Ruinarch

Fantasy god-game sandbox where you turn villagers against each other

Maccima Games LLC · Published by Squeaky Wheel Studio Inc · Released Apr 24, 2023

Reviews: Mixed; 63% of 1,420
Recent reviews: Not enough recent
Playing now: 0; right now
Steam Deck: Playable
Last update: 1 year ago; May 28, 2025

What is Ruinarch?

A god-game sandbox set in procedurally generated fantasy worlds, where you play an evil overlord trying to disrupt village life. Choose an overlord archetype, build structures, gather information about villagers, and use spells, curses, monsters, and plagues to influence or attack them.

For you if...

+you enjoy open-ended strategy with destructive and subtle tactics
+you like darkly comic stories emerging from simulated villagers

Not for you if...

−you want to build up settlements rather than undermine them
−you prefer a scripted story to an open-ended simulation

What players say

63% of 1,420 reviews are positive

Players praise the variety of ways to meddle with villagers and experiment in the sandbox. Many say the game feels unfinished and believe development has largely stalled.

Screenshots and trailer

Ruinarch system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 7 or later
Processor: 2GHz or better
Graphics: 1280x768 minimum resolution, post-2012 integrated graphics
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 2 GB available space
DirectX: Version 10

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Full controller support
Platforms: Windows
Achievements: 28
Steam features: Family Sharing

Steam Deck: Playable

Default controller config not fully functional
Sometimes shows mouse, keyboard or non-Deck controller icons
Some text entry requires manually opening the on-screen keyboard
Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

Languages

Full audio: English, French, German, Japanese, Polish, Simplified Chinese, Spanish - Latin America, Turkish, Portuguese - Brazil, Italian, Spanish - Spain, Indonesian, Russian, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Ukrainian, Vietnamese.