Dinkum

Dinkum Didn’t Just Save Me—It Rebuilt Me ★★★★★ There was a time not long ago when I found myself swallowed by a fog so heavy I forgot what light felt like. Days bled into nights in grayscale. I woke up each morning with no desire, no direction, no sense of purpose. I was at rock bottom mentally, emotionally, spiritually. And just when I thought the weight was too much to carry, I stumbled across a game. A game called Dinkum. At first glance, it looked like another cozy life sim. Cute animals, pastel scenery, crafting, farming things I’d seen before but no longer had the energy to care about. But something, call it divine intervention, fate, or maybe the guiding hand of my lord and savior James Bendon compelled me to press “Download.” And that’s when everything started to change. From the very first day on my new island, I felt something shift. The game didn’t just hand me joy on a platter it made me earn it. It started with clearing some brush, laying down a campfire. Small, simple acts. But after weeks of struggling to do anything in real life, that first campfire felt like a miracle. I had built something. I had created warmth. For the first time in ages, I felt… capable. Every element of Dinkum is crafted with care and compassion. The mechanics are intuitive but deep. The aesthetic? A warm hug from a pixelated kangaroo. The soundtrack? An ambient lullaby for the anxious soul. And let’s not forget the townspeople, each one a beacon of personality and charm. You don’t just build a town in Dinkum, you build relationships, trust, a community. And in doing so, you remember how to believe in yourself again. James Bendon; mad genius, digital deity, absolute king poured his heart into this game, and you feel it. Every interaction, every discovery, every silly little task you do for Fletch or John or Erwin… it’s all laced with something deeply human. Hope. Whimsy. Love. I’ve lost count of how many hours I’ve played, and I don’t care. Because Dinkum didn’t just fill the time, it filled the void. When I planted my first crop, I remembered what it felt like to look forward to something. When I caught a barramundi in the rain, I laughed out loud for the first time in months. When I saw my island growing, evolving, thriving, I realized I could too. This game is more than a game. It’s therapy disguised as adventure. It’s the warm sun on your face after a long winter. It’s the reminder that no matter how broken you feel, you can still build. Still grow. Still matter. To anyone reading this who feels lost, empty, or forgotten; play Dinkum. Let James Bendon lift you from the rubble with the power of wombats and mining licenses. Let him remind you that life, like your little island. can be wild, weird, and wonderfully worth it. Thank you, James. For Dinkum. For the spark. For saving me.

Dinkum is a great sandbox to chill and relax. The hours I put into it so far has been with my daughter. We had so much fun on it at the beginning we played the story line progressing. Then after my daughter found out that you can go creative mode, that's all we been doing building stuff non-stopping. Highly recommend it to play with kids. They can easily understand and learn the game quick. I see this game as similar like minecraft but on steam. Highly recommend it!

On the surface, this game looks like a complete Animal Crossing clone, down to the most minute details and mechanics. But the more you play it, the more you realize how much stuff is actually improved and streamlined. This game added many interesting mechanics and QoL features from other survival games. There’s a ton of stuff to do already, and there are even DRIVABLE VEHICLES in the game, what more do you need? The only downside compared to the aforementioned AC is the lack of charm and polish in its visual style and graphics. But man, this game was made by ONE DEVELOPER, so its already an insane accomplishment that feels like one of the best farm games out there. And with multiplayer too! Which works great - seamless and with almost no restrictions. If you’ve suffered through multiplayer in Animal Crossing, you might just cry tears of joy at how easily it works here. So definitely try it if you’re into that kind of stuff.

The premise of this game is that you are leaving a capitalist city just to move to an uninhabited island to also practice capitalism and bureaucracy because YOU NEED A LICENSE FOR EVERYTHING, EVEN TO USE A SHOVEL! A SHOVEL!!!!!!!!!!!!! But it gets addicting real fast, especially with the town building mechanics.

