiniminer as "a lightweight Dwarf Fortress", "kinda like if DF and Rollercoaster Tycoon had a baby".InterviewGamasutra, Notch interview, 23 March 2010revised
How we know
It was supposed to be a lightweight Dwarf Fortress. Kinda like if DF and Rollercoaster Tycoon had a baby.
How did you come across Infiniminer? · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
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In the claim ledger
^Persson wrote in 2009 that on finding Infiniminer he realized "that was the game I wanted to do". He found it flawed and tried a first-person engine in its style.Dev blogNotch, "The origins of Minecraft", 30 October 2009
How we know
But then I found Infiniminer. My god, I realized that that was the game I wanted to do. … I thought a fantasy game in that style would work really really well, so I tried to implement a simple first person engine in that style
The origins of Minecraft · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
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In the claim ledger
^In February 2014 kovarex listed Dwarf Fortress, RimWorld, SpaceChem, and Industry Giant as games people compare Factorio with that the team had never played.Dev blogkovarex, "Factorio <> Industry Giant 2", 10 February 2014
How we know
These are games people tend to compare us with, that we never played: Dwarf fortress, Rimworld, Spacechem, Industry giant and much more.
kovarex's reply, February 2014 · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
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In the claim ledger
^In Dwarf Fortress's production chains (version 53.16, as its wiki describes it), where one industry's end products often feed another, fetching the materials and hauling the product away are dwarves' jobs, and the wiki says no process can be truly automated. In Factorio, the Factorio Wiki says, inserters move items between belts and into and out of machines, and an assembling machine set to a recipe "should craft the item" once all its requested ingredients are in its input slots.WikiDwarf Fortress Wiki, "Workshop" · Factorio Wiki: Inserters · Factorio Wiki: Crafting · Dwarf Fortress Wiki, "Industry"revised
How we know
The dwarf gets that material and hauls it to the workshop. … A new hauling job is (eventually) queued to take the finished item to the nearest suitable stockpile.
Operation · archived copy ↗
Though no process can be truly automated
Management · archived copy ↗
By doing this, they can move items from one transport belt to another, but also extract items from—and insert items into—machines or storage devices.
opening paragraph · archived copy ↗
To automatically craft items, place a Assembling machine, and select the recipe. … Then, place all requested ingredients into the input slots, and the assembling machine should craft the item.
Automated crafting · archived copy ↗
Note that the end products of one industry are often the inputs to another
introduction · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^Game Developer quoted RimWorld's Tynan Sylvester in 2016 saying Dwarf Fortress amazed him with the stories players wrote from it, and that he wanted to push that further, approachably, without the design traps that in his opinion marred it.InterviewGame Developer, RimWorld and Dwarf Fortress, 2016revised
How we know
Dwarf Fortress amazed me because of the stories people wrote from it," he says. "I read generated tales like Boatmurdered and Gemclod and was fascinated by how the player and game could work together to create a narrative that actually worked
middle of the article · archived copy ↗
I wanted to push that even further - and to do it in a way that's approachable, and without falling into some of the design traps that have, in my opinion, marred Dwarf Fortress
next paragraph · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Revised after a check by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger
^In a 2013 essay Sylvester named Dwarf Fortress among the games driven by what he calls the Simulation Dream, and gave its dwarves' appearances, which do nothing but help players form mental images, as an example of detail that feeds the player's picture of the world.Dev blogTynan Sylvester, "The Simulation Dream", 2013
How we know
It drives the design of games like SimCity, Dwarf Fortress, Tropico, The Sims, and Prison Architect. I like to call it the Simulation Dream.
opening paragraph · archived copy ↗
In Dwarf Fortress, each dwarf has an appearance. These appearances do nothing, but help players form mental images.
examples under hair complexity · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
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In the claim ledger
^At the Steam launch PC Gamer collected posts from other developers: Tom Pedalino, who worked on Prison Architect's console Escape Mode, wrote that without Dwarf Fortress there would never have been a Prison Architect; the Terraria account that there "may not have been Terraria"; and the Caves of Qud account called it one of the biggest influences on that game.WebPC Gamer, Fenlon on developers praising Dwarf Fortress, 2022
How we know
Without Dwarf Fortress there'd never have been a Prison Architect and I'd have never got to work on the console version of Escape Mode
embedded post, December 6, 2022 · archived copy ↗
this game inspired Terraria in so many ways - it’s fair to say that without Dwarf Fortress, there may not have been Terraria.
second paragraph · archived copy ↗
Dwarf Fortress is the most intricate simulation game ever made and one of the biggest influences on me, videogame Caves of Qud. Simulation depth, design tone, visual style.
fourth paragraph · archived copy ↗
Checked against the evidence by its author, an AI model, 2026-10-26.
Checked by a second AI model, 2026-10-26.
In the claim ledger

