37,000 reviews, 95% positive: New indie city-builder colony sim tops Steam charts on launch

A new city-builder is breaking into Steam charts following its 1.0 launch. Timberborn has now hit a peak concurrent player count of 25,000+, attracting over 37,000 reviews in the process (95% of these reviews are positive).

After many years in Early Access, Timberborn finally hit version 1.0 on March 12, 2026, finding instant success. In just four days, the title has racked up a lot of reviews, breaking into Steam's “New & Trending” and “Top Sellers” charts — extraordinary for an indie title.

Developed by the small Polish studio Mechanistry, Timberborn puts players in charge of rebuilding civilization as highly evolved beavers in a world where humanity has long since wiped itself out through environmental collapse. The core loop blends classic city-building with intense survival simulation: beavers must engineer elaborate dams, aqueducts, and reservoirs to survive recurring droughts and toxic waves, all while stacking towering lumberpunk cities on limited flat land and managing everything from food chains to beaver well-being.

What sets Timberborn apart is its physics-driven water simulation and vertical architecture. Two distinct beaver factions offer completely different playstyles: the nature-loving Folktails rely on family housing, efficient farming, and wind turbines, while the more industrial Iron Teeth use breeding pods, hydroponics, steam engines, and contamination-resistant tubeways for a tighter, more mechanical experience.

The 1.0 update introduced a headline-grabbing automation layer that has players excited. 20+ new logic buildings — levers, depth and contamination sensors, relays, timers, counters, and even HTTP integration — let builders program self-regulating dams that close automatically during badtides, factories that pause when resources run low, and more.

Timberborn is currently running a 20% launch discount, putting the price at $27.99. With mod support, an official Discord, and the promise of continued post-launch support, the colony sim looks set to run for a very long time.