Recommend but with a caveat that this game feels really grindy. Gave it a few sessions and felt like i was spinning in place each time, not making progress nearly fast enough to keep my attention. It's cute and runs ok and is one of the only games i think i've ever played that's Aussie inspired, so that's cool, but yet not quite my vibe. Your mileage may vary.

Oops! All Krafton! This company destroys everything they touch. Dev sold out to an awful scumbag company that poisons everything and only wants to steal from you and use you. Never recommend Krafton, no matter how much they're involved. Sorry James, but that was a bad move.

This game is doing everything right. The day timer is perfect, you get enough time to do your tasks and you still have time to fish/dig/mine. You can use the night time to craft/cook/talk to residents, since you don't have to use any energy for those. After 100+ hours on it, i think i can say this: This game is giving a better experience then any other life sim out there. You chose when the day is over. The money is easy making. The fishing system is fun and not to difficult. The digging (mixed with diving helmet and metal detector) is by far the most fun and lucrative past-time. Farming can by time consuming until you have sprinklers, i recommend leveling farming fast to unlock those. After becoming friend with a npc you can dress, equip tools and take them with you, they will help.

very relaxed and enjoyable resource gathering, building and farming simulator. playing it solo only (my preference). every day in the game feels not long enough, there is always more to do, but you do not have to do anything at all. you are completely free to do the stuff you want, when u want. progression is a bit slower this way but it beats doing daily quests or social requests (also have to be finished before bed)... in short, i can play my own style my own way :)

The trailer and screenshot shows so many potential areas to explore. But the games hides all of that and give me the most boring gameplay. The whole island take 40 minutes to explore and we are just stuck doing fetch quest for john for 4 hours without a clear upgrade path and doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over again. Also why does it to so long to build relationship with a character??? The time I spent getting to a full heart with the first NPC I would have gotten married in a dating sim. I want to build, I want to explore the caves, I want to fight more things. Why does it feel like the game don't want me to do that???

eeehhh... just not sold on it, like at all. AC from temu about cuts it. it's cute visually, albeit too reminiscent of AC... but literally an immediate grind from the jump. you don't even get that first breather like sandbox-y games do usually, where exploring is genuinely fun; you go straight to very repetitive actions and that's it. besides being aussie-core, there is nothing special about it, and it feels very limited, which maybe has everything to do with it being recently released. you don't really fall in love with the characters nor do you develop any love for the surroundings, the plot is poor and overall the experience is just lacking development.

[h1] Dinkum is a slow game amid a sea of fast paced games that demand your constant attention, and that's what makes it so great. [/h1] I do not usually write reviews for things, but reading through some of the other ones on Dinkum, I felt like I wanted to share what I believe others are missing about this game. I'm not going to get too into the minutia as others have done a much better job then I could, so I'm going to stick more to conjecture. A lot of the complaints revolve around how time moves in the game, specifically regarding things like crafting, gathering, and how the game does not pause unless you chose the option in the menu. Additionally, a lot of people take issue with the how the license system slows down progress and the limitations in purchasing tools, buildings, etc.. prevent you from being able to make too much progress too quickly. While I do believe these are valid opinions, I think there is a crucial detail that continues to go unsaid. [b] The slowness is the point. [/b] Now I may be speaking for myself here, but it seems to me that the market is saturated with games that are fast paced, incredibly stimulating, and require constant attention and high reaction times for progress or success. I am not necessarily complaining about this, but somewhere along the way the general consensus has seemed to change in a way where we have begun to expect this in all games and unfairly judge all of them to these standards. Dinkum [i] is [/i] slow, and sometimes all you need to really enjoy something is a little suspension of disbelief. Yes, the licenses take time to acquire. Is it a little silly that you cannot use a shovel without them? Sure. Is it tedious that you cannot craft basic tools and can only buy one at a time? Of course it is. Does it sometimes suck when you want to go mining, get a little too distracted setting up for the day, and it's already noon or later before you realize? Also yes. But it's for those exact reason why I love this game so much. Dinkum at its core is about the slow, methodical nature of life, as well as the reward of continued effort and progress. It doesn't just suggest you slow down and smell the flowers, [b] it forces you to [/b]. Progress is slow and restricted because that's how progress is in life. I know it's a cliche, but sometimes it really is about the journey, not the destination. This is not a Stardew or even an Animal Crossing clone. While you can draw the comparisons and see the inspiration, Dinkum sets itself apart as an unique and fresh experience not only with it's world and how you interact with it, but with how it forces you to respect and appreciate time. Dinkum is a wonderful reminder that we are not the masters of time, and we are all the better for it.

