Kingdoms and Castles

Released: Jul 20, 2017
Platforms: WindowsmacOSLinux
Last updated: 04 Sep 2026, 05:45 GMT

Updates & announcements

20 posts

21 Apr 2026Developer post
Beta Available - Larger Maps Update
Hi Everyone! Update Beta Available We've got the beta version ready to try out for our upcoming Larger Maps Update . The main features in this update: 'Extra Large' map size Many optimizations (many coming from our learnings working on Nova Roma ) Note: The beta version of this u
Hi Everyone!
Update Beta Available
We've got the beta version ready to try out for our upcoming Larger Maps Update. The main features in this update:
'Extra Large' map size
Many optimizations (many coming from our learnings working on Nova Roma)
Note: The beta version of this update is a debug build, so you won't see the full impact of the optimizations until we switch to the final release version. That said, the worst of the hitching on huge maps should be much better even in the debug build.
If you'd like, you can try it out now by switching to the beta branch (keep in mind there will be bugs and things to fix). Here's how:
Right click on the game in the steam library
Click properties, then choose 'Game Versions and Betas'
Choose the next-version-preview branch
Steam Reviews: Your Feedback Matters!
If you haven't already, please consider leaving a Steam review. Even if it's a few sentences on how you feel about Kingdoms and Castles, we'd appreciate hearing your thoughts!
Join the Community
You can find us on Discord, Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, for discussions, updates, and feedback.
Please send your feedback and bug reports via Discord or to [email protected]
Until next time!
-Pete, Michael, & Sam
Original post
22 May 2025Developer post
Hotpatch - version 123r6
Fixes Fixed issue where the game could get in a bad state after evicting a dragon that was not at a building Fixed a load/save issue
Fixes

Fixed issue where the game could get in a bad state after evicting a dragon that was not at a building
Fixed a load/save issue
Original post
14 May 2025Developer post
Hotpatch - version 123r5
Quick Hotpatch Fixes/Improvements Increase dragon damage vs NPC kingdoms Fix DLC not working on mac
Quick Hotpatch
Fixes/Improvements

Increase dragon damage vs NPC kingdoms
Fix DLC not working on mac
Original post
11 May 2025Developer post
Dragon Taming Update - Now Available!
Hi Everyone, We're excited to announce the big new update - Dragon Taming - is now available! This has been a popular community suggestion for a long time and we're happy to get it in the game. You can tame, raise, and care for dragons! Let's get into the changes: New Research In
Hi Everyone,
We're excited to announce the big new update - Dragon Taming - is now available! This has been a popular community suggestion for a long time and we're happy to get it in the game. You can tame, raise, and care for dragons! Let's get into the changes:
New Research
In order to unravel the mysteries of the dragons, you'll need to research Dragon Husbandry in the great library. This will unlock all the buildings you need to make dragons valued members of your kingdom.
Dragon Nest
This provides a home for two dragons and one offspring. Add piles of gold here and the next time dragons arrive at your kingdom one may decide to settle at the nest. Workers here will collect food (pork and fish) to feed to the dragons. You can improve the conditions here with a connection to an aqueduct. This building also shows you all the information you need to make sure your dragons are well cared for and to find out what they are up to.
Dragon Bath
Dragons like to bathe and this building provides a big enough private pool for them to get clean without causing unfortunate accidents with the peasants if they were to use the same bath house. Requires a connection to an aqueduct.
Dragon Flight Training
This is a small obstacle course dragons will fly through when they get bored. There's also stands below for curious peasants to come watch.
Dragon Doctor
Dragon health will slowly degrade over time, so you'll need a dragon doctor to remove the pests from under their scales and generally keep them in good shape. Dragons will come here automatically when they need a checkup.
Dragon Bonding
Now there's a bit more to dragons than just placing the buildings and waiting around. We won't say much here except to say make sure to keep your dragons as happy as possible and see what happens.
Improvements

Allow troops to path over and through rubble
Churches dislike being near dragons
Vikings thieves can steal gold from dragon nests
Added new NPC conversations regarding the dragons
Empty stops are shown in the cart and ship UI
Added delete button to the stops in cart and ship UI
Fixes

