Dwarf Fortress vs RuneScape: Dragonwilds
Dwarf Fortress is an open-world roguelike game from Bay 12 Games (2022) while RuneScape: Dragonwilds is an open-world RPG game from Jagex Ltd (2025).
Quick answer: Dwarf Fortress rates higher, 8.4 to 7.2 on the GamingPickz Score.
What each one is
Dwarf Fortress is filed under Open-World and Roguelike. In contrast, RuneScape: Dragonwilds under Open-World and RPG.
Build a fortress and try to help your dwarves survive against a deeply generated world. Keep your dwarves happy, grow their community and beware of digging too deeply. The deepest, most intricate simulation of a world that's ever been created.
On RuneScape's forgotten continent of Ashenfall, dragons have awoken. Gather, build, skill and craft in this co-operative survival adventure. Only by mastering survival and uncovering ancient secrets can you hope to face the ferocious Dragon Queen.
At a glance
| Dwarf Fortress | RuneScape: Dragonwilds | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.4/10 | 7.2/10 |
| Steam rating | Overwhelmingly Positive (95%, 31,446) | Very Positive (81%, 29,772) |
| Critic aggregate | 93/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $29.99 | $29.99 |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 25 GB |
| Steam Deck | playable | playable |
| Released | 2022 | 2025 |
| Developer | Bay 12 Games | Jagex Ltd |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Dwarf Fortress vs RuneScape: Dragonwilds, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Dwarf FortressOpen-world roguelike gameRuneScape: DragonwildsOpen-world RPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Dwarf FortressDwarf, Colony Sim, StrategyRuneScape: DragonwildsOpen World, Survival, Open World Survival CraftThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Dwarf Fortress ✓Score 8.4 · 95% on Steam · 93 criticRuneScape: DragonwildsScore 7.2 · 81% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Dwarf Fortress31,446 reviews · 2 add-ons · 0.49 GBRuneScape: Dragonwilds29,772 reviews · 2 add-ons · 25 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Dwarf Fortress$29.99RuneScape: Dragonwilds$29.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Dwarf FortressPlayableRuneScape: DragonwildsPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Dwarf Fortress takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueDwarf Fortress and RuneScape: Dragonwilds on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Dwarf Fortress (GamingPickz Score 8.4)
- Lighter on storage: Dwarf Fortress (0.49 GB)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Base-BuildingSandboxBuildingSurvivalOpen WorldFantasyCraftingDifficult
Where they differ
DwarfColony SimStrategySimulationCity BuilderManagement
Open World Survival CraftMultiplayerEarly AccessCo-opOnline Co-OpAdventure
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Dwarf Fortress is demanding, for players who want a challenge. RuneScape: Dragonwilds is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Dwarf Fortress | RuneScape: Dragonwilds | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | 1GB of | — |
| Minimum CPU | Dual Core CPU - 2.4GHz+ | — |
| Minimum RAM | 4 GB | — |
| Install size | 0.49 GB | 25 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Dwarf Fortress · RuneScape: Dragonwilds.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 0 accessibility features for Dwarf Fortress and 4 for RuneScape: Dragonwilds. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Dwarf Fortress and RuneScape: Dragonwilds in scope?
Dwarf Fortress has drawn 31,446 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 0.49 GB. RuneScape: Dragonwilds has drawn 29,772 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 25 GB.
Is Dwarf Fortress or RuneScape: Dragonwilds better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Dwarf Fortress rates higher (8.4 to 7.2). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Dwarf Fortress or RuneScape: Dragonwilds?
Dwarf Fortress is cheaper right now at $29.99, against $29.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Should I get Dwarf Fortress or RuneScape: Dragonwilds?
Dwarf Fortress rates higher, 8.4 to 7.2 on the GamingPickz Score. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.