Before the First Fire

Before the First Fire is a prehistoric survival game spanning 5.6 million years of human evolution, from the forest floors of early hominid life to the eve of civilization.

You begin as one of the earliest members of the human lineage, armed with nothing but instinct. Gather food, find shelter, and survive long enough to grow, not just as an individual, but as a species.

Evolve across 7 phases of human prehistory

Each phase represents a leap in the human story: new tools, new threats, new ways to build, eat, and sleep. Early phases are deliberately constrained. You are small, slow, and vulnerable. As you earn evolution points through survival and discovery, the world opens up. Shelters evolve from nests in trees to ground burrows to full encampments. Weapons grow from nothing to bone clubs to spears. The challenges scale with you.

Build and teach a tribe

You are not alone. Wild companions roam the world, and befriending them changes everything. Companions learn by watching. Demonstrate how to gather berries, build a nest, or dump supplies at camp, and they will do it autonomously. Sub-companions handle the camp while you explore. Teach the right skills to the right companions, manage their hunger, and keep them alive through predator encounters. Your tribe's survival depends on collective knowledge.

Survive a living world

Predators hunt. Day turns to night. Rain falls, rivers run, and the landscape shifts with each evolutionary era. Resources respawn, but slowly, every decision about what to gather, where to sleep, and when to evolve carries weight.

Key features

• 7 playable evolutionary phases from Ardipithecus to early Homo sapiens

• companion mechanics: teach, learn, and grow your tribe from a handful of survivors to an organised camp

• Phase-based progression: every era unlocks new crafting recipes, shelter types, food sources, and wildlife

• Isometric pixel art world with dynamic biomes, weather, and day/night cycle

• Achievement system tracking milestones across the full arc of human prehistory

• 10+ hours of gameplay across the full evolutionary journey

Before the First Fire is currently in active development. Content and features will continue to evolve.