The game was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as RimWorld Console Edition on July 29, 2022, with development and publishing being handled by Double Eleven.

Planets and star systems develop in isolation from each other, and while some societies advance technologically, others regress due to war or disease.

As time passes, more characters may join the colony; they are able to be rescued after crash-landing on the player map, to wander in, or be captured after a raid.

[5] Ending the game, the player must either research how to build and then make a spaceship, or find a broken-down ship with the help of a friendly AI.

After beginning to build the ship, the player must defend it for fifteen days as other desperate inhabitants of the planet attempt to seize control of it.

[6] With the Royalty downloadable content, the game can also end by hosting the High Stellarch, leader of one of the factions that inhabit the Rim, and leaving the colony with them.

[10] The AI storyteller will analyze the player's current situation and choose events based on what it assesses will make the most interesting narrative.

For combat encounters, colonists can be "drafted" and directed manually by the player, though in this state they are generally unable to interact with their surroundings as usual.

[14] Colonists' mental stability are represented by a mood meter, affected by basic or complex needs, personality traits, and character backstories.

They will request a place to sit while eating, well-made and undamaged clothes, and enough time for recreation including stargazing, cloud watching or playing chess.

Certain animals may be taught commands, which vary from simply obeying its master to defending them if attacked to occasionally carrying and storing items.

Ducking behind cover, such as trees, walls or sandbags, gives characters a much lower chance of being hit by projectiles during firefights.

[23] Tynan Sylvester (born 1986 in Canada[24][25]), the lead developer for RimWorld, had his first experience with game design by creating custom levels for Unreal Tournament in 2000, as a middle schooler.

He settled on the RimWorld concept after a game test with friends one evening, during which two of them became so absorbed that they couldn't bring themselves to leave until 2 AM: "People were falling asleep but they still wanted to play".

[39] Key challenges during development were adapting the user interface for players without a keyboard, as well as optimizing the game for console hardware.

[42] Nomura Hikaru of IGN rated the game 9/10, describing it as "an all-in-one package for management simulation", and writing positively of the way it handled the player failing and its ability to tell a story.

[45] Brendan Caldwell of Rock Paper Shotgun wrote positively of the game, commending its ability to create drama.

[56] By August 2020, it was estimated that RimWorld had accumulated well over 100 million dollars in revenue, making it one of the most popular indie games on Steam.

[59] On February 24, 2020, the first downloadable content (DLC), Royalty, was released with the 1.1 update, adding a new empire faction and psylink technology for colonists to use.

[60][61] It introduces the concept of royal titles, mechanoid clusters, 13 more songs to the soundtrack, more possible quests in addition to more body implants and types of weapons.

[64] New raid types, animal pens,[64] mortar barrels,[65] and caravan reworks were added as part of the free update.