Download

You can always get Dwarf Fortress as Toady One, the developer, released it from the Bay12 site (check the top of the page).

You can also download the latest version here: Template:News/Mirrors/50.14

Third-Party Packages

Lazy Newb Pack (Windows Only) - the full game plus utilities and graphics sets in one big package
Ironhand's Graphics Set - improves the look of tiles
Phoebus' Graphic Set - another graphics set
Template:L - Utility for managing dwarves

The Dwarf Fortress community often creates custom Template:L and Template:L. They're like graphical mods that make DF look prettier or just different. A lot of people pack the game folder with the tileset installed and everything already set up, so all you have to do is extract and play. Among the most popular of these are Ironhand's Graphics Set and Phoebus' Graphic Set.

There's also the (Windows only) Lazy Newb Pack which has several tilesets and utilities gathered together to make it easier for new players to get started and to experiment with the different tilesets. The only disadvantage to downloading LNP is that there is usually some lag time between when a new version of the game is released and when the LNP is updated to include it. So, if a new version of the game has just been released it may not be in the LNP yet.

Also see Template:L for a long list of utilities that people have created, including the incredibly useful Template:L, something that many people won't play the game without.

Installation

Windows

There is no installer for the game. Simply extract the archive file to a folder somewhere and run the game from within the folder.

Make sure to actually extract the archive; do not just open the archive and run the game from the window that appears. If you do this then it may appear to work, but your save game data will get discarded. This is the cause of many "my saved games keep getting deleted" complaints. The game also needs to be able to write to its own folder, so do not install it in C:\Program Files if you are running Windows Vista or later.

Mac

The Mac version is not a single application bundle, but like the Windows version it consists of a folder containing the application along with data files and there is no installer. The entire folder can be dragged into the Applications folder or placed elsewhere. As with the Windows version, the game must be able to write to its own folder.

Linux

The Linux version of the game is shipped as a compiled 32 bit x86 (Intel/AMD) application. It will also run on a system with a 64-bit AMD or Intel processor and a 64 bit kernel, provided that you have the (32 bits) shared libraries available that the program needs. See the description in Template:L for info on how to install those libraries.