Noble Fates vs Going Medieval is fantasy kingdoms against a realistic medieval colony, though both have you build a castle from a few settlers. What differs is what drives the story. Noble Fates left Early Access on November 12, and Steam already sells the two together in a bundle.
Key takeaways
- Both are single-player, Windows-only colony builders where you grow a handful of people into a walled settlement and can dig into the ground.
- Noble Fates is fantasy, with five races, beliefs, rival kingdoms and Nobles whose loyalty depends on how you treat them; Going Medieval is a realistic world after a plague, with raiders and 3D terrain building.
- The Going Medieval x Noble Fates bundle is $44.98 on Steam, and Noble Fates has a free five-hour demo.
Is Noble Fates like Going Medieval?
Noble Fates looks very much like Going Medieval to me. Both start you with a few people in the wilderness and leave you to turn them into a working settlement with walls, farms and workshops. You can get a bundle on Steam with both games in it, which is about what I expected.
The setup is close. In Going Medieval, a plague has wiped out most of civilization and you go “from three lost travellers to a thriving walled city”. In Noble Fates, you start with a handful of Dwarves, Elves, Orcs, Halflings or Humans and build a kingdom that develops over generations.
Both are single-player only, both run on Windows only, and both support the Steam Workshop for mods. Both games also spent years in Early Access: Going Medieval from June 2021 to its full release on March 17, 2026, and Noble Fates from December 2021 to November 12, 2026.
What’s the difference between Noble Fates and Going Medieval?
The biggest difference is the setting. Going Medieval is a “realistic post-calamity world” with no magic. Your settlers are ordinary people with skills, personalities, religions and needs, and the threats are bandits, beasts and waves of raiders. You research medieval tech and arm your settlers to fight back.
Noble Fates is fantasy, and it’s built around politics. Your kingdom picks beliefs, and that decides who likes you. A Good kingdom might get on with the Halflings and be hated by a clan that wears its enemies’ skins. Other kingdoms remember what you’ve done to them and come for revenge, and you can trade with the ones that tolerate you or form alliances with the ones that agree with you.
The people in your settlement work differently too. Noble Fates calls them Nobles, and they “carry opinions and memories that form the foundation of their loyalty”. Treat them well and they’ll serve you. Fail them and they can desert to start a rival kingdom or turn on you in a battle. You can also take prisoners, turn captives into serfs and throw visitors in your dungeon.
The 1.0 update added Dragons, Mage gameplay, Succession, Patrols, Worship, a Gate House and better hauling. Succession means you name an heir, which fits a game that’s meant to run across generations.
Which is better for building?
Going Medieval leans harder into building. Its 3D terrain tools let you build “sprawling multi-storey forts” or dig “winding underground caverns”, and the whole map is multi-level, so you can terraform earth and water to suit your plans.
Noble Fates has building too: you can raise a castle brick by brick or carve a fortress into a mountain, with a deep unlock tree for new pieces. But building is the centre of Going Medieval, while Noble Fates puts more weight on what your people think and how other kingdoms react.
Both games get compared to RimWorld. Going Medieval lists it first among games it thinks you’ll like, and “noble fates vs rimworld” is one of the top searches for Noble Fates.
Should you buy Noble Fates, Going Medieval or the bundle?
Here’s how the prices stand on Steam:
- Noble Fates: $24.99, or $19.99 until November 26 for launch.
- Going Medieval: $29.99.
- Going Medieval x Noble Fates bundle****: $44.98, down from $54.98.
On reviews, Going Medieval is at 88% positive from 8,740 English reviews. Noble Fates is at 82% from 1,434 reviews, rated Very Positive, with 75% of the 29 reviews from the last 30 days positive.
The bundle only makes sense if you want both games. And since Noble Fates has a free demo that lets you play the whole game for five hours, there’s no reason to buy it before trying that. The demo came out in September, before 1.0, so it may not have the Dragons, Mages or Worship yet.
Noble Fates comes from Xobermon, a very small team, and is published by Living World. Going Medieval is by Foxy Voxel and published by Mythwright. The Going Medieval bundle is one of several Noble Fates launch bundles, alongside ones with Space Haven, Dungeon Settlers and Diplomacy is Not an Option.
FAQ
Is Noble Fates out of Early Access? Yes. Noble Fates 1.0 came out on November 12, 2026, after Early Access since December 2021.
Is Noble Fates multiplayer? No. Like Going Medieval, it’s single-player only.
Does Noble Fates have a demo? Yes, a free demo on Steam that lets you play for five hours.