This is similar to Animal Crossing but it focuses more on economy than friendship. It's a very good take on it's genre and it's enjoyable for single player. This touches on the deepest part of my autism lol

Absolutely love this game. It's great that t's been getting regular updates too, and as an Aussie, it's nice to see a game like this, set in Australia, with all our wildlife and plants. Seeing so many recognisable things is such a change and it always make me smile to hear our Magpie warble and the little goofy run of the bush turkeys :)

its fun, it feels like stardew with a little minecraft thrown in. Mulitplayer is alot of fun, could use some more events but all in all a good time. And man, is it easy to duplicate items and money in multiplayer if your not careful lol.

I spent 150,000 on the “peaceful wish” to get rid of the worms, and it turned out it doesn’t even cover them. Was that my mistake? The game doesn’t provide enough info, not in the wiki or in-game. Basic things like rent are unclear, and you have to test decorations daily just to see how much rent increases. Cooking isn’t worth it, it takes more than two minutes to finish one bag of flour. Too many small things make the game boring after the first 50 hours. There’s no time to explore because you’re always working. I’m only angry because I love this game, and what frustrates me is that everything making it dull could be fixed with a simple mod. It’s been almost five years in Early Access, and player feedback still feels ignored. Many great suggestions have been made, and I hope you listen. Honestly, if you added Workshop support, the community could help make this game feel complete.

game is well made. i tried to break it, Terraforming so much. The game handled it very well. i duped everything before creative came out. nothing glitched from this, and i duped thousands of everything. i created highways and roads all over the map, no glitches. I usually can break a game when i try like this. not Dinkum! Hats off guys! good game for hundreds of hours

Dinkum!!! I love this game. The graphics are very cute, the town building is great and now I can play on a creative mode with the cheats and free-build my little town. This is not a difficult game at all, in-fact it is very relaxing and a great way to spend time. Make sure you have a goal in mind if you are just starting out or you may become a little dis-interested. Goals like getting all of the NPCs, having a certain town lay-out, reaching the deepest level in the mines etc. I have had this game from day 1 of its beta release and can vouch for it being a lot of fun! The more the merrier with this game as well. I think there should be more quests or tasks as well as decorations that way we have more to focus on but that is my only suggestion! I can't wait for more updates. Way to go James on a great game and now official release <3

Dinkum is one of those games that quietly steals all your time — in the best way possible. It’s incredibly easy to get lost in your island, spending hours building, crafting, and shaping it into your own little paradise. The gameplay feels like the perfect blend of Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and just a touch of Minecraft — relaxed, rewarding, and endlessly engaging. There’s always something to do, something to improve, or some new idea to try out. Before you know it, the day’s gone. It’s a cozy, creative escape that’s as addictive as it is charming.

i love this game but the thing is whenever i host an open game i get scared asf when people join and ask for perms its like do i do it or not idk.

The game plays relatively well, but I can't say much about it after so little time. My main point is the multiplayer, the progress is not together but separate, which is a shame for a game like this. Maybe in the future...

It keeps seeming like it is going to open up any second into something amazing. But it never does. Or if it does, it happens later than 15 hours in.

Incredibly obnoxious bug at the start in multiplayer where Fletch will not allow additional players to receive sleeping bags because of a dialogue telling them to complete a task that they cannot complete as the day is over and they cannot obtain tin due to the shop being closed so they cannot purchase a pickaxe, we cannot progress the day as there are not enough sleeping bags. Had to restart a day and really made us lose interest in the game.