Fixed issue where you could select buildings that were in the process of collapsing
Fixed issue where grave keeper could rebuild it's cemetery over an existing building
Fix issue with cart and ship UI where delete and backspace keys would delete a destination while editing a resource number
Fix issue where you could interact with the witch with your troops on an NPC island
Other small fixes
This update was a bit of a beast to accomplish, hope you enjoy! Thanks for being fans and thanks for all your feedback and bug reports!
Until next time,
-Pete, Michael, & Sam
Original post
26 Mar 2025Developer post
Dragon Taming - Beta Update
Hi Everyone, Quick update for you today, the beta version of our upcoming Dragon Taming Update has been available for testing for a little while now and we've been hard at work incorporating your feedback and fixing bug reports. If you haven't tried out the beta version and would
Hi Everyone,
Quick update for you today, the beta version of our upcoming Dragon Taming Update has been available for testing for a little while now and we've been hard at work incorporating your feedback and fixing bug reports. If you haven't tried out the beta version and would like to test it, here's how:

Right click on the game in the Steam library
Click properties, then choose betas
Choose the next-version-preview branch
Progress Update
We've been fixing bugs and tweaking and tuning the dragons, their upkeep, diet, damage, and how they integrate into the world. We set up gamepad controls for the dragon buildings so the new stuff in the update beta should be playable for Steam Deck now. We've also got the first pass on translations in for the new text.
Finally, here's a preview of another new building - the Flight Training Course - it'll help keep your dragons happy, nimble, and their wings in good shape:
We're getting close to a final release of the update, working on final translations and last bug fixes. Thanks for your patience!
Until next time,
- Pete, Michael, and Sam
Original post
21 Dec 2024Developer post
Beta Available - Dragon Taming Update
Hope everyone is having a happy holiday so far! Update Beta Available We've got the beta version ready for the Dragon Taming update. There is a sticky thread in the forums where there's a more detailed list of all the new changes that are ready for testing, but here's a little pr
Hope everyone is having a happy holiday so far!
Update Beta Available
We've got the beta version ready for the Dragon Taming update. There is a sticky thread in the forums where there's a more detailed list of all the new changes that are ready for testing, but here's a little preview of how bad a time you'll be able to give the vikings with dragons on your side:
And you'll also need to keep your dragons clean:
Of course, we'll do our usual big update post when the Dragon Taming Update is ready for final release.
If you'd like, you can try it out now by switching to the beta branch (keep in mind there will be bugs and things to fix). Here's how:

Right click on the game in the steam library
Click properties, then choose betas
Choose the next-version-preview branch
No code is necessary, your game should automatically update once you switch. Everyone who has been playing on the alpha branch will be kept up to date as well.
Once you're on the beta branch check out the new research in the Great Library to get started with the new dragon stuff.
Please send your feedback and bug reports to [email protected], chat with us directly in our discord, or post here in the forums!
Until next time,
-Pete, Michael, & Sam
Original post
03 Aug 2024Developer post
Development Update
Hi Everyone! We are currently working on a big new content update. It focuses on something you folks have brought up a few times, but we weren't sure if it was possible. With a lot of hard work behind us and some left to go, we're pleased to announce the next update coming up wil
01 Dec 2023Developer post
Steam Deck Verified - 122r1
Hi Everyone, Quick update for you today - we're excited to announce we're now Steam Deck Verified! The game should now run great, look great, and control great on the Steam Deck. While we've been focusing on the console ports for Kingdoms and Castles and on our new game Nova Roma
Hi Everyone,
Quick update for you today - we're excited to announce we're now Steam Deck Verified! The game should now run great, look great, and control great on the Steam Deck.
While we've been focusing on the console ports for Kingdoms and Castles and on our new game Nova Roma, we've still been monitoring your feedback and bug reports and have implemented a bunch of much requested improvements and fixes.
Improvements

Allow carts and ships to deposit resources at stockpiles and docks even if those buildings have their desired amounts set to zero.
Allow carts to pick up and drop off from swineherds and fishing huts
Reduced cost of the Well
Reduced cost of Transport Ship
Increased radius of the Large Fountain
In gamepad controls, disallow selecting empty tile when units are selected.
Optimize catapult target finding
Increase camera zoom range during map select
Increase favor gained when you humor the AI during the joke conversation
Fixes

