Overview

Don't Starve: Elsewhere is an upcoming survival adventure developed and published by Klei Entertainment, the Vancouver studio behind the original Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together. It was unveiled on April 9, 2026 during the Triple-i Initiative show 2026, where Klei described the project as an all-new uncompromising survival experience set in a strange and unforgiving new world filled with magic, monsters, and mystery. A release date has not been announced; PC via Steam is the only platform confirmed, and players can wishlist the game on its Steam store page while waiting for further details.

Elsewhere keeps the survival pillars longtime players know, including resource gathering, crafting, base building, farming, and exploration of a procedurally generated world, but it pushes the series in several new directions. The action moves into a fully 3D world with a jump button, a multi-tiered terrain system that stacks mountains, plateaus, rivers, seas, and cave networks at different elevations, and a creeping Fog hazard that curses the land it touches. Klei sums up the core failure states with a simple directive for new arrivals: don't fall, don't linger in the Fog, and above all else, don't starve.

Quick Facts

Premise

Klei has framed Elsewhere as a fresh start rather than a direct continuation. The game opens a new world that is described as separate from the setting of earlier entries, with its own biomes, creatures, items, characters, and story to discover. The overall tone remains true to the studio's signature blend of dark whimsy, with hand-drawn flourishes and dangerous wilderness pulling against the player's drive to build a foothold.

The marketing pitch leans on three words: magic, monsters, and mystery. Each plays into the survival loop. Magic shapes hazards like the Fog and the unsettling regions it spawns. Monsters define encounters across vertical biomes that range from snow-capped peaks to redwood forests soaked in rainstorms to winding cave systems. Mystery is the engine that motivates risk taking, since the world rewards players who push past safe ground to learn what lies in fogged-over zones, deep waters, or high-altitude territory.

What is New

Three big shifts separate Elsewhere from prior entries in the series. Each one has a dedicated article, but the short version is below.

3D Movement with Jumping

Movement is no longer locked to a flat plane. Characters can run across uneven ground, jump, climb mountains, swim across rivers and seas, and descend into caves. Falling from height is a brand new failure state, joining starvation and Fog exposure at the top of the threat list. See 3D Movement for the full breakdown.

Multi-Tiered World

The map is designed in vertical layers. Snow-covered mountain peaks tower above redwood forests, rivers cut through valleys to feed tumultuous seas, and cave networks weave underneath the surface. Each biome runs on its own independent climate, so weather and temperature vary as players move between zones. See Multi-Tiered World for biome details.

The Fog

A thick Fog creeps across the landscape, cursing all that it touches. It is dynamic, spreads over time, and lingers can drain sanity. The risk and reward question is built into the design: run from it, or push through to learn what it hides. Read more in The Fog System.

Solo and Co-Op

Elsewhere supports single-player and online co-op out of the box, with in-game chat for groups. Klei has confirmed standard quality-of-life features on the Steam side, including Steam Family Sharing and broad language support. Coordinated parties can split survival roles the way they do in Don't Starve Together, while solo players get a self-contained experience without needing teammates. See Multiplayer for what is currently confirmed about co-op.

Where it Sits Next to Don't Starve Together

Klei has been clear that Elsewhere is not a replacement for Don't Starve Together. The studio has stated that both games will have equal reasons to exist for a long while and that Elsewhere is shaping up to be a very different experience. Don't Starve Together will continue to receive updates after Elsewhere ships.

Cosmetics and skins from Don't Starve Together will not transfer over, because Elsewhere uses an entirely new art style. Players who are deep into Don't Starve Together cosmetic collections should not expect carryover, and Klei has not announced any cross-progression.

Reveal and Marketing

Before the formal reveal, Klei seeded an alternate-reality teaser through a portal puzzle. The game then made its world premiere on April 9, 2026 at the Triple-i Initiative show 2026, alongside a full announce trailer. The reveal trailer shows familiar series faces in survival situations across the new biomes, but Klei has not published an official playable roster, so trailer appearances should not be read as a confirmed character lineup.

The current call to action from Klei is simple: wishlist the Steam page and sign up for the Klei Newsletter to be notified when more information drops. No release window, beta program, or platform expansion beyond PC has been announced.

Where to Begin

Brand new to the world or returning from earlier entries, the next steps are the same. The Getting Started guide walks through what is currently known about the opening hours, basic priorities, and how to read the new threats. For the foundational survival loop, see Survival Basics. To track confirmed platforms and the latest on the release timeline, see Platforms and Release.

At a Glance

• New 3D world with vertical biomes, distinct from the setting of prior series entries.

• Jumping and elevation introduce falling as a new failure state alongside starvation and Fog exposure.

• Procedural world generation, crafting, base building, farming, and exploration return as the survival pillars.

• Solo and online co-op are both supported, with in-game chat and Steam Family Sharing.

• Don't Starve Together continues to receive updates; cosmetics will not cross over to Elsewhere.

• Announced April 9, 2026; PC via Steam confirmed; release date and any console plans are unannounced.