Screenshots
Watch trailer on Steam ↗Hawthorn
NEARstudios · Published by TBD · Official site ↗
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
Former developers from Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog bring you the sandbox RPG realm of anthropomorphic animals and fairy creatures. This early Proof-of-Concept Demo is an intentional look back at where Hawthorn's development journey began and an invitation to shape the future of Hawthorn!
Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG, Simulation · More free games
Explore a richly detailed world of anthropomorphic animals and fairy creatures in Hawthorn, an action-adventure indie RPG from former Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog developers. This early Proof-of-Concept Demo invites you to shape the future of this unique sandbox realm.
About this game
Once upon a time, woodland creatures built a trading post in forgotten Windermere Valley, but now it is the haunt of varmints, fairy lights, and mysterious rumors about why this village was abandoned.
To you, however, this is a hope for a new life. Recruit villagers and grow a community. Defend against the elements and forest tricksters. Thrive and celebrate the seasons’ traditions. Rebuilding won’t be easy, but you and your newfound friends are up to the challenge.
Former developers from Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog bring you a sandbox RPG realm of anthropomorphic animals and fairy creatures. Play this Play co-op or solo as you build a village of memorable NPCs, farm, craft, explore, and celebrate the seasons in an ever-changing world bigger than you.
Proof of Concept Demo Playable Now!
Download Hawthorn's Proof-of-Concept Demo now! (See the link above on this page.) This demo is a prototype made at the start of our development journey. We built it to share our vision with publishers and the world, and as a foundational starting point for the full game. It focuses on the village-building aspect of Hawthorn, offering a glimpse of the potential of this world, the intended atmosphere, and the player-driven experience at the core of the game. Much more gameplay and content have already been added since this version, and the visuals in this demo do not represent the final game.
Now we're making this demo available to the public to gather feedback that will help shape what comes next. Our ability to continue developing Hawthorn depends on the support and involvement of our community, and sharing this early version is part of that process. Your feedback will help us grow Hawthorn while staying independent and true to the original vision. So, jump into Hawthorn's Proof-of-Concept Demo and join us as we continue bringing this world to life.
Build a Community
Play solo or co-op with your friends alongside village NPCs. The most curious folk come through Windermere Valley. Most are good creatures looking for a fresh start, each with their own story to share—if you befriend them.
Explore an Ever-changing World
Local superstition won’t keep you from exploring the surrounding wilderness for resources and treasure! But things change in Windermere Valley. The four seasons—with their rains and snow—bring unique challenges. And the way the woodland shifts and the strange creatures that come and go might make you believe the old legends.
Build Your Village
Harvest, fish, and farm. Tasks you’d rather not do? Your NPC villagers can take them on instead! Rebuild and decorate the homes among the roots of great trees. Learn to craft different styles. Cater to your villagers’ preferences and they will follow you to the end.
Features:
Small-scale co-op multiplayer (online/lan) or singleplayer
Play as a small, woodland creature in an enchanting yet believable world.
Forage, farm, fish, craft, and build a fairytale village.
Befriend (or offend!) memorable NPCs, each with their own personality and story.
Overcome the challenges of weather and celebrate each of the four seasons.
Explore a large valley where resources and points of interest change over time.
Experience random events that make each player’s sandbox story unique.
Choose a peaceable solution to each conflict or choose the path of combat!
Create your unique character from a variety of species and backgrounds.
About Us
NEARstudios is a group of game developers from AAA studios such as Bethesda, BioWare, and Naughty Dog who are taking the indie path, developing their first passion project with the help of their players and community.
Sign up for updates and be invited to future playtests on the official Hawthorn website (linked in the right-side column of this page, above social media).
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit version or newer
- Processor: Intel Core i5 6400 Or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Or AMD
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 50 GB available space
Supported Languages
Latest news
AnnouncementsOfficial
We're featured in the Prismatic Indie Showcase
Hawthorn is featured in this years 2026 Prismatic Indie Showcase!We're excited to be featured alongside some truly amazing indie games this year in the Prismatic Indie Showcase. The wonderful team at Blue Ridge Games is showcasing self-published indie games from September 7th through the 11th, so be sure to check out all of the noteworthy indie experiences!Our incredibly tiny team is still hard at work on Hawthorn. Many of you joined in the recent play test to help provide feedback and detail your early experiences. To everyone who has participated, thank you! Building this game alongside our wonderful community was our goal from the start and we're excited to continue weaving in your suggestions during development. If you're just as excited about Hawthorn as we are, help support our indie endeavor by following and sharing our socials: 💻 Official Hawthorn Website ✖️ X / Twitter📷 Instagram📽️ TikTok📺 YouTube🔵 BlueSky Join the rest of the cozy Hawthorn community in our official Discord, and get news, updates, behind the scenes looks at our development.In celebration for the Prismatic Indie Showcase, here is an early look at some content added in our latest build:New clothes have been added (including the ability to dye them) for our mice, otters, and owl characters. Our dye system will also be extended to include furniture and decorations for your home too! Helga the traveling merchant in her otter dress.Our favorite bookworm owl Quenith sporting her new red hood.Read full article on Community Announcements (Jesscapade)AnnouncementsOfficial
