Timberborn

Timberborn is a city-building simulation game developed and published by Mechanistry. Timberborn introduces a unique twist to the genre: players control beaver civilizations in a world where humans have gone extinct. Set in a post-apocalyptic landscape shaped by environmental collapse, the game challenges players to build thriving settlements that can withstand cyclical droughts, resource scarcity, and environmental obstacles.

Timberborn blends traditional colony management with inventive mechanics centered around water engineering, vertical construction, and faction-based gameplay. Its charming visuals, eco-centric themes, and rewarding sandbox make it an appealing title for strategy fans and sim enthusiasts alike. The game provides extensive customization and difficulty options, allowing players to adjust the experience to suit relaxed or hardcore playstyles.

👉 Features of Timberborn

Playable Beaver Factions

Timberborn features two unique beaver factions, each with distinct buildings, bonuses, and playstyles. The nature-focused “Folktails” emphasize sustainable living and renewable resources, while the industrious “Iron Teeth” thrive on mechanization and productivity. Future updates are expected to introduce more factions or expand existing ones.

Dynamic Water System

One of Timberborn’s standout features is its dynamic water physics. Players must build dams, levees, and irrigation systems to control river flow and manage water supplies. Surviving droughts requires smart planning and infrastructure. Water behaves realistically spreading, evaporating, and flowing based on terrain elevation making hydrological planning essential.

Vertical Architecture

Unlike many city-builders, Timberborn supports vertical construction. Players can stack buildings, create layered walkways, and design multi-tiered cities. This adds a strategic depth to space management and opens up visually striking designs. Rooftop gardens, bridges, and elevated storage create a visually complex and mechanically efficient colony.

Drought Cycle and Seasons

The game’s core challenge comes from its cyclical drought system. Players must gather and store resources, fill water tanks, and power down machinery as rivers dry up. When the rains return, the world is reborn but only if your colony survives. The unpredictability of drought length and intensity keeps players on edge and encourages redundancy in planning.

Modular Power Systems

Timberborn’s tech tree includes water wheels, wind turbines, and engines. Powering sawmills, printing presses, and other machinery becomes a complex but satisfying puzzle as you balance generation and distribution. Placement of power lines and gear shafts can drastically affect efficiency.

Custom Maps and Modding

Players can generate or import custom maps, modifying terrain and water sources to create unique challenges. Timberborn also has growing support for mods, allowing users to add new features, visuals, or gameplay tweaks. Community-made content ranges from cosmetic additions to full mechanical overhauls.

Gameplay

Resource Gathering and Management

Beavers collect wood, berries, water, and building materials to keep their colonies functioning. Efficient logistics, such as pathfinding and warehouse placement, play a crucial role in maintaining productivity and happiness. Logs are essential for construction, while planks and gears support advanced buildings.

Building and Expansion

Timberborn’s construction system is both intuitive and flexible. Players start with basic huts and lumber mills but can expand to vast cities with mechanical pumps, aqueducts, and complex housing blocks. Prioritizing building orders and managing limited workers adds depth to city growth. As cities expand, new districts can be created to improve efficiency and reduce travel time.

Faction-Specific Strategies

Each faction changes how you approach challenges. Folktails benefit from water-efficient farms and harmony-based technologies, making them ideal for sustainable development. Iron Teeth offer powerful industrial buildings and require more advanced planning to manage their needs. Experimenting with both opens new paths to colony development.

Survival During Droughts

The drought cycle requires careful foresight. Before each dry season, players must harvest enough food, fill water reservoirs, and sometimes pause or reprioritize work to ensure survival. Entire colonies can collapse if preparation is inadequate. Advanced strategies include building floodgates, backup reservoirs, and subterranean storage tanks.

Happiness and Well-being

Citizens’ happiness is influenced by access to food variety, social buildings like campfires and temples, and comfort amenities such as rooftop terraces. A happy beaver is a productive beaver and critical for long-term growth. Additionally, education, leisure, and medical buildings can be introduced to elevate the colony’s overall welfare.

Graphics of Timberborn

Stylized 3D Visuals

Timberborn boasts a bright and endearing art style. Characters and buildings have a clean, low-poly look with just enough detail to make the world feel lively. Beavers bustle with activity, carrying logs, farming, and lounging by the river. The aesthetic strikes a balance between approachable simplicity and rich environmental detail.

Environmental Effects

The contrast between lush wet seasons and arid droughts creates dramatic visual shifts. Water levels drop, terrain cracks, and foliage wilts only to be revived when the rain returns. These effects enhance immersion and strategic awareness. Animations and particle effects, such as splashing water and wind-blown crops, add to the immersive world.

Smooth UI and Map Design

The user interface is streamlined and easy to navigate, with clear tooltips and intuitive building menus. The minimap and overlays help monitor water levels, building efficiency, and terrain elevation. Color-coded icons and resource bars ensure you always know your colony’s status at a glance.

Pros and Cons

✔️ Pros

• Unique beaver-based twist on the city-building genre
• Deep water management mechanics and dynamic terrain
• Satisfying vertical construction and strategic depth
• Charming visuals and polished, intuitive interface
• Expanding modding community and ongoing development
• Rich customization and difficulty scaling options

❌ Cons

• Limited content in early access (as of writing)
• Lack of narrative or campaign mode to guide players
• Difficulty spikes during prolonged droughts
• Minor pathfinding quirks with complex layouts
• Requires time investment to master advanced systems