Terra Nil is an environmental strategy game about transforming a barren wasteland into a thriving, balanced ecosystem — purify the soil, clean the oceans, plant forests, reintroduce wildlife, then recycle every building and leave without a trace.1 Developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital,21 it launched on 28 March 2023 on PC and, via Netflix Games, on iOS and Android.34 Press coverage dubbed it a "reverse city builder."4

Gameplay

Each map is a ruined biome; the player deploys purifying technology in careful sequences, balancing resources against terrain, and finishes by removing all trace of the machinery — the goal state is untouched wilderness.1

Development and release

Terra Nil began as a free game-jam prototype (a Ludum Dare 45 entry) that remains playable on itch.io.5 The full game launched day-and-date on PC and Netflix mobile in March 2023;34 an October 2023 update improved performance and added native macOS and Linux builds,6 and a Nintendo Switch version arrived on 18 December 2023.7 A major free content update, Vita Nova, followed in June 2024, adding five new levels, nine new buildings, an updated world map and an overhauled wildlife system.8

Free Lives donates 8% of its Steam-sales profits from the game to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African conservation organisation.2

Reception

Terra Nil was nominated for Games for Impact at The Game Awards 20239 and for Game Beyond Entertainment at the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards.10 Its restoration-not-extraction premise made it one of the most distinctive cozy-adjacent strategy games of its generation — see What counts as cozy for how the wiki treats that border.

References

  1. Valve. "Terra Nil" — Steam store data. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Free Lives / Devolver Digital. "Terra Nil — official site" — terranil.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩ ↩2

  3. Worthplaying. "'Terra Nil' Gets PC And Mobile Release Date" — Worthplaying, 20 February 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩ ↩2

  4. TouchArcade. "Reverse City Builder 'Terra Nil' Is Now Available on iOS and Android Through Netflix Games Alongside the PC Version" — TouchArcade, 28 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. vfqd, TheJunt, elyaradine. "Terra Nil Prototype" — itch.io. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩

  6. GamingOnLinux. "Terra Nil gets better performance and Linux support" — GamingOnLinux, October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩

  7. Nintendo. "Terra Nil for Nintendo Switch" — Nintendo.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩

  8. Bleeding Cool. "Terra Nil Launches The Free Vita Nova Update Today" — Bleeding Cool, June 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩

  9. VGChartz. "The Game Awards 2023 Nominees Revealed" — VGChartz, 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩

  10. Forbes. "2024 BAFTA Games Awards Winners" — Forbes, 11 April 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2026. ↩