RimWorld: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Beating the Game

This guide offers a clear, practical step-by-step structure for building a stable colony and successfully finishing the game via the classic spaceship ending. The focus is on a standard game with a Crashlanded start and medium difficulty.

Phase 1 – Start (Day 1–3): Securing Survival

1. Hit pause and analyze the map
   Identify fertile soil, geysers, choke points, cover and good build areas.

2. Pick a location
   Close to fertile soil, geysers and natural defenses.

3. Assign colonist roles
   Sensibly assign medicine, construction, cooking, farming and research.

4. Build the first shelter
   Barracks, base camp, simple kitchen. Store everything under a roof.

5. Secure food
   Gather berries, hunt, cook simple meals.

6. Build a cold room
   Small room, cooler at −2°C, store food and medicine.

7. First defenses
   Choke point, sandbags, hand out starting weapons.

Phase 2 – Early Colony (Day 3–15): Stabilization

8. Expand farming
   Rice (fast), corn (stockpile), potatoes (poor soil).

9. Optimize mood
   Private bedrooms, dining area, recreation room.

10. Start researching
    Solar Panels, Batteries, Stonecutting, Microelectronics.

11. Secure power
    Solar + wind + later geothermal. Batteries in a separate room.

12. Organize storage
    Central storage room, refrigerated food, dump zones outside.

13. Improve your defensive structure
    Kill zone with traps, cover and clear attack paths.

Phase 3 – Mid Colony (Day 15–60): Economy & Tech

14. Set up Stonecutting
    Stone walls as a fireproof foundation.

15. Optimize production chains
    Kitchen, tailoring, smithy/fabrication.

16. Medical infrastructure
    Clean hospital, medicine in the cold room.

17. Colonist management
    Only sensible recruits, mood rules, good clothing.

18. Establish trade
    Comms Console, Trade Beacon, sell surplus goods.

19. Research toward the ship
    Unlock Multi-analyzer and ship tech.

Phase 4 – Late Colony (Day 60+): Spaceship Construction

20. Research all ship techs
    Computer core, Sensors, Engines, Reactor, Caskets.

21. Decide on the ship's location
    A stable area with good cover and a defensive zone.

22. Build the ship components
    Connect everything together.

23. Secure materials
    Steel, Plasteel, Uranium, Components, Advanced Components.
    Use Deep Drills + Scanner.

Phase 5 – Endgame: Reactor Startup and Survival

24. Activate the reactor
    Start the countdown, expect massive raid waves.

25. Set up final defenses
    Reinforce the kill zone, autoturrets, firefoam, fallback rooms.

26. Plan cryptosleep
    Put colonists into the caskets only at the last minute.

27. Survive the final days
    Focus on repairs, medicine, defense, no outside missions.

28. Launch and escape
    Timer's up, everyone in the ship: lift off and finish the game.

Common Mistakes and Key Ground Rules

29. Avoid the usual mistakes

    • Open bases without choke points
    • No stable food chain
    • Ignored mood problems
    • Too much expansion without a foundation

30. Practical ground rules

    • Ignore bad recruits
    • Only take sensible quests
    • Don't waste resources
    • Accept restarts if necessary