Confused on Steam Play and Proton? Be sure to check out our guide.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Dwarf Fortress arrives on Steam, works on Linux desktop and Steam Deck

By - | Views: 38,463

Dwarf Fortress has now finally arrived on Steam, with all the shiny new bits including the new graphical tiles and audio included in Early Access. The good news is that even though it doesn't have Native Linux support yet, it does work on Linux desktop and Steam Deck with Proton.

It doesn't have controller support though, so on Steam Deck you'll need to mess about with Steam Input for a while to set it up how you want. I have no doubt it won't be long before someone makes a good one. To be honest with you, like a lot of people I was never able to get into it originally, it was a bit too retro for my tastes but this new more modern version definitely seems like something I can get into. The short guided tutorial is certainly a nice touch.

Steam Deck screenshots:

Seems like you might get pretty good battery life out of it on Steam Deck too.

There's no Cloud Save support yet though, which for a game as big as this feels like a huge oversight. Even if you only play on one device, it's always good to have that backup there.

Both Steam Deck and Desktop Linux were tested with Proton 7.0-4.

Launch Trailer:

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link

Game Features:

  • Not just generated geometry -- a whole simulated world. Generated rise and fall of civilizations, personalities, creatures, cultures, etc. Infinite hours of gameplay.
  • Now with beautiful pixel graphics!
  • Learn the basics with in-game tutorials.
  • A lifetime “living” project - created/updated since 2003, with no end in sight.
  • Generate your unique world and manage a bustling colony of dwarves, even as they probably mine towards their eventual demise.
  • A new endless hobby, just for you!

You can buy it on Steam.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
21 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
15 comments
Page: «2/2
  Go to:

Mountain Man Dec 7, 2022
Quoting: WorMzyI got gifted a copy by an ex-coworker who knows how much I love Dwarf Fortress. I'm playing the tutorial for shits and giggles and while I know it's really dumbed down for newbies, it seems a little too dumbed down. Maybe the help guides fill in the gaps, but there's no explanation of how to "prepare carefully", how to manage dwarf labours, how to check your stockpiles, how the health/military systems work, how to raise, butcher and process animals and use their by-products, how and why to avoid carp*, how to create and manage burrows, the importance of booze, etc.
Yeah, finished the tutorial, and was like, "Now what?"

Looks like I have some reading to.
Botonoski Dec 7, 2022
Dwarf Fortress gas never been my sort of game, but I've always wanted it to be.
soulsource Dec 7, 2022
Quoting: redneckdrowAlso, I'm concerned that the CPU overhead in WINE/Proton would lead to early FPS death (single-digit framerates, for the uninitiated). 'Course, you usually have to play without FUN for quite a while to hit that point, so I might try Proton.
I wouldn't worry too much. Since WINE is not an emulator, but rather an open-source reimplementation of the Win32 API (and some other Windows APIs like DirectX), all CPU overhead it has compared to Windows' own implementation of those APIs happens when programs call functions of those APIs. The CPU-heavy parts of Dwarf Fortress are in its own game code, not talking to the OS, so they should not be affected by WINE. Graphics, Sound and Input will still use a different amount of CPU time compared to Windows, but for Dwarf Fortress those only make up a tiny part of the game's computations.
llorton Dec 7, 2022
I played it a bit a decade ago and the game has been on my wishlist since it was announce on Steam.

However, I will wait for the native version before buying it.
Avikarr Dec 7, 2022
Awesome!
Another funny and awesome thing is that, the game works like a charm on pure wine-staging without any tricks (I've got the game from itch.io, where you get DRM free, portable version of DF).
Just double click Dwarf Fortress.exe and play. Simple as that :D
And damn... this game is just too good. You really should give a link to itch.io in the article too, I think ;)


Last edited by Avikarr on 7 December 2022 at 4:40 pm UTC
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.