Dwarf Fortress is coming to Steam and Itch.io so nincompoops like me can finally play it

One of PC gaming’s most storied, longest-living, and hard-to-get-into games is coming to Steam after 12 years. And it’s getting a new look that could help nincompoops such as me get into it.

It’s time for Dwarf Fortress — the work of brothers Tarn and Zach Adams and their Bay 12 Games — to come to Steam. It launched in August 2008, and in many ways, it still looks like a game from 1988. It’s one of gaming’s landmark designs — a blend of construction and management sims with roguelikes. It’s unique, and it helped spawn Minecraft and a host of other games. Dwarf Fortress has even made its way to the Museum of Modern Art.