Desktop Driller

About this game

Latest news

• Patch Notes·16 Jul 2026Official

  Comfort Update: Screen Shake Toggle

  Some of you told us the screen moved a bit too much while drilling - now it's your call. New "Screen Shake" toggle in Settings. Turn it off to remove all screen shake - while digging, during earthquakes, and on the final breakthrough. On by default, so nothing changes unless you want it to. Available in all 12 supported languages. Thanks for the feedback - keep it coming! ⛏️
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• Announcements·8 Jul 2026Official

  Fix: the game could reinstall itself after uninstalling — and how to clean it up

  We shipped a fix for a serious bug, and we owe some of you an explanation and an apology.What went wrongOn first launch, Desktop Driller used to automatically enable the "start with Windows" option, and it registered that startup entry in the following way: instead of pointing to the game's own executable, it pointed to Steam with a command telling Steam to launch the game.Steam's uninstaller does not disable that entry, so it stayed behind after uninstalling. At every login, it told Steam to launch a game that was no longer installed, and Steam responded by adding it back to your library and queuing the download. Because the game is free-to-play, it could even re-add the license to accounts that had removed it.This was a bug, not a dark pattern. It was never meant to survive uninstalling, and we are sorry for the time and trust it cost you.What we changedThe startup entry now points to the game's own executable, so it stops working the moment the game is uninstalled. Windows ignores it.Starting with Windows is now opt-in. New players choose during the tutorial, existing players are asked once the first time they launch the updated game, and the option can be changed anytime in Settings. The Settings toggle also used to display the wrong state for Steam players, showing "off" while the option was actually on. That is fixed too.If you still have the game installedYou do not need to do anything. The next time the updated version runs, it repairs the old entry automatically.If you already uninstalled the game and it keeps coming backThe leftover entry is still on your PC, and the update cannot reach it. There are two ways to deal with it. Both take about a minute, and you can pick whichever you are more comfortable with.Option 1: stop the entry yourself, without reinstalling anything1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, then open the "Startup apps" tab.2. Right-click the column headers and enable the "Command line" column. This matters: the entry launches Steam...
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• Patch Notes·2 Jul 2026Official

  Fixes & Improvements

  Fixes & Improvements Fixed: in some cases the game could reappear in your Steam library or re-download itself after being uninstalled. This no longer happens. New: launching at Windows startup is now optional. New players choose during the tutorial; updating players are asked once. You can change it anytime in Settings. Improved: confirmation dialogs (such as the quit prompt) are now larger and easier to read. Fixed: error messages in Race mode now show the actual details.
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• Announcements·21 Apr 2026Official

  224 Drills. One Desktop. Meet the Whole Crew.

  Hey drillers! 👋Want to see every single drill skin in Desktop Driller in one shot? Say no more. Desktop Driller isn't just one drill poking holes in your desktop, it's a whole cast of them, each with its own personality, colors and shape. Every collectible you uncover while digging unlocks a unique drill skin. How the skin system works10 shape templates: Classic, Hammer, Spike, Tank, Rocket, Claw, Spiral, Diamond, Mecha, Arrow Colors pulled straight from the collectible: the game reads the item's 16×16 pixel art and maps the dominant shades onto the drill (body, cabin, bit, tracks, accent) Deterministic pairing: a given collectible always produces the same drill. No RNG. No duplicates. Ruby -> deep red Spiral. Obsidian Shard -> dark Spike. Brass Compass -> warm Hammer. You get the idea. The full lineup 224 drills. 11 biomes: Surface, Volcanic, Aquifer, Cavern, Lava Chamber, Deep Ice, Upper / Mid / Lower Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core. Each with 20 collectibles, plus a handful of secrets hidden for the curious. Dig long enough, and they're all yours. Steam Market integration Rarer drills will be tradeable and sellable on the Steam Community Market at launch. Earn them by playing, swap them with other drillers, or just snipe that one specific skin you absolutely need. Haven't wishlisted yet? It really does make a difference — helps the game surface to more players, and you'll get pinged the second it's out. 👉 Wishlist Desktop Driller See you underground. ⛏️
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• Announcements·15 Apr 2026Official

  New look, same drill!

  If you played the Desktop Driller demo, you probably noticed the UI had a certain... intensity to it. Bright colors, sharp contrasts, everything competing for your attention in a 236×340px (or 1.5x, 2x, etc) window. It worked, technically. But it didn't feel right.A few of you told me exactly that. The feedback from demo players was clear: the game sits on your desktop for hours, it should feel comfortable to look at, not like a neon sign in the corner of your screen.So I redesigned the whole thing.A new paletteI threw out the old colors and built a new palette from scratch. 10 colors total, all with softer, warmer tones. Think less arcade cabinet, more cozy companion. The kind of thing that blends in with your desktop wallpaper instead of fighting it.I wanted something you could glance at all day without it getting on your nerves. The palette covers the whole UI (shop, prestige, collection, skill tree) and it just holds together better now. Less visual noise overall.Light and dark modeThis one was long overdue. You can now switch between a light and a dark theme. If you play during the day with a bright desktop, light mode fits right in. Late night session? Dark mode keeps things easy on the eyes.It's not just an inverted palette, I tuned both modes separately so they each feel right on their own. Same 10 colors, different balance.Why now?Honestly? Because players asked. Some of the most useful demo feedback wasn't about mechanics or progression, it was about how the game looked while sitting on screen for hours. That's the kind of thing you don't notice when you're deep in development, but it matters a lot when the game is meant to be a quiet presence on your desktop.It feels a lot better to me now, but I'm biased.Give the new look a try and tell me what you think. Does it feel better on your desktop? I'm curious to hear.And if you're enjoying the game, a rating or a comment goes a long way. It really helps other people find the project. Same goes for suggestions:...
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