Fixed issue in gamepad controls where building selection did not clear unit selection
Fixed input issue on Steam Deck when using Steam Dock and starting the game with a keyboard and mouse where the game would get stuck in gamepad control mode.
Fixed issue where fires could start too soon if playing with AIs
Fixed person UI and transport ship/cart UI being too small on Steam Deck
Fixed rare bug where AI units could get stuck unloading and loading their troops
Fixed bug where damage calculations for archer units with only the general still alive were wrong
Fixed bug where 'Clear Map' on the map edit mode wouldn't clear fish
Fixed performance issue with UI when looking at an AI owned island
Fixed issue where catapults would stop auto targeting
Other small fixes
Also, while we're on the topic of gamepads, we're excited to announce Kingdoms and Castles will be coming to Xbox Series S/X/One ... today! If you've got friends with Xboxes who wanted to try the game, this would be for them! We'll have more news on other platforms in the future.
Thanks for being fans! And thanks for all your feedback and bug reports!
Until next time,
-Pete, Michael, & Sam
Original post
23 Nov 2023Developer post
Nominate Kingdoms and Castles for the Steam Awards
Hi Everyone, Nominations for this year’s Steam Awards are underway and we’d like to ask for your support by nominating Kingdoms and Castles for the Labor of Love Award. We first launched Kingdoms and Castles in the summer of 2017 and in those six years we’ve continued to work on
04 Jul 2023Developer post
Hotpatch - version 121r4
Added building name and size to hover info Added option to disable sending game crash data Reduced cost of archer school and barracks Small UI fix
Added building name and size to hover info
Added option to disable sending game crash data
Reduced cost of archer school and barracks
Small UI fix
Original post
03 Jul 2023Developer post
Hotpatch - version 121r3
Fixed overlay and irrigation display being different for larger reservoir Fixed building info going of edge of screen on steam deck Removed ping to our old shopfiy store from when we were selling the dragon plushy
Fixed overlay and irrigation display being different for larger reservoir
Fixed building info going of edge of screen on steam deck
Removed ping to our old shopfiy store from when we were selling the dragon plushy
Original post
18 Jun 2023PCGamesN
Beloved Steam city builder knocks price alongside expansive new update
Medieval city-building game Kingdoms and Castles has just received a huge update while the brilliantly reviewed game is also part of a Steam sale , making now the perfect time for you to give it a try if you haven't already. So with the arrival of the Kingdoms and Castles Infrast
17 Jun 2023PC Gamer
Kigndoms and Castles gets a nice update as devs announce new Rome-based city builder
It might be six years old, but indie city builder Kingdoms and Castles has gotten regular updates since it released in 2017, and this year's apparently going to be no exception. Just today an update released, the Infrastructure & Industry update, adding all manner of communit
17 Jun 2023Developer post
Infrastructure & Industry Update - Now Available!
Hi Everyone! Thanks for your patience, the Industry & Infrastructure Update is out now on the main branch! Our last major update (War & Diplomacy) was focused on combat and interaction with the AI. For this update we've focused back on the city building and economy! It's
Hi Everyone!
Thanks for your patience, the Industry & Infrastructure Update is out now on the main branch! Our last major update (War & Diplomacy) was focused on combat and interaction with the AI. For this update we've focused back on the city building and economy! It's got a bunch of new stuff folks have been requesting. Let's get right to the notes!
Large Treasure Room
This is a 2x1 structure (shown on the right) that houses a bit more gold than two small treasure rooms. You can place them adjacent to small treasure rooms to make some creative building shapes (shown on the left).
Large Produce Storage
This is another 2x1 structure, which can store more fruit than two small produce storages. This brings fruit storage closer to parity with the grain storage buildings.
Large Iron Mine
This is a 3x3 structure that sits completely on top of an iron deposit. It produces more iron than 3 small iron mines but requires more space and more workers. It's ideal for later in the game when you've got more of a worker surplus.
Large Quarry
This is also a 3x3 structure you place on top of (rather than adjacent to) a stone deposit. It also produces more stone than 3 small quarries. While it produces more stone, the tradeoff is that is requires tools to operate. You'll want to make sure you have a blacksmith and tool production chain established before building this one.
Large Charcoal Maker
This 2x2 building produces more charcoal than 4 small charcoal makers but requires more workers. Great for later in the game when you need to be more space efficient but have plenty of people.
Large Reservoir
This is a 2x2 reservoir with a much larger radius of effect as compared to the small reservoir. While more expensive than the small reservoir, it's handy for serving lots of fountains around your city center at once or by irrigating a large swath of land for your farms.
Large Tavern
This is a 2x2 tavern. Great for dense cities to make your city center more lively and adds another way to meet your peasants' need for good drink!
Chapel
And to break of the trend of larger versions of everything, we've got a small church - the chapel! It's a 1x2 building you can fit into the smaller spaces the normal 2x3 church is too big for.
Improvements & Fixes
Increased some text sizes on the Steam Deck.
Increased damage of Greek Fire Tower
Fixed rare issue where viking ships could get stuck on custom maps with a particular layout
Fixed issue where AI could use suboptimal job priorities
Fixed issue where large quarry/iron mine could be placed over trees
Fixed issue with hazard pay when conquering an AI island
Until next time,
-Pete, Michael, & Sam
Original post
23 Dec 2022Developer post
Infrastructure & Industry Update - Beta Now Available!
Hi Everyone, Hope everyone is having a happy holiday so far. We've got the beta available for the next update - Industry & Infrastructure ! We've got a sticky thread in the forums where there's a more detailed list of all the new changes that are ready for testing, but here's
Hi Everyone,
Hope everyone is having a happy holiday so far. We've got the beta available for the next update - Industry & Infrastructure! We've got a sticky thread in the forums where there's a more detailed list of all the new changes that are ready for testing, but here's a little preview of just a few of the things you can look forward to:
Large Iron Mine
Large Treasure Room
And more! Here's a recap of the dev stream we did showing off all the new stuff for this update:
Watch on YouTube
Of course, we'll do our usual big update post when the Infrastructure & Industry Update is ready for final release.
If you'd like, you can try it out now by switching to the beta branch (keep in mind there will be bugs and things to fix). Here's how:

Right click on the game in the steam library
Click properties, then choose betas
Choose the next-version-preview branch
No code is necessary, your game should automatically update once you switch. Everyone who has been playing on the alpha branch will be kept up to date as well.
Please send your feedback and bug reports to [email protected], chat with us directly in our discord, or post here in the forums!
Until next time,
-Pete, Michael, & Sam
Original post
09 Dec 2022Developer post
Hotpatch - version 120r4
Tweak dragon difficulty Improve doctor healing algorithm to work better on large cities Fixed case where ship could get an invalid building destination Added wage information to building info highlight in the build menus Improved text readability on Steam Deck Fixed building info
Tweak dragon difficulty
Improve doctor healing algorithm to work better on large cities
Fixed case where ship could get an invalid building destination
Added wage information to building info highlight in the build menus
Improved text readability on Steam Deck
Fixed building info highlight going off screen on Steam Deck
Original post
26 Nov 2022Developer post
Hotpatch - Version 120r3:
Better messaging when manors are out of charcoal and very unhappy Siege dragons don't clump up so much Restored spawning of the small dragons Fixed issue where vikings could steal gold after being killed Fixed weird behavior with the 'random' check mark for spawning AIs in map se
Better messaging when manors are out of charcoal and very unhappy
Siege dragons don't clump up so much
Restored spawning of the small dragons
Fixed issue where vikings could steal gold after being killed
Fixed weird behavior with the 'random' check mark for spawning AIs in map select
Fixed visual issue where fishmongers showed in some cases they were search for wheat, even though they actually weren't
Original post
24 Nov 2022Developer post
Development Update
Hi Everyone, We've got another update on the way! Based on your feedback and ideas, it will feature some much requested new buildings. Here's a preview of two of them: Large Quarry A 3x3 building that sits on top of a stone deposit. Produces more stone than two quarries, but requ
14 Nov 2022Developer post
Hotpatch - Version 120r2
Changed cart and transport ship behavior to not drop resources on the ground if the drop off storage is full. Instead the goods will stay on the ship or cart. Changed oculus controllers select action to use "A" button instead of trigger Added Mixed Reality Motion controller Steam
Changed cart and transport ship behavior to not drop resources on the ground if the drop off storage is full. Instead the goods will stay on the ship or cart.
Changed oculus controllers select action to use "A" button instead of trigger
Added Mixed Reality Motion controller SteamVR bindings
Added Vive Cosmos controller SteamVR bindings
Added missing translation for VR orbit tutorial
Improved VR pivot pointer visuals when very close to the ground
Fixed issue where you couldn't put troops on ships in VR (changed VR unit selection to select action and movement to be cancel action - on Vive this means separate triggers)
Removed VR controller vibration during movement tutorial
Updated VR pivot mode to be easier to keep active while gripping
Original post
03 Nov 2022Developer post
VR Support - Now Available
VR Support is now available! If you want to play in VR mode, just plug in your headset and start up SteamVR and the game will automatically launch into VR mode. SteamVR must be running first for the game to detect you want to start in VR. You can start a new game or play an exist

Updates & announcements

Update Beta Available

Steam Reviews: Your Feedback Matters!

Join the Community

New Research

Dragon Nest

Dragon Bath

Dragon Flight Training

Dragon Doctor

Dragon Bonding

Improvements

Fixes

Progress Update

Update Beta Available

Dragon Roost

Dragon Doctor

Improvements

Fixes

Large Treasure Room

Large Produce Storage

Large Iron Mine

Large Quarry

Large Charcoal Maker

Large Reservoir

Large Tavern

Chapel

Improvements & Fixes

Large Iron Mine

Large Treasure Room

Large Quarry

Large Charcoal Maker

Why VR?

What's next?