Sources

Primary

Harris, John and Tarn Adams. 2008. “Interview: The Making Of Dwarf Fortress.” Game Developer (Gamasutra). original · archived · licence, all uses
Adams, Tarn. 2006. “Bay 12 Games: Dwarf Fortress features (2006).” Bay 12 Games. original · archived · licence, all uses
Adams, Tarn. 2006. “Bay 12 Games: Dwarf Fortress (August 2006 download page).” Bay 12 Games. original · archived · licence, all uses
Adams, Tarn. 2005. “Slaves to Armok: God of Blood - Index.” Bay 12 Games. original · archived · licence, all uses
Games, Bay 12. 2026. “Bay 12 Games: Dwarf Fortress - Older Versions.” Bay 12 Games. original · archived · licence, all uses
Sciences, Academy of Interactive Arts &. 2023. “Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Announces Winners of 2022's Best Video Games at 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.” Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. original · archived · licence, all uses
Fenlon, Wes and Tarn Adams. 2016. “Dwarf Fortress' creator on how he's 42% towards simulating existence.” PC Gamer. original · archived · licence, all uses
Persson, Markus. 2009. “The origins of Minecraft.” The Word of Notch (Tumblr). original · archived · licence, all uses
Handy, Alex and Markus Persson. 2010. “Interview: Markus 'Notch' Persson Talks Making Minecraft.” Gamasutra (UBM). original · archived · licence, all uses
Kovařík, Michal. 2014. “Factorio <> Industry Giant 2 — Factorio forums, Ideas and Suggestions.” Factorio forums. original · archived · licence, all uses
staff, Game Developer and Tynan Sylvester. 2016. “How RimWorld fleshes out the Dwarf Fortress formula.” Game Developer (Gamasutra). original · archived · licence, all uses
Sylvester, Tynan. 2013. “The Simulation Dream.” tynansylvester.com. original · archived · licence, all uses

Secondary

Weiner, Jonah. 2011. “Where Do Dwarf-Eating Carp Come From? (The Brilliance of Dwarf Fortress).” The New York Times Magazine. original · archived · licence, all uses
Mastrapa, Gus. 2010. “Elaborate, Sprawling Freeware Dwarf Fortress Updated.” Wired. original · archived · licence, all uses
Hall, Charlie. 2022. “Dwarf Fortress' big makeover will be out on Steam in December.” Polygon. original · archived · licence, all uses
Yin-Poole, Wesley. 2019. “Dwarf Fortress coming to Steam.” Eurogamer. original · archived · licence, all uses
Wolens, Joshua. 2022. “Dwarf Fortress hit its 2-month sales estimate in under 24 hours.” PC Gamer. original · archived · licence, all uses
Chalk, Andy. 2023. “Dwarf Fortress has now racked up 600,000 copies sold on Steam.” PC Gamer. original · archived · licence, all uses
Dwarf Fortress Wiki contributors. 2026. “Designations menu - Dwarf Fortress Wiki.” Dwarf Fortress Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Dwarf Fortress Wiki contributors. 2026. “Mining - Dwarf Fortress Wiki.” Dwarf Fortress Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Dwarf Fortress Wiki contributors. 2026. “Workshop - Dwarf Fortress Wiki.” Dwarf Fortress Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Dwarf Fortress Wiki contributors. 2026. “Industry - Dwarf Fortress Wiki.” Dwarf Fortress Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Dwarf Fortress Wiki contributors. 2026. “Stockpile - Dwarf Fortress Wiki.” Dwarf Fortress Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Official Factorio Wiki contributors. n.d. “Inserters.” Official Factorio Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Official Factorio Wiki contributors. n.d. “Crafting.” Official Factorio Wiki. original · archived · licence, all uses
Fenlon, Wes. 2022. “Tons of game developers praise Dwarf Fortress in celebration of its Steam launch.” PC Gamer. original · archived · licence, all uses