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Image reference (original game): RimWorld · original-game artwork, provided by IGDB. Image rights remain with their respective owners. This illustrates the referenced original game, not the actual visuals of this rewrite or mod.

Source maintainer: BulletTrain222 · Revision: b61b88f353b3 · Catalogued: 2026-10-12

Source license: MIT · LICENSE-APACHE · LICENSE-MIT · Article: Source README (format adapted)

The source README follows, with formatting adapted for this site and images replaced by source links. Feature, completion and testing claims belong to its authors and have not been independently playtested here. The Traditional Chinese translation was prepared with AI assistance.

rim-rs

Open-source Rust and Bevy recreation of RimWorld’s colony simulation, using
data from your own game install.

A from-scratch reimplementation of RimWorld’s gameplay behavior in
Rust, using the Bevy engine.

rim-rs aims for behavioral compatibility with RimWorld: the same rules,
timings, decisions and interactions where they have been implemented.

Important

rim-rs is an independent project. It is not a decompiled copy of
RimWorld, not a distribution of RimWorld, and not an automated
C# → Rust conversion.

The project contains no RimWorld game files. It loads supported data and
textures at runtime from your own RimWorld installation, so a legally
obtained copy of RimWorld is required.

RimWorld is a trademark of Ludeon Studios. rim-rs is not affiliated
with or endorsed by Ludeon Studios.

Project status

rim-rs is experimental and incomplete. You can start a colony and play a
small loop (build, farm, cook, research, haul, mine, hunt, fight, save and
load), but large parts of RimWorld are still missing. Full RimWorld
compatibility is not claimed.


Reference RimWorld version	1.6.4871 rev591 (other versions start with a warning)
Content	Base game only; DLC and mods are ignored
Platforms	Windows (tested); Linux and macOS should build but are untested
Engine	Rust (stable) + Bevy 0.19

Working today (in outline): RimWorld Def loading with inheritance;
textures decoded from your install at runtime; RimWorld-style map generation
(terrain, mountains, ore, plants, wild animals); pathfinding, think trees and
jobs; food, rest and timetables, partial recreation and mood; work
priorities and most basic work (hauling, construction, mining, farming,
cooking, butchering, research, cleaning, doctoring); health, temperature,
lighting and power; melee and ranged combat; hunting and predators;
save/load; and a RimWorld-style interface (colonist bar, selection, inspect
pane, gizmos, right-click orders, Architect, Work and Schedule tabs).

Not there yet: storyteller and raids, world map, quests, trade, most of
mood and mental breaks, many buildings and items, inspect tabs and most main
tabs, DLC and mods.

See docs/status.md for the detailed list.

How it works

Original game data at runtime.
rim-rs reads supported Defs, configuration and textures directly from
the user’s RimWorld installation. The original installation is not modified.
Behavior independently implemented in Rust.
Game systems are written from scratch in Rust. RimWorld itself is used as
the behavioral reference rather than copying its implementation.
Checked against the original.
Compatibility work uses RimWorld’s data, controlled observations and
targeted research to determine rules, timings, ordering and edge cases.
rim-rs then implements those behaviors independently.
Simulation separate from presentation.
The deterministic simulation lives in rimworld_sim and does not depend on
Bevy. The Bevy application handles rendering, input and interface behavior.
User-owned assets stay outside the repository.
RimWorld XML, textures, binaries, decompiler output and diagnostic artifacts
are not distributed with rim-rs.

Getting started

1. Install the prerequisites

RimWorld, legally obtained (Steam, GOG or another store). rim-rs never
modifies it.
Rust (stable) from rustup.rs.
Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools with the “Desktop development with
C++” workload (the MSVC linker).

Linux: Bevy’s system packages, for example on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt install libasound2-dev libudev-dev libwayland-dev libxkbcommon-dev

2. Get the code

git clone https://github.com/BulletTrain222/rim-rs.git
cd rim-rs

3. Tell rim-rs where RimWorld is installed

The folder you need is the one that contains Version.txt and Data/Core.
Typical locations:

Platform	Default Steam location
Windows	`C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\RimWorld`
Linux	`~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/RimWorld`
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/Steam/steamapps/common/RimWorld/RimWorldMac.app`

Use one of these methods (checked in this order):

Command line: --rimworld ""
Environment variable: RIMWORLD_PATH=""
Config file: copy config.example.toml to config.toml and set the
path (this file is ignored by git, so your local path is never committed):
```
[rimworld]
path = "C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/steamapps/common/RimWorld"
```
Nothing: the usual Steam locations are tried automatically.

4. Check that your install is found

cargo run --release -p rimworld_app -- --check

This loads the game’s Defs, prints a summary (number of Defs, the generated
map, the colonists) and exits without opening a window. It should report
no load warnings. Add --rimworld "" if you didn’t use the config
file or environment variable.

The first build compiles Bevy and takes several minutes; later builds are
fast.

5. Run it

cargo run --release -p rimworld_app

A window opens with three colonists on a freshly generated map. Use
--release: debug builds are much slower.

Playing

The interface follows RimWorld’s: the colonist bar along the top, the inspect
pane and the selection’s commands (gizmos) at the bottom left, and the main
buttons along the bottom.

