Asciilands
A multiplayer survival sandbox where the entire 3D world — forests, coasts, deserts, mountains — is drawn in text characters. Everyone plays in the same persistent world: gather, craft, build a home, found a town, and leave something other players will find.
Getting started
- 1Enter the frontier
No account required — a guest character is saved on the server for your browser. Sign in with Discord later if you want progress across devices plus friends, parties and towns.
- 2Follow the 11-step tutorial
The built-in checklist walks you through movement, gathering and your first craft. Pin goals to the screen from your journal.
- 3Gather with bare hands
Chop trees, mine stone, pick fibre — turn them into planks, sticks and rope. Place a workbench and make a stone axe, pickaxe or sickle.
- 4Branch out
Recipes open into bows and arrows, fishing rods, leather gear, campfire cooking, and smelting ore into custom-forged metal gear at the anvil.
- 5Build something that lasts
Foundations, walls, doors, roofs and stairs — up to four storeys with stone supports. Builds in the wild decay after a day unless maintained, or claim land by founding a town.
Controls
| Action | Keys |
|---|---|
| Move / run | WASD / Shift |
| Look / act | Mouse / Click |
| Menu / pack | Esc / Tab |
| Build / borders | B / G |
| Inventory / market / town | I / K / T |
| Travel map / settings | M / O |
| Rotate / salvage building piece | R / X |
What's in the world
One shared map split into zones you cross on foot — whatever you build stays for other players to find.
Survival loop
Health, stamina, hunger and a day-night cycle. Wolves and boars fight back — learn the guard timing before you wander far.
Combat & magic
Melee strikes with guard, bows, and glyph spells learned from inscriptions and cast through a wand.
Markets & towns
Trade at markets, form parties of up to eight, and found towns that claim land with a shared treasury.
Persistent builds
Camps, houses, cities — construction is piece by piece and stays in the world for everyone. Wild builds decay after a day if unmaintained.
FAQ
Is Asciilands free?
Completely free in open beta, with optional donations to keep the servers up.
Do I need an account?
No — guests can explore, craft, build and trade. A Discord login adds cross-device saves, friends, parties and town membership.
Does progress save? Are there wipes?
Progress saves for guests and Discord accounts, and the world is persistent. The developer has said wipes are possible during development, but would likely only affect builds and terrain, not items.
Can I play on mobile?
Not yet — desktop and laptop browsers only. A mobile version and downloadable client are planned.
Is Asciilands on Steam or itch.io?
The official game only runs on its own site at asciilands.io. A Steam client is planned but doesn't exist yet — anything claiming to be a downloadable Asciilands build isn't the real game.