After an early access phase beginning in 2015, the game was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS on July 25, 2018.

[1] Stonehearth features a procedurally-generated[2] world where players manage a colony of people called "hearthlings".

Players are tasked with caring for their hearthlings including, feeding, sheltering, and defending them from the dangers like orcs and skeletons.

Players must first select from three different kingdoms, or types, of hearthlings: The Ascendancy, Rayya's Children, and the Northern Alliance.

For the best chance of success the player must select a map with a balance of the three main resource sources in the game: Tree & Plants, Wildlife, and Minerals.

Stonehearth was developed by Radiant Entertainment, a company founded by Tom and Tony Cannon, co-founders of the fighting game eSports event Evolution Championship Series.

[3] Described as a "passion project" by Tom Cannon, the brothers spent two years making a prototype before creating a Kickstarter campaign to fund the creation in 2013.

[7] Lena LeRey, writing at Indiegames.com, acknowledged that the early access release was buggy, but still full of promise.