Dwarf Fortress is still the champion when it comes to the most in-depth sandbox games on PC, but there's another side of it that's just as rich and rewarding, and perhaps even an easier way to get started. Adventure mode transforms the dwarven management sim into a turn-based RPG with roguelike elements. Last year, developer Bay 12 Games brought its adventure mode to the Steam release in public beta testing and now, nine months on, it's finally ready for official launch.
sandbox game created by brothers Tarn and Zach Adams that arrived on Steam in 2022 as a polished, paid version of the text-based ASCII art original that first launched in 2006. It's a magnificent thing, laden with systems that let you experience every nuance of your dwarven colony's lives down to the tiniest details. You can meticulously manage what you want each member to do, or just watch as the interactions play out naturally over time.
Adventure mode, however, is its more approachable counterpart. It takes a world generated by fortress mode – it can even be one of your own creations, broken down many years after your colony is lost to the winds – and turns it into the setting for a dungeon-crawling RPG. You create a party of adventurers from scratch, selecting their home, occupation, beliefs, skills, and starting equipment, and send them out into the world.
There's just as much depth here as in sandbox mode; if you don't give your characters the ability to read, you simply won't be able to read. You'll quickly pick up various quests, get into combat with all the incredible intricacies at play there, and explore to the furthest reaches of the world map. It's a fantastic way to make use of a fortress world that might have run its course, and you can even flip back after your adventure playthrough ends to see how your character's actions impacted the world's history.
When the mode's public beta first came to Steam, I quickly found myself falling in love with the precision of its tactical combat, which allows you to direct every member of your party down to the finest detail. Because of the in-depth simulation, you're really put in the moment – grasp a bandit with your left hand, for example, and you'll see that you're able to more easily land targeted, impactful blows with your right hand weapon on certain parts of the body that are within reach.
The full release of adventure mode is packed with new additions. A more detailed tutorial makes it even easier to get to grips with the ittedly in-depth systems on offer. If you want an even more guided experience, you can enable 'chosen mode' to be given more direction and assistance throughout your playthrough.
A context-sensitive right-click menu offers an easy way to see your potential interactions at any point, and the inventory interface has been made clearer and easier to use. You'll also encounter new mythical dungeons as you explore, where you can discover incredibly potent magical healing substances.
Dwarf Fortress adventure mode is out now on Steam. It 's included with the base game, which is priced at $29.99 / £24.99. Get it here. "Of course, there'll be more updates to come in the future," Tarn Adams reassures, "but until then I hope you have fun playing the new adventure mode."
For more action in a similar vein, try another of the best city-building games in 2025 if that's more your speed.
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