All 5 RimWorld DLCs explained: Odyssey, Royalty, Ideology, Biotech and Anomaly — what each adds, prices, whether they're worth it and the best buy order.
RimWorld Odyssey Expansion & All DLCs — Complete Guide to 5 Expansions, Ranked
RimWorld currently has 5 official expansions: Royalty (2020), Ideology (2021), Biotech (2022), Anomaly (2024) and the newest Odyssey (released July 11, 2025). People searching "rimworld odyssey expansion" all want the same answer: what does this space-adventure expansion actually add, is it worth $22.49, and in what order should you buy all five? This guide breaks down every expansion — release timeline, pricing, content list and the community-consensus ranking (prices and dates cross-checked against the Steam store pages).
Official resources: Odyssey store page · Full DLC list page · Odyssey wiki page · Ludeon blog (Odyssey preview) · Wikipedia
Complete DLC Timeline and Pricing (Steam Official Data)
| DLC | Release | Price | Version | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 2020-02-24 | $15.99 | 1.1 | Space feudalism, psycasts |
| Ideology | 2021-07-20 | $15.99 | 1.3 | Belief systems, rituals, social roles |
| Biotech | 2022-10-21 | $21.24 | 1.4 | Children, mechanitors, genetic engineering |
| Anomaly | 2024-04-11 | $21.24 | 1.5 | Horror entities, monoliths, cults |
| Odyssey | 2025-07-11 | $22.49 | 1.6 | Space adventure: gravships, new biomes, interstellar travel |
When the community says "RimWorld 1.5," they mean the Anomaly era; "1.6" is the Odyssey era. Version numbers bump with each DLC — the base game gets the mechanics changes for free, and the DLC is the paid content on top.
Odyssey: The 2025 Space Adventure Expansion (Deep Dive)
Odyssey is the space expansion the community waited years for — it turns RimWorld from "a colony on one planet" into "a colony that flies." Content confirmed item by item on the Steam page and official wiki:
- Gravships: build your own ship and travel between the planet's surface and orbit — this fully unlocks the nomadic playstyle. The Ludeon blog (June 2025 preview) also confirms short-range passenger shuttles for rescue missions.
- 5 new biomes: Glacial plains, Glowforest (a bioluminescent fungal forest in permanent darkness), Grasslands, Lava fields, and Scarlands (war-torn ruins, craters, toxic rain).
- Space exploration: land on asteroids, derelict orbital platforms and satellites as "maps" to loot.
- 40+ new animals: tamable, trainable, tradeable — or edible.
- Landmarks, new weapons and a quest system: including a "find and destroy the mechanoid nest" investigation line.
- Underground content: carve colonies into cliffs, canyons and rifts.
Reception: at launch in July 2025 it was widely called one of the best DLCs yet — the Metacritic page quotes reviewers calling it "RimWorld's best and most essential expansion." Its real value is giving veterans a true "escape the planet" endgame (see our endings guide).
What the First Four DLCs Each Add
Royalty (2020) — Space Feudalism and Psycasts
Adds the Empire faction, psycasts (psychic powers), noble titles and their obligations. Work for the Empire, earn titles and psychic abilities — the "mind magic" path. The wiki's Psycasts page details the ability progression. Verdict: solid but oldest; these days most players treat it as the baseline.
Ideology (2021) — Belief Systems That Reshape Every Run
Adds ideoligions: define your colony's memes, rituals, festivals and social roles (leader, preacher, slaves, etc.). Famous builds: cannibal pirates, blind underground dwellers, collectivist communes — your faith decides what "normal" means. The community's pick for the DLC that most changes how you play (see the Ideoligion wiki page).
Biotech (2022) — Children, Mechanitors and Genetic Engineering
Three big pillars: children (full pregnancy → birth → raising pipeline), mechanitors (build and command mechanoids), and genetic engineering (xenogenes — custom races and genes: vampires, Dirtmole miners and more). Community consensus: the densest DLC by content, rewriting the mid-to-late game entirely.
Anomaly (2024) — Horror and Cults
Horror-themed content: entities, the monolith event chain, creepjoiners (weird "applicants" who insist on joining, like the Timeless One or the Deal Maker — covered in our terms guide), and a containment system. The most atmospheric, most "story generator" DLC — and the most skippable if horror isn't your thing.
DLC Ranking and Buy Order (Community Consensus)
Combining the media rankings (GameRant, July 2025) with the Reddit "rank the DLC" threads (August 2025):
- Biotech — densest content, most transformative (children + mechanoids + genes)
- Ideology — changes every single run
- Odyssey — first pick for veterans and space content
- Royalty — solid but oldest
- Anomaly — great atmosphere, most "optional"
The base game at $27.99 is a complete game by itself; the DLCs are "more RimWorld," not "missing features." Buying one → Biotech. Buying two → Biotech + Ideology. A veteran who wants the space endgame → make Odyssey the priority.
Console DLC Status (an Easy Trap to Fall Into)
RimWorld Console Edition (PS4/Xbox One, released 2022) only has Royalty and Ideology — an official forum thread from August 2024 confirmed the console version only got 2 of the 5 DLCs, with Biotech, Anomaly and Odyssey never releasing there. The community broadly considers the console version abandoned by the publisher. Check your DLC expectations before buying on console. Full details in the platform guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many DLCs does RimWorld have?
Five: Royalty (2020-02-24), Ideology (2021-07-20), Biotech (2022-10-21), Anomaly (2024-04-11) and Odyssey (2025-07-11). There's also Name in Game Access ($14.99) and the soundtrack — non-gameplay extras.
Is the RimWorld Odyssey expansion worth buying?
For veterans: yes — $22.49 gets you gravships, 5 new biomes, 40+ new animals and space exploration, the complete "escape the planet" endgame, with one of the best launch receptions the game has seen. For true beginners: master the base game first.
When did the RimWorld Odyssey expansion release?
July 11, 2025, alongside version 1.6.
Which RimWorld DLC is the most worth buying?
Community consensus: Biotech (densest content) and Ideology (reshapes every run) lead the pack; Odyssey is the veteran pick for a space endgame; Anomaly suits horror-story fans.
Do I need to buy all the RimWorld DLCs?
No — the base game is complete on its own. Follow "Biotech → Ideology → Odyssey → Royalty → Anomaly" as the priority order and buy as many as your budget and taste justify.
What is RimWorld Name in Game Access?
A $14.99 Steam add-on that puts a name you choose into the game world (appearing as characters/faction names). Pure easter egg, zero gameplay content — don't mistake it for a 6th DLC.
Related Guides
- RimWorld Endings Guide — ship, Royal Ascent, Archonexus and monolith endings
- RimWorld Platform Guide — PC, Console Edition and Steam Deck
- RimWorld Workshop Mods Guide — DLC compatibility and essential mods
- RimWorld Beginner Guide — first colony and the first 30 days
- RimWorld Terms Guide — Scaria, Quadrum, Glitterworld and all the slang
Last updated: August 12, 2026.