Next wave of Hawthorn players added to our Playtest 8/31
News from Windermere. 📜🖋️After a short delay, we’re finally adding our next wave of players to our Hawthorn playtest today August 31st! Kickstarter backers and Ko-Fi supporters of the Homesteader tier, Steward tier, and Legend tier please keep an eye on your email for your invite and instructions. We took a little bit longer working on some performance issues with this latest build, so thank you to everyone who was looking forward to joining in the fun with this latest playtest, your patience was appreciated. We've extended this playtest until September 7th at 3:00pm ET, so players who were waiting through the delay will still get the full amount of playtest time.We’re incredibly excited to have players jump in and experience all the changes we’ve brought to Windermere. Check out our latest patch notes here with all the new changes that have arrived in our latest build.Since this is a very early look at Hawthorn for playtesters, we’re asking our community to help report any bugs they encounter. We’ll be actively pulling your comments and feedback from our official Discord channel, so please stop by and share what you think! Together we’re shaping the future of Hawthorn. Interested in participating in future playtests or early looks? Join our community in Discord or sign up to join our Village Council to learn more. Check out an early look at some of these changes in our updated trailer:Read full article on Community Announcements (Jesscapade)AnnouncementsOfficial
Next wave of Hawthorn players added to our Playtest 8/17
News from Windermere. 📜🖋️Today we’re adding our next wave of players to our Hawthorn playtest today August 17th! Kickstarter backers and Ko-Fi supporters of the Royal Settler tier, Philanthropist tier, and Trailblazer tier please keep an eye on your email for your invite. We’ll slowly be adding access to new waves of players, so be sure to check back for updates from us.We’re incredibly excited to have players jump in and experience all the changes we’ve brought to Windermere. Check out our latest patch notes here with all the new changes that have arrived in our latest build.Since this is a very early look at Hawthorn for playtesters, we’re asking our community to help report any bugs they encounter. We’ll be actively pulling your comments and feedback from our official Discord channel, so please stop by and share what you think! Together we’re shaping the future of Hawthorn. Interested in participating in future playtests or early looks? Join our community in Discord or sign up to join our Village Council to learn more. Check out an early look at some of these changes in our updated trailer:Read full article on Community Announcements (Jesscapade)AnnouncementsOfficial
Hawthorn Playtest
Exciting news from Windermere!Today we’re rolling out a playtest of the latest build of the game for our backers on Kickstarter. While we’re starting with backers of the Scrivener and Forerunner tiers, we’ll slowly be adding access to new waves of players, so keep an eye out for updates from us either via email, or in our official Hawthorn Discord.We’re incredibly excited to have players jump in and experience all the changes we’ve brought to Windermere including:🐭 A new fur pattern and color system for your Mice characters🌳 A new expanded layout for the town of Windermere🗺️ Entirely new area map🏚️ Ruins added on the outskirts of Windermere🏘️ Updated player and NPC homes⚒️ New crafting recipes for both furniture and food🖌️ New icons for recipes🦉 New flight system💨 New animations🍃 New plant physics🦦 New NPCs to interact with🌦️ Updated weather system🎨 New Dye and Clothing systems for your character🌿 New plants and resources to gather🦋 Butterflies have been added…And much more! Check out an early look at some of these changes in our updated trailer: Since this is a very early look at this new build, we’re asking our community to help report any bugs you encounter. We’ll be actively pulling your comments and feedback from our official Discord channel, so please stop by and share what you think! Together we’re shaping the future of Hawthorn.Interested in participating in future playtests or early looks? Join our community in Discord or sign up to join our Village Council to learn more.Read full article on Community Announcements (Jesscapade)Community & EventsOfficial
Make-A-Wish Foundation Charity Event
Quick Update ahead of the Make-A-Wish news: We have a little more than 24 hours to play the Hawthorn Proof-of-Concept demo as part of Next Fest. If you haven't had a chance to jump in and experience the earliest build of Hawthorn, now is the chance! Next Fest ends June 22nd at 1pm ET. Now on to the good stuff!At NEARstudios, we believe games can bring people together and make a positive impact beyond entertainment.We’re proud to announce that Hawthorn is partnering with Make-A-Wish by donating 2,500 game keys to an upcoming charity bundle supporting the foundation’s mission of granting life-changing wishes to children facing critical illnesses.Watch Trailer HereMake-A-Wish creates moments of hope, joy, and strength for children and their families during challenging times. We’re grateful for the opportunity to support their inspiring work.This partnership reflects the values at the heart of Hawthorn: community, compassion, adventure, and the belief that small actions can make a difference. By contributing 2,500 Hawthorn keys, we hope to help raise funds that enable Make-A-Wish to continue creating unforgettable experiences for children and their families.We’re also deeply thankful to our community. Every wishlist, share, playtest participant, backer, and player has helped Hawthorn grow and made opportunities like this possible.If you’d like to support this incredible cause, we encourage you to purchase the Cosy Up charity bundle while it’s still available. There is a limited number of bundles remaining, and the event ends on the 21st, so don’t miss your chance to pick up a collection of cozy games while helping Make-A-Wish grant life-changing wishes for children and their families. On behalf of everyone at NEARstudios, thank you to Make-A-Wish for bringing light to families during some of their most difficult moments and helping children create cherished memories filled with wonder, hope, and possibility. And thank you to everyone who participates in the bundle, your...Read full article on Community Announcements (hcerlan)
