Timberborn

Timberborn is an upcoming city-building video game developed and published by Mechanistry. Players help a colony of beavers survive resource shortages.

Gameplay
Players control a colony of beavers in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where humans have died out. Players build cities, using dams to make the wasteland more habitable and water wheels for power. Players must plan for periods of drought, which cause water levels to fall. This can cause crops to fail and make it difficult to collect the lumber necessary for building. New settlements can be built at any time, which are administered separately. New technologies are unlocked over time.

Development
The developer, Mechanistry, is based in Poland. Timberborn entered alpha on November 18, 2019 and closed beta on June 18, 2020. The demo of Timberborn released on January 26, 2021. The initial build did not simulate water and featured green land with water levels that dropped during droughts. After researching physics-based simulations of water, Mechanistry realized it could open up much more options. They changed the land to be more of a wasteland, implemented irrigation and dams, and gave beavers the ability to swim. Although Timberborn is 3D, the water simulation uses a 2D model. Timberborn entered early access on September 15, 2021. As of April 2024, Timberborn has received five major updates after its early-access release.

Update 1
The first major update to Timberborn was released on December 17, 2021. The update added new ways to mine and use metal, new water pumps and water wheels, a new tree, the Chestnut, two plants, Cattails and Spadderdocks, a new science building, and new attractions. Update 1 also added new and updated resource-processing buildings. Additionally, it included balance changes and bug fixes.

Update 2
The second major update to Timberborn was released on September 14, 2022. It primarily focused on golems, adding golems and the buildings related to them. Update 2 also included terraforming, a new science building, and a battery. The update also included two new features: the ability to migrate populations and a rework of the well-being system with the addition of two buildings and a status. The last addition in the update was negative effects and the things that come with them, including new statuses, buildings, and a new resource, the Dandelion. Additionally, it included balance changes and bug fixes.

Update 3
The third major update to Timberborn was released on December 15, 2022. The update primarily focused on storage, adding a few new storage buildings and updating all of the others. Update 3 renamed golems to bots and changed buildings between Folktails and Iron Teeth to make the factions more unique. It added recyclable buildings, allowing resources to be regained. Much like Update 2, Update 3 updated the Settlement and Migration panels. Additionally, it included audio changes, balance changes, and bug fixes.

Update 4
The fourth major update to Timberborn was released on May 24, 2023. The update mainly focused on farming, adding seven new crops, Kohlrabis, Canolas, Cassavas, Corn, Eggplants, and Coffee Bushes, two new trees, the Mangrove and Oak, and five buildings. Update 4 also added new monuments. It added two buildings and updated two buildings. Like the two previous updates, Update 4 changed districts again, replacing the District Gate with the District Crossing. It added a new map as well. Additionally, it included balance changes, audio changes, visual changes, and bug fixes.

Update 5 - Badwater
The fifth major update to Timberborn, Badwater, was released on January 18, 2024. The update focused on the titular badwater, a new toxic substance spilling out of badwater sources that contaminates beavers, only curable with Antidote. When a badtide occurs, badwater replaces normal water. With badwater, many related buildings were added. To accommodate for the update, the irrigation system was reworked and all twelve maps were changed. As well as badwater, several new attractions and decorations were released in Update 5. Additionally, it included balance changes, visual changes, and bug fixes.

Reception
Comparing it to games influenced by Banished, Rock Paper Shotgun praised Timberborn focus on more than simply surviving resource shortages. In particular, they enjoyed how cities could be customized and how players could learn to exploit different features to make successful cities. PC Gamer said it has "undeniable charm" and is "a remarkably pleasant time" but, as of 2021, did not capitalize enough on its beaver theme, which could help it stand out better against competing city-building games. In contrast, Polygon enjoyed the beaver-specific elements, which they found to be very cute.

As of September 2023, Timberborn has sold over 1 million copies.