- Version 1.0 Available Now - 4 August 2026
Official v1.0 Release Available Now!Hey all,I took the past few weeks really polishing up the code behind the scenes, making it ultra stable, ultra slick. This is in addition to the smattering of new goodies throughout the experience, and some nice text and UI clean-up. This is a polished realization of the original idea I set out to make and I feel happy and comfortable to say it is a finished complete idea.Off the bat, right out the gate, I'll comment and add that development is not over! It's just different. There are things I still want to add and tinker with over time, but they fell outside the scope of my original concept. And rather move the goalposts of that original scope, I am celebrating the victory of finishing the original idea now. And I'll continue tinkering as I see fit. And work on other fun ideas as well. I just like making games.Thanks all who joined me in this Early…
- Version 1.0 Incoming - 13 July 2026
Desktop Ant Farm Simulator is Leaving Early Access in AugustHey all,I want to do a devlog on my current thoughts for Desktop Ant Farm Simulator. As I've been tinkering with Update #10, cleaning up text issues, adding another dozen lofi tracks, a new font option, etc, I've realized that the rough edges that were intentionally left rough so that I could start Early Access have been smoothed.I set out to have a rich full lofi soundtrack, which is as of the current status of Update #10, sitting at 36 tracks. I set out to create an Idle Mode that stood separate from Productivity mode, and the Forager Ants/Nutrients/Age System all went an extremely long way in making a satisfying loop This whole project started as an idea to make a digital distraction. Something my ADHD coded brain could stare at while I did my real job. The original concept was completed to my level of desire months before E…
- Update #9: The Jukebox Update - 27 May 2026
Hi all,The Jukebox update is here! This one doesn't have a lot to explain. I added 12 new Lo-fi tracks by artist Redlight Chill, and added a new "now playing" banner that pops in when you are in the ant farm and a new track starts. So you can see the song name and artist of the new track. Fairly simple concept that proved more difficult than I thought to create with modular window sizes and screen layouts. Creating a one-size fits all approach to a nice little track window took some trial and error. The 12 new tracks are excellent vibe-y lo-fi and fit in well with the existing roster of tracks. On to the patch notes.v0.6.0Added a Now Playing Banner to the ant farm that displays when a new track starts playingAdded a page 2 to the Jukebox menu that matches the page system seen in the Stats menuAdded 12 new lo-fi tracks from artist Redlight Chill, bringing the total track count to 24 lo-f…
- Update #8: The Stats Update - 2 May 2026
Hi all,Version number leap time! I was slated to finish this by May 15th. Really dates I put on myself to self-motivate and hold myself accountable. As it turns out, I am done with what I wanted to accomplish. I don't think anyone will complain about me getting these updates out faster than schedule, right?The Stats Update accomplishes a main goal of mine: pull the Steam Stats and Steam Achievements in-game with a stats menu and badge system. I knew along with that I needed a main menu refresh to make everything fit so I took some time working on the menus and sprucing them up. Let's just jump into patch notes!v0.5.0Title display now has a window and chain link graphic with a subtle animationAdded a shade layer between the menu options and the menu ant farm in all menu screens to help text and menu blocks pop moreMain menu ant farm is now persistent between menu screens (swapping betwee…
- Roadmap to v0.5 - 15 April 2026
Hi all,Wanted to generally chat about the path to the next title update, v0.5. Tentatively releasing on Friday May 15th.This patch will be the Stats Update. I want to capture as many stats as possible, create as many systems to catch as many stats as possible, display them all in an in-game stats hub. I'm starting this work with the v0.4.X patch series but the title update will represent the culmination of this plan.I'm very happy with the gameplay wrinkles added in v0.4 and want them to vibe for a bit and get a feel for what works really well and where I want to push the idle gameplay next. So for now, it's a meta level update. Stats galore for everyone to peruse.This will include an in-game badge system that replicates the Steam Achievements so that even those are all fully houses in-game.The extra nugget this patch will receive as part of the domino effect of making a stats menu, is…