Action	Control
Select	Left click (again: the next thing under the cursor); `Shift` adds/removes; drag for a box
Jump to a colonist	Double-click their portrait in the colonist bar
Orders (move, attack, equip, prioritize work)	Right click with colonists selected
Architect (build, zones, orders)	`Tab`, the Architect button, or right click with nothing selected
Work tab	`F1`
Schedule tab	`F2`
Draft / undraft	`R` (gizmo)
Rotate while placing	`Q` / `E`
Put a tool down / close a window	Right click or `Esc`
Pause / speed	`Space` / `1`–`4`
Pan / zoom	`WASD` or arrow keys, middle-drag / mouse wheel
Debug panel with every shortcut	`Ctrl+F1`
Quick save / quick load	`Ctrl+F5` / `Ctrl+F9` (saved to `saves/quicksave.json`)

A first colony: open the Architect, place a stockpile zone next to the
colonists, use Structure → Wall and drag out a room (pick a material when
asked), add a Door (also under Structure) and Beds from Furniture,
and mark a growing zone. Colonists haul, build and farm on their own; the Work tab (F1)
decides who does what.

Command-line options

Option	Meaning
`--rimworld`	RimWorld install folder (overrides `RIMWORLD_PATH` and `config.toml`)
`--config <file>`	Config file to read (default `./config.toml`)
`--check`	Load the Defs, print a summary and exit
`--seed <n>`	Map seed (default 1)
`--pawns <n>`	Number of colonists (default 3)
`--showcase`	A staged demo colony (built room, research, power, farm, blueprints)
`--colony` / `--farm`	Start with a growing zone (and blueprints for a bedroom)
`--speed <n>`	Initial speed in ticks per step (1, 3, 6, 15)
`--zoom <scale>` / `--focus x,z`	Initial camera zoom / focus cell
`--play <file>`	Run a script of key presses and clicks (see `crates/rimworld_app/src/script.rs`)
`--help`	List every option

Running the tests

cargo test --workspace

Tests that need a RimWorld installation skip themselves when none is
configured. Set RIMWORLD_PATH (or create config.toml) to run them too.
Tests that replay recordings of the original game skip when the
recordings are missing; the recordings are not part of this repository.

Before sending changes, also run:

cargo fmt --all --check
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings

Troubleshooting

“no RimWorld installation configured”, “does not exist” or “is not a
RimWorld installation”. Point rim-rs at the folder that contains
Version.txt and Data/Core (not the .exe, not Data). The error
message suggests a corrected path when it can guess one.
“RimWorld x has not been tested”. rim-rs continues anyway; most data
is stable between versions, but behavior is checked against 1.6.4871
rev591.
Build errors about alsa, udev, wayland or xkbcommon (Linux).
Install the system packages listed above.
Linker errors on Windows. Install the Visual Studio Build Tools (C++
workload) and reopen your terminal.
The game runs slowly. Use --release.
Plain coloured squares instead of textures. The textures in your
install could not be read; rim-rs falls back to debug colours. Check the
install path and that the game files are intact.

Repository layout

rim-rs/
├── Cargo.toml
├── crates/
│   ├── rimworld_assets/   # install discovery, config, version, texture loading
│   ├── rimworld_defs/     # XML Def loading, inheritance and typed Def database
│   ├── rimworld_sim/      # deterministic, engine-independent game simulation
│   └── rimworld_app/      # Bevy renderer, input and interface
├── docs/                  # architecture, compatibility, status and provenance
├── tools/                 # asset guards and Git hooks
├── config.example.toml
├── LICENSE-MIT
├── LICENSE-APACHE
└── THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md

Documentation

docs/status.md — what is implemented and the main gaps
docs/architecture.md — how the crates fit together
docs/compatibility.md — reference version and
version policy
docs/provenance.md — what may be committed and the
resources used

Code comments cite sections of the project’s compatibility research notes
(docs/research.md); those notes are not published yet.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. To keep the repository publishable:

Never commit anything from a RimWorld installation (XML, textures,
sounds, binaries), decompiler output or dumps. Enable the guards once per
clone:
```
git config core.hooksPath tools/git-hooks
```
Implement behavior yourself in Rust and describe findings in your own
words. Mark known approximations with
// COMPATIBILITY TODO: currently approximate.
Keep commits small and run the tests, cargo fmt and cargo clippy first.

License

rim-rs’s original code is dual-licensed under MIT or
Apache-2.0, at your option. See
THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for third-party material.

RimWorld and all of its content remain the property of Ludeon Studios.

License and provenance

The README and its translation retain MIT terms. Changes comprise translation, links and formatting. Editable Markdown, the original README, LICENSE and NOTICE files are included in the linked bundle. This grants no rights to the original games, their assets or trademarks.

LICENSE-APACHE

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THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md

# Third-party notices

rim-rs's own code is licensed under MIT OR Apache-2.0 (see
[LICENSE-MIT](LICENSE-MIT) and [LICENSE-APACHE](LICENSE-APACHE)). This file
lists material from other sources.

## libnoise gradient vector table

`crates/rimworld_sim/src/noise_vectors.rs` contains the 256 normalized
gradient vectors (1024 numbers) published in `vectortable.h` of libnoise by
Jason Bevins (http://libnoise.sourceforge.net/). That file states:

> Written by Jason Bevins. Actually it's the output of a program written by
> me. [...]
>
> This file is in the public domain.

The values are reproduced unchanged (checked value for value against the
original header). Only this table is used; no other libnoise code is
included.

## Cargo dependencies

Dependencies such as Bevy, roxmltree, serde, toml and thiserror are not
vendored. Cargo downloads them under their own licences (see each crate on
crates.io). All of them are available under permissive terms (MIT,
Apache-2.0, BSD, ISC, Zlib, BSL-1.0, CC0, Unlicense, Unicode-3.0); `r-efi`
offers LGPL-2.1 only as an alternative to MIT or Apache-2.0. Binaries built
from this repository include those crates and must carry their notices.

## RimWorld

RimWorld and its data, textures, sounds and other content are the property
of Ludeon Studios. None of it is included in this repository. rim-rs
reads the data it needs from the user's own installation at runtime.

rim-rs: A Rust and Bevy Recreation of RimWorld's Colony Simulation