UPDATE: Unstable version is being updated more or less (week)daily. The forum thread has the ongoing discussion and update details.

Alpha 16 release is upcoming. If you are on Steam, and in the middle of a game, please use the Steam betas feature to set your game to the “alpha15” branch. This will prevent it from automatically-updating to A16 upon release and breaking your save games.

If you’re willing to play with bugs and imbalances, and to have your saves broken randomly and without warning, you can now test the unstable version of Alpha 16! Just load the the ‘unstable’ branch on Steam. (To access the unstable branch, right-click RimWorld in the Steam library, open Properties, go to the Betas tab, select the ‘unstable’ branch, and restart Steam.)

This isn’t a ‘real’ release, and if you want to play the bug-free update you should retain your hype and wait until it’s properly released!

Please leave balance and design feedback in this forum thread. I’m especially interested in play stories around the new world system. Bugs should please be reported in the Bugs forum.

Modders can use this opportunity to prep their mods for the new update! Translators can use it to translate (there is a new translations tool; access it by turning on dev mode and hitting / in the main menu).

I’m also requesting that video makers, YouTubers and streamers please not make videos of this release. I don’t want to leave false impressions with a buggy and unbalanced unstable version.

There’s no change list yet; I plan to release that with the stable Alpha 16 release. Note that not all player content is included yet.

Thanks to all those who test and give feedback!

(I am deliberately not announcing this everywhere at once because I want to be able to draw in more fresh testers later as needed.)