My potato pc can run Dark Souls and modded Skyrim very well but lags at this game T_T couldnt find the solution, i guess it has optimization problems. Wish i could refund it.

Super cute and cozy. There was a lot of things i had to figure out via Dinkum Wiki, otherwise a really good game

I love this game, don't get me wrong. One issue I do have with it though is that everyone in a lobby needs to enter the elevator to the mines but I would like it so that I could go alone and not have to bring everyone since they don't like it down there so they AFK a lot if we do. I haven't played the game much since and I believe I would return if this was changed.

Best cozy game ever! It's so cute and chill and always fun to play with friends. Shame about the added achievements not being retroactive but it's nice that they are actually adding stuff and keeping the game alive.

best game i have played not even astraillan and i enjoyed it becose of the constant updates i enjoyed it even becose of the new stuff

The best way to describe this game is Australian Animal Crossing. It's cute and fun with just the right amount of adventure to match the cozy. There is some combat with the mines and hunting animals but none of it is mandatory. You could spend your time farming and raising animals instead. It's a lovely game to sit back and relax with at the end of the day. The graphical style is similar to Minecraft but it's not pixelated. The only thing I don't like is the tool decay. I hate it in all games that have it but that's just a personal opinion. You'll have a good time with it if you enjoyed Animal Crossing New Horizons. I imagine it's more fun with friends but I don't have those XD. Or none that play this game at least lol.

Really great game and very easy to lose time with. Reminds me of Animal Crossing crossed with Stardew Valley with an emphasis on building a community from the ground up. I'm still in the tent and basic paths part of the game so it's really exciting to me to see pictures of what I'll be able to do later in the game - I'm excited to get there!

Its fun and not too time consuming to build a small town.

Love this game, It's relaxed, you can play it as long as you want, Always different, lots of customization's and so much more.

Relaxing and cute game. It's like animal crossing but Australia. So if you can't afford a switch this is a good alternative to Animal crossing and even if you have it, it's still a good cozy game with so much to do :D

A fun and personality-rich game blending the vibes of MySims, Animal Crossing and the good ol' Aussie outback. At this point in the game's development it stands pretty well, with HOURS of content that I'm not even all the way through. Little things like the flora and fauna being well researched and represented make this game even better for me, given I was born in Aus and grew up there. The game is well paced in terms of the grind, with a debt system like Animal Crossing that feels fair and doable to pay off. Gadgets and upgrades make life easier, and the animals are too bloody cute for words. The combat is a tiny bit clunky, but definitely pretty fun as is! Tons of ways to make money, decorate your island and teraform it as you please! This game is a true blue bloody gem! It's got the Aussie seal of approval!

Fun game with a mix of fighting and cozy would. recommend

Fantastic fun for me and my family - I've been playing multiplayer with my young son, and we're having an absolute blast. There's a lot of heart and soul in this game. It isn't demanding for my PC, either. Highly recommend you give this one a try.

Definitely enjoying this game so far, find it fun to explore and proceed at my own pace. Though I do wish there was a bit more information about things like the meteorite storms. Similar to how the information on animals/ insects collected, where if you experience an event, the information about it can be found in your journal.

Dinkum is basically Animal Crossing but better and it was origianally made by only one person.

Fair dinkum, after 100 hours of this bloody game, I speak Aussie better than a kangaroo on a bender (idk i don't actually speak Australian)

Great game to just chill, craft and collect things. Think Animal Crossing - in the outback, with more things to do!

super chill village builder game with some fun dungeon exploration

Dinkum is animal-crossing-esque but way more fun. It's extremely well balanced in the early stages - where in other games an early windfall would leave you well ahead of the curve, in Dinkum it provides you a short-term boost but then you're back to earning your keep. The characters are nice to have around, the animals are ADORABLE, and at 100 hours in I'm still discovering new things and haven't figured out a bunch -not because the game is too hard - because there's a lot to discover! Also I would sell my soul for a pleep.

