Jul 31, 2026
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4/5 Significant
RimWorld v1.6 introduces major gravship and shuttle overhauls, a dedicated fishing work category, and the ability to summon mechanoid bosses in space.
Key Changes
- 1New gravship launch interface for managing animals and mechanoids
- 2Summonable mechanoid bosses in space for orbital combat
- 3Dedicated Fishing work category added to the work tab
- 440% faster world generation for 100% coverage maps
- 5Starjack xenotype rebalance with new low-gravity genes
- 6Heavy bridges are now immune to explosion damage
- 7New snowy visuals for trees and plants in cold biomes
- 8Vacskin Gland prosthetic added for vacuum protection
- 9Ancient bridges added with 0 market value to balance colony wealth
- 10Sentience catalyst now prevents farm animals from roaming
All Changes
🚀Space & Gravships(6)
- newGravship: New gravship launch interface allows selecting colony animals and mechanoids to board and removing neutral pawns.
- newPilot Console: Added 'view range' tool to the pilot console to visualize gravship travel distance without initiating launch.
- buffShuttle: Shuttles can now land on items and only destroy the minimum necessary roof when landing inside buildings.
- changeApparel: Pawns no longer automatically remove vacuum-resistant apparel while in a dangerous vacuum environment.
- newBridges: Bridges built in space now feature unique border artwork.
- changeGravship: Gravships no longer clear pollution upon landing.
⚙️Gameplay Systems(7)
- newWork Tab: Fishing has been added as a dedicated category in the work tab.
- buffHeavy Bridges: Heavy bridges are now completely immune to explosion damage.
- changeEmbryo: Embryos can now be set to 'forbiddable' status.
- newAncient Bridges: Added ancient bridges and ancient heavy bridges with 0 market value to prevent wealth spikes from ruins.
- buffSentience Catalyst: Sentience catalyst now prevents farm animals from roaming away or being blocked by fences.
- changeTimbershroom: Timbershrooms can now be sown in glowforests once tree sowing research is complete.
- changeInsect Lair: Insect lair entrances are now collapsable.
🤖Mechanoids & Combat(5)
- newMechanitor: Mechanitors can now summon mechanoid bosses while in space.
- nerfMechhive: The final mechhive raid strength has been increased by 50%.
- buffMechhive: Improved rewards for destroying the mechhive, including +50 reputation with all factions and a longer-lasting moodlet for the destroyer.
- changeWasp: Wasp stuns no longer affect mechanoids or turrets.
- changeRaiders: Raiders will no longer attempt to ignite buildings when located in a vacuum.
🧬Xenotypes & Biology(3)
- buffStarjack: Rebalanced the Starjack xenotype and added the 'low gravity adapted' gene to improve orbital work speed.
- newVacskin Gland: Added the Vacskin Gland prosthetic which provides vacuum protection (requires Odyssey and Royalty).
- changeHermit Crab: Hermit crabs no longer walk sideways and have significantly increased lifespans.
🖼️Visuals & Performance(4)
- newEnvironment: Added new snowy visual overlays for trees and plants in cold environments.
- fixPerformance: Reduced world generation time for 100% coverage maps by approximately 40%.
- fixPerformance: Reduced loading times for 100% world save files.
- newModding: Added support for mods to load textures from DDS files for faster loading and higher quality.
🐛Bug Fixes(6)
- fixAncient Danger: Fixed an issue where ancient danger enemies were active before being unfogged.
- fixPawns: Resolved a bug where pawns would infinitely desire a look-change if ideoligion and genes clashed.
- fixBabies: Fixed babies being deleted if born during a shuttle flight.
- fixUnnatural Corpse: Fixed unnatural corpses being permanently destroyed by nutrient paste dispensers.
- fixWastepack Atomizer: Corrected flipped sprites for the west and east views of the Wastepack Atomizer.
- fixGeneral: Over 100 additional fixes for gravship pathing, quest generation, UI errors, and mod compatibility.
🎁Community & Merch(3)
- newMerchandise: The Summer Collection arrives July 31, featuring frontier-inspired gear like the Warg Plush and Research Notebook.
- newBundle: RimWorld x Abiotic Factor bundle released with a 20% discount.
- newMerchandise: Limited edition Thrumbo figure and Boomalope night light released on YouTooz.
Summary
The 1.6 update cycle for RimWorld brings significant expansions to space-faring gameplay and colony management. Key highlights include a complete overhaul of gravship and shuttle mechanics, allowing for better management of animals and mechanoids during launch. Players can now engage in orbital combat with mechanoid bosses and utilize new vacuum-resistant prosthetics. The update also introduces a dedicated fishing work category, snowy environmental visuals, and substantial performance optimizations that reduce world generation times by up to 40%.