Downloadable content titled Reign of Giants was released on April 30, 2014, and a multiplayer standalone expansion called Don't Starve Together became free for existing users on June 3, 2015.

To this end, the player must keep Wilson alive, fed, and mentally stable as he avoids a variety of surreal and supernatural enemies that will try to kill and devour him.

During the day, the player spends most of their time exploring the world: gathering food, firewood, and other resources, discovering crafting recipes to combine available items, and avoiding enemies.

Sanity decreases during the dusk and night or as a result of specific unpleasant actions, such as robbing graves or being near monsters; it can be replenished through mentally stimulating activities, such as sleeping, picking flowers, and wearing fashionable clothing.

While Wilson has no special abilities beyond growth of "a magnificent beard",[13] which slows the speed of freezing in winter and accelerates overheating in summer, other playable characters do: Willow, a firestarter, spawns into the world with a unique lighter which acts as a better initial light source and is immune to fire damage, but will start spreadable fires on the ground when she has low sanity.

[15] The strongman, Wolfgang, has high health and significant offensive capabilities that grow better the more his hunger meter is full, but he starves faster and loses more sanity when near danger.

Being made of conductible material, WX-78 also attracts lightning that surrounds them by a glow that gradually dies down as time passes and refills their health, but also lowers their sanity.

His maximum health and hunger are lower than most characters and he cannot talk, making him unable to warn the player of status ailments or incoming enemy waves.

Other characters include Wickerbottom, an insomniac witch writer and librarian who doesn't require a science machine to craft many items because of her advanced intellect and who takes greater penalties from spoiled food; and Woodie, a Canadian lumberjack accompanied by a talking axe named Lucy and who has the dark secret that he turns into a werebeaver under the full moon.

The character version of Maxwell starts with more powerful items than the others and has a book that when activated, spawns a shadow clone of himself that aids him in battle, mining, and wood chopping.

[7][19] The game's setup is told further through its trailer: on a dark and stormy night, in his house deep in a mountainous forest within New England, Wilson appears to be getting nowhere in a chemistry experiment until he is startled by his radio speaking to him.

An epilogue implies that the player will take on a villainous role similar to Maxwell's using newfound powers given by the throne but will nonetheless be trapped forever.

[30] However, as the game was conceived as a "weird experiment",[31] the team's main goal was to innovate in terms of gameplay and aesthetics, specifically by adding a layer of emphasis on characterization and themes.

[30] The game's dark and supernatural yet cartoonish art style was influenced by the work of filmmaker Tim Burton,[30] to which it has been frequently compared,[8][9] and by writers Edward Gorey and H.P.

After conception of the basic game setup, Forbes penned a backstory influenced by steampunk and horror, and lead creative director Jeff Agala added comic strip-like art elements.

[29] Don't Starve was released in beta form in 2012, a move that Klei decided on to find out "what aspects of the game players are really responding to, and [nip] usability issues in the bud.

"[30] Klei's Cory Rollins has stated that he finds that most developers' beta periods simply serve as an early release of the game and result in few glitches being fixed, and wanted to make more use of the strategy.

[12] Added benefits the team discovered during beta testing were that it forced them to make important decisions about the game's upcoming release well in advance, and that it solidified a player base.

The first, "Fall", shows a badger-like creature, while "Winter" adds an unlockable arachnid character named Webber and "Spring" a furry leg accompanied by a hatching egg.

[40] As they had initially decided not to create multiplayer, Klei clarified on their forums that they originally had not been "confident that it would actually work both in concept and implementation" but had changed their minds in response to popular demand and bringing in new help.

[2] Don't Starve: Shipwrecked, co-developed by Super Time Force studio Capybara Games, was released on PC on the first day of December 2015 in early access.

These Characters include Walani, a surfer chick, Warly, a professional chef, Wilbur the monkey King, and Woodlegs the pirate captain.

[7] Marty Sliva of IGN claimed an "immense appreciation for the paper-cutout graphical style and whimsical presentation", going on to praise the threatening qualities bestowed upon mundane objects by the "gothic-inspired look.

"[8] Game Informer writer Jeff Marchiafava stated that "the cartoony art style makes exploring your massive, randomized world a joy.

"[68] Reviewing the PlayStation 4 version specifically, Jordan Devore of Destructoid said that it looked and played very well on the console, though he did note some pixelation effects when the screen zooms in on the inventory.

[8] Meunier stated that "survival doesn't come easy, but there's an undeniable thrill to the challenge," but also placed the high difficulty in his list of the game's cons.

[7] Leon Hurley of Official PlayStation Magazine claimed that "learning is half the fun and even the smallest victory makes you feel like you’re winning with a capital FU.

"[7] Sliva expressed disappointment at being given "nearly no recognition from Don't Starve itself" upon being killed by a frog, and reported being bored for roughly 30 minutes at the overly familiar starts of later playthroughs.

Focusing on the harm caused by subzero temperatures during winter, Meunier found that "these interesting wrinkles add depth and additional difficulty to the already challenging survival mechanics at play.

"[7] Jessica Conditt of Joystiq praised the high number of ways to die and the game's efficient, easy-to-understand display of the player's health, hunger, and mental stability.