- Update #7: Farm Stats - 12 April 2026
Hi all,I've got a small patch today fleshing out the expanded view of stats in Idle Mode. This includes displaying 5 stats to the player for Farm information, including two new stats being documented. This is just to give you more numbers to pour over as you develop you ant tunnels. The two new stats being tracked won't require new farm saves, but they won't backdate to the start of your farm. The new stats are total blocks destroyed in a particular farm and the total number of dirt clods collected in a particular farm. Lifetime total stats for these were already collected, but now they are collected for each individual farm. These stats are also collected for each individual play session.So just some stats for you all this time. Simple lil patch. Mentally I'm moving towards v0.5 which is tentatively the "Stats Update" and will add an extensive and thorough in-game stats menu to the mai…
- Update #6: Foraging Update - 30 March 2026
Hi all,This is a fairly gargantuan update, the largest by far for this project since it's release. I'm gonna chat about it for a moment and then get to the patch notes.v0.4.0 marks a dramatic level up for the ants of ant farm. They individually store a lot more data and systems which are core to the overall new experiences. All of these changes are for the Idle Mode, and the Productivity Mode with no interaction does not need these Idle game systems. Ants now have individual hunger levels, as well as age. And more importantly, they can perish. How all of this works is inherently tied to the new ant type: Forager Ants.Forager Ants are slower and more expensive than a Worker Ant but they are the only ants that can gather the nutrients left behind after breaking some dirt blocks. When an ant's hunger meter empties, it must eat a single nutrient to completely restore it's hunger meter or ri…
- Update #5: Idle Mode Scaling - 13 March 2026
Hi all,Today's patch focused on giving the three purchasable stats in Idle Mode new formulas that were exponential curves rather than linear curves. This is to help control the pacing of an ant farm so that you get to play any individual farm for a suitable amount of time, since it's supposed to be a good experience to vibe in the background with.These new formulas make the early stages of a farm quicker, but the later stages slower. Mostly, it puts an amount of control on the re-worked Strength stat which went live earlier than I wanted. And I enjoy how the stat works, but it was far too cheap for what it accomplished. Leading to the ability to clear farms far to quickly.The patch notes are very small, but the re-tooling should be fairly noticeable. Happy digging! Please leave any feedback as you hang out with your ant farms, here or in the discussion boards. And leave a review if you…
- Update #4: Idle Mode UI and Ant Strength - 9 March 2026
Hi all,Work is underway on the approach to v0.4! There are a lot of changes coming to Idle mode adding a substantial new gameplay loop. To facilitate those changes and make them communicated better, I've put work into a new Idle Mode UI. You can see this below.The UI is perhaps intentionally leaving out some information right now, but I'm happy with how clean it is and how it communicates some information easier.Let's get into the whole patch notes. Happy digging!- KyleEdit: The strength re-work is also now live in this patch. This wasn't intentional but it was finished so it's staying rather than be packaged with v0.4.v0.3.1Strength Re-workStrength now increases by full values of 1 rather than iterative stepsStrength now increases the amount of clods you bring back to the surface in addition to just doing extra damage to blocksCost of strength upgrades have been made much more expensiv…
- Roadmap to v0.4 - 3 March 2026
Hello all!I wanted to detail the work happening behind the scenes as I work towards the next big update. At this point I'm referring to v0.4 as The Ant Update. I went back and forth on what I wanted to do next and landed on doing a gameplay focused follow up to the Camera Update. Tentatively, barring any roadblocks, v0.4 will release March 31st. I'm planning on doling out a small patch or two this month as I build to v0.4.So what's the goal with The Ant UpdateRework Ant Strength StatCurrently it is basic and rudimentary and makes ants dig more per trip, that's it. I want the scaling and reward for increasing strength to matter more.Pet the Ants 2.0Currently petting an ant makes them happy which means nothing other than you know they are happy. I want to revisit this so that happy ants age slower.Ant AgeAnts will age over time and after a long time can pass away of natural causes. A happ…
