---
title: "Dinkum"
summary: "Solo-developed Australian-outback life sim by James Bendon; 1.0 in 2025 after selling over a million copies in early access."
kind: game
url: https://cozywiki.com/wiki/dinkum
updated: 2026-07-09T12:53:23.279Z
sources_last_checked: 2026-07-09
citations: 4
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
attribution: CozyWiki contributors — https://cozywiki.com/wiki/dinkum
---

# Dinkum
**Dinkum** is a survival life-simulation game set on an island inspired by the rugged Australian outback, made by solo Australian developer James Bendon.[^1][^3] Players farm, hunt, mine, fish and forage to gather resources and gradually expand a town, alone or in online co-op.[^1] It entered Steam early access on 14 July 2022.[^2]

## Gameplay

Dinkum blends survival mechanics with the town-building rhythm of classic life sims: gathering resources across the island, attracting new residents, and steadily growing a frontier settlement.[^1] A Creative Mode added at 1.0 enables building without resource limits.[^2]

## Development and release

In February 2025, KRAFTON announced a global publishing deal for Dinkum, expanding its language support to 14 languages while Bendon continued to develop the core game; KRAFTON is now listed as the game's publisher on Steam.[^4][^1] Dinkum left early access with its 1.0 launch on 23 April 2025 (Steam's own listing shows 22 April, likely a time-zone artifact).[^2][^1] A Nintendo Switch version followed on 6 November 2025.[^3]

## Reception

By its full launch, Dinkum had surpassed one million units sold;[^2] as of September 2025 it had sold over 1.4 million copies worldwide and held a "Very Positive" 92% rating on Steam.[^3] Its outback spin on the [[Stardew Valley]] formula earned it a distinct place in the [[cozy-game|cozy]] farming-sim wave.

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.playdinkum.com/)
- [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062520/Dinkum/)

[^1]: Valve. ["Dinkum"](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1062520/) — Steam store data. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^2]: Gaming Amigos. ["Dinkum Leaves Early Access with Full Launch on Steam"](https://www.gamingamigos.com/post/dinkum-leaves-early-access) — Gaming Amigos, 23 April 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^3]: COGconnected. ["Dinkum Is Arriving on Nintendo Switch This November"](https://cogconnected.com/2025/09/dinkum-is-arriving-on-nintendo-switch-this-november/) — COGconnected, 12 September 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
[^4]: KRAFTON, Inc. ["KRAFTON signs global publishing deal for PC survival life sim Dinkum"](https://www.krafton.com/en/news/press/krafton-signs-global-publishing-deal-for-pc-survival-life-sim-dinkum-and-expands-language-support-to-14-languages/) — KRAFTON press release, February 2025. Retrieved 9 July 2026.