{
  "slug": "terra-nil",
  "wiki": null,
  "title": "Terra Nil",
  "kind": "game",
  "summary": "Free Lives' “reverse city builder”: restore a wasteland to a thriving ecosystem, then pack up and leave no trace.",
  "url": "https://cozywiki.com/wiki/terra-nil",
  "categories": [
    {
      "slug": "building-and-decoration",
      "name": "Building & Decoration"
    },
    {
      "slug": "simulation-and-management",
      "name": "Simulation & Management"
    }
  ],
  "infobox": {
    "type": "game",
    "modes": [
      "Single-player"
    ],
    "artHue": 165,
    "engine": null,
    "genres": [
      "Casual",
      "Indie",
      "Strategy"
    ],
    "website": "https://www.terranil.com/",
    "monogram": "TN",
    "steamUrl": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593030/Terra_Nil/",
    "developer": [
      "Free Lives",
      "Clockwork Acorn (co-credited on Steam)"
    ],
    "platforms": [
      "Windows",
      "macOS",
      "Linux",
      "iOS (Netflix)",
      "Android (Netflix)",
      "Nintendo Switch"
    ],
    "publisher": [
      "Devolver Digital"
    ],
    "initialPlatforms": [
      "Windows",
      "iOS (Netflix Games)",
      "Android (Netflix Games)"
    ],
    "initialReleaseDate": "2023-03-28"
  },
  "contentMarkdown": "**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,[^2][^1] it launched on 28 March 2023 on PC and, via Netflix Games, on iOS and Android.[^3][^4] Press coverage dubbed it a \"reverse city builder.\"[^4]\n\n## Gameplay\n\nEach 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]\n\n## Development and release\n\nTerra 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;[^3][^4] 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]\n\nFree Lives donates 8% of its Steam-sales profits from the game to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African conservation organisation.[^2]\n\n## Reception\n\nTerra Nil was nominated for Games for Impact at The Game Awards 2023[^9] 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-game|cozy-adjacent]] strategy games of its generation — see [[What counts as cozy]] for how the wiki treats that border.\n\n## External links\n\n- [Official website](https://www.terranil.com/)\n- [Steam page](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593030/Terra_Nil/)\n\n[^1]: Valve. [\"Terra Nil\"](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593030/) — Steam store data. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^2]: Free Lives / Devolver Digital. [\"Terra Nil — official site\"](https://www.terranil.com/) — terranil.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^3]: Worthplaying. [\"'Terra Nil' Gets PC And Mobile Release Date\"](https://www.worthplaying.com/article/2023/2/20/news/135897-terra-nil-gets-pc-and-mobile-release-date-screens-trailer/) — Worthplaying, 20 February 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^4]: TouchArcade. [\"Reverse City Builder 'Terra Nil' Is Now Available on iOS and Android Through Netflix Games Alongside the PC Version\"](https://toucharcade.com/2023/03/28/terra-nil-download-city-builder-netflix-games-iphone-android-ios-steam-devolver/) — TouchArcade, 28 March 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^5]: vfqd, TheJunt, elyaradine. [\"Terra Nil Prototype\"](https://vfqd.itch.io/terra-nil) — itch.io. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^6]: GamingOnLinux. [\"Terra Nil gets better performance and Linux support\"](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/10/terra-nil-gets-better-performance-and-linux-support/) — GamingOnLinux, October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^7]: Nintendo. [\"Terra Nil for Nintendo Switch\"](https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/terra-nil-switch/) — Nintendo.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^8]: Bleeding Cool. [\"Terra Nil Launches The Free Vita Nova Update Today\"](https://bleedingcool.com/games/terra-nil-launches-the-free-vita-nova-update-today/) — Bleeding Cool, June 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^9]: VGChartz. [\"The Game Awards 2023 Nominees Revealed\"](https://www.vgchartz.com/article/459017/the-game-awards-2023-nominees-revealed/) — VGChartz, 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.\n[^10]: Forbes. [\"2024 BAFTA Games Awards Winners\"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattgardner1/2024/04/11/2024-bafta-games-awards-winners-baldurs-gate-3-takes-best-game/) — Forbes, 11 April 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
  "contentText": "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. Developed by Free Lives and published by Devolver Digital, it launched on 28 March 2023 on PC and, via Netflix Games, on iOS and Android. Press coverage dubbed it a \"reverse city builder.\"\nGameplay\nEach 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.\nDevelopment and release\nTerra Nil began as a free game-jam prototype (a Ludum Dare 45 entry) that remains playable on itch.io. The full game launched day-and-date on PC and Netflix mobile in March 2023; an October 2023 update improved performance and added native macOS and Linux builds, and a Nintendo Switch version arrived on 18 December 2023. 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.\nFree Lives donates 8% of its Steam-sales profits from the game to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African conservation organisation.\nReception\nTerra Nil was nominated for Games for Impact at The Game Awards 2023 and for Game Beyond Entertainment at the 2024 BAFTA Games Awards. 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.\nExternal links\nOfficial website\nSteam page",
  "citations": [
    {
      "refKey": "2",
      "text": "Free Lives / Devolver Digital. \"Terra Nil — official site\" — terranil.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://www.terranil.com/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "1",
      "text": "Valve. \"Terra Nil\" — Steam store data. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593030/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "3",
      "text": "Worthplaying. \"'Terra Nil' Gets PC And Mobile Release Date\" — Worthplaying, 20 February 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://www.worthplaying.com/article/2023/2/20/news/135897-terra-nil-gets-pc-and-mobile-release-date-screens-trailer/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "4",
      "text": "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.",
      "url": "https://toucharcade.com/2023/03/28/terra-nil-download-city-builder-netflix-games-iphone-android-ios-steam-devolver/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "5",
      "text": "vfqd, TheJunt, elyaradine. \"Terra Nil Prototype\" — itch.io. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://vfqd.itch.io/terra-nil",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "6",
      "text": "GamingOnLinux. \"Terra Nil gets better performance and Linux support\" — GamingOnLinux, October 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2023/10/terra-nil-gets-better-performance-and-linux-support/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "7",
      "text": "Nintendo. \"Terra Nil for Nintendo Switch\" — Nintendo.com. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/terra-nil-switch/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "8",
      "text": "Bleeding Cool. \"Terra Nil Launches The Free Vita Nova Update Today\" — Bleeding Cool, June 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://bleedingcool.com/games/terra-nil-launches-the-free-vita-nova-update-today/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "9",
      "text": "VGChartz. \"The Game Awards 2023 Nominees Revealed\" — VGChartz, 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://www.vgchartz.com/article/459017/the-game-awards-2023-nominees-revealed/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    },
    {
      "refKey": "10",
      "text": "Forbes. \"2024 BAFTA Games Awards Winners\" — Forbes, 11 April 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2026.",
      "url": "https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattgardner1/2024/04/11/2024-bafta-games-awards-winners-baldurs-gate-3-takes-best-game/",
      "accessedAt": "9 July 2026"
    }
  ],
  "createdAt": "2026-07-09T12:53:38.459Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-07-09T12:53:38.459Z",
  "lastVerifiedAt": "2026-07-09T12:53:05.015Z",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/",
    "attribution": "\"Terra Nil\" by CozyWiki contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://cozywiki.com/wiki/terra-nil"
  },
  "markdownUrl": "https://cozywiki.com/wiki/terra-nil.md"
}