Spent 30 hours on my first island, and started over again just because I felt insecure. Spent another 20 hours on my second island, but felt it wasn't good enough. Currently spent 21 hours and counting on my third island, and am learning from every mistake I made from the first two. And it's a farm sim game? Say less.....

Recommending, but make it 60% Yay, 40% nay. (I'm a solo player. It does seem to be way more fun with friends) Now, I've been an Animal Crossing player since the first game. I love slow cozy games and farm games. Dinkum is NOT it! (Although you can have a farm, Dinkum is not at all a farming game!) To make sure I'm being fair, I took my time playing the game and made it to end of year one before realizing the game is more frustrating than fun. While the game is beautiful and has a lot to offer, there are some MAJOR issues: 1 - Time passes way too quickly. No option to slow down. I can choose to focus on helping villagers or gathering/fishing/exploring. There's no way to do both. I tried terraforming and making my village pretty, but there's no time for that! 2- The lack of tooltips or any helpful information about how to use items. I had to rely on good ol' Google way too often, as items don't offer any explanation at all. The game is just not intuitive. I saw myself struggling with a rental sign that was supposed to simply sit outside a house (and was there for days), till I find out with the help of other frustrated players that you must hold the sign outside the house's door until an option to place the sign appears... Oh, ok... Thanks...?? 3 - If you can figure out how to trap an animal, let me know... I gave up on that, lol... 4 - Bugs. Every time I asked a villager to hang out, or follow me, they would get stuck outside, not moving. What made me give up was waking up and seeing the villagers that the previous day had 5 hearts, were at 0. That did it! I may revisit the game in the future as I see the developer is still updating it. It is a beautiful and fun game that could be great with a bit of work.

I remember seeing this game being played in early access years ago, hoping to one day play. forgot about it completely then one day saw it available in Steam. i have not been able to stop playing since. it's the perfect cozy game. i love everything this game has to offer, it's like stardew and harvest moon had a baby in australia. while also allowing full control of the island lay out. *chefs kiss* and not passing out when the clock strikes "late" but being able to comtinue playing the day out to finish out those small tasks is such a great add! Absolutely recommend to anyone who loves the genre. 13/10

great game no real issues fun to play just wish there was a more clear guideline on what is next as sometimes im stuck not sure what to do and what progress is

well I have put a lot of hours into the game but these were all before official 1.0 release. I now cannot play game at all because my cursor freezes in menu. game is unplayable. Ive tried all the "fixes" Ive seen for the game with zero luck. Kinda sucks cause I just wasted so much time trying to set up a new dinkum file only to get to the end of the day and realize my menu is frozen and I cant even save my game file past day one since sleeping bag went into my backpack.

This is the Australian animal crossing, and I love it. There are many features I would deem better than animal crossing, including the hunting/animal combat. All around great game

I had a blast playing this game. according to steam ive spent over 90 hours in it.. well spent 90 hours! this is definetly a game ill play again in the future when theres new stuff i haven't done yet. highly reccomend.

love the game have played it many hours many maps its a very great game to play with friends and constant updates

just play it. like building? play it. like doing simple daily tasks? play it. like farming? play it. hate farming? also still play it anyways bc you can still play the game with only the most minor (or honestly none at all) interactions with farming. ever wanted to use a metal detector? play it. the beeping sound will fill your heart with joy. engage in mining, fun combat, a fishing mechanic that doesn't suck, very forgiving bug catching, charming and funny characters, and more. best way to describe it if comparing to other games would be a animal crossing/my time at sandrock combo + it's own flavoring ofc. fun to play alone and with others, my boyfriend and i have a file together and it's captured his attention much longer than any of the other games we play together!! the latest visual update has made it SOOOOOOO pretty too, like it was already cute and aesthetically pleasing to me but i've just been wandering my islands with my character in camera mode just ooing and awing at the sharper textures. game runs smooth like soft butter on my lackluster old gaming pc. been playing since EA and i'm still in love. 100000000000/10 would give james bendon my money 456789 more times