- Update #3: The Camera Update - 20 February 2026
Update #3: The Camera UpdateHi all,We're kicking off the first major version number update today with the Camera Update. Follow up small patches to v0.3.0 will cover a scattershot of feedback and small additions as we build up to the next major update. Let's talk about this update though!The main version updates will be holistic overhauls of one system. Looking at every part of it and trying to improve on it. For version 0.3.0 that was the camera system. And I crammed several new options in here, including two community requests (so thank you for using the Discussions boards!). The major take-away is the entire camera/view/perspective can now be controlled solely with the mouse.Thanks all for supporting ant farm game and I can't wait to continue tinkering with it to make it as full featured as possible! Expect some small v0.3.x patches in the coming couple of weeks, and I will make a si…
- Big Update Incoming in Two Weeks - 6 February 2026
The Camera Update - February 20thHey all,I wanted to communicate the date of the next update which will be a chunky one (v0.3.0). As I outlined in my loose roadmap of update themes, each major update will be a holistic overhaul of a single system, mixed with new content and bug fixes of course. The first major update will be The Camera Update. What should you expect?A Dynamic Perspective - Resizing the window will automatically change the view between Landscape or Portrait without any extra player input. This frees up a key entirely and makes the process of setting your ant farm's screen space vibe easier.Improved Zoom - A clearer Zoom UI, rather than just the bar currently in-game. You can also use the mouse wheel (or two fingers on a trackpad) to zoom in both directions.Borderless Window Mouse Control - In addition to pressing tab to make the window borderless, you will be able to pre…
- Update #2: Scattered Additions - 4 February 2026
Update #2: Scattered AdditionsHi all,Thanks for making the start of Early Access as great as it has been. I'm not going to be quitting my job or anything, but the support so far has been more than expected out of the gate. Today's patch is laying background ground work on some upcoming larger stuff but also added a scattered bit of things throughout. There's two new lofi tracks from Rusted Music Studio. 9 new Steam Achievements, some new lifetime stat tracking, and just general code cleanup. It's a nice small patch while we're still in Week 1 here.Thanks all,-KyleHere's the full notes:v0.2.2Lifetime Spending stat added3 New Steam Achievements for lifetime spendingFarm Clears stat added3 New Steam Achievements for lifetime farm clears3 New Steam Achievements for mid-range dirt removal (upper threshold now 250,000 dirt clods)2 new lofi tracks from Rusted Music Studio added to the playlist…
- Update #1: You Can Pet The Ants - 1 February 2026
Update #1: You Can Pet The AntsHi all,Wanted to put my best foot forward and push out a little new update. This is my first time doing an Early Access project. I've released two other games on Steam, and one on consoles, but Early Access carries a different vibe. That expectation that if you jump on the train early you see meaningful engagement from the developer. I've played enough Early Access games myself to know it's annoying to never see one finish or just move. so. slow.Anyways, you can pet the ants now. By using the mouse cursor, if you pet an ant for a little over a second it will become happy which has a little visual animation. The ant will remain happy for the remainder of the session. A happy ant does nothing else so far other than your personal knowledge that the ant is indeed happy
- Desktop Ant Farm Simulator is Available Now in Early Access! - 31 January 2026
Desktop Ant Farm Simulator is Available Now!Hello all! Kyle here. I'm super pumped to release my ant game into Early Access. So let me talk about the ant game, Early Access, the state of the game now, and where it could be going.Digital Ant FarmingThis is a desktop companion type deal. It will persist over other windows when you are in your ant farm. The window is full stretchable as you see fit, and if you peep the controls in the help menu, there is a decent bit of camera options to get it the size and look you want. A simple press of \ switches the view between portrait and landscape. Pressing \ makes the window borderless. There are options to make the window that works for your persistent ant farm.So what's the point of digital ant farming? It's satisfying to watch and a good distraction while you are stuck in some other computer task. I've got some good ADHD and I like to multi-ta…
