The First Library

The First Library is an open-world survival crafting game, played solo or in online co-op. There are no experience levels: everything you can craft and build, you learn from books you find and read.

The world's libraries were plundered and their knowledge stolen. Bring it back – book by book.

Gather and Survive

Fell trees, break stone and ore, gather fibers, herbs and berries. Hunt game and cook meals at the campfire that fill you up and make you stronger. Use the daylight: in Escliene, the night is not made for the unprepared.

Find Books, Unlock Knowledge

Lost books lie in ruins, in goblin camps and in forgotten places. Bring them to the Read Table: every book unlocks new recipes, tools, weapons and building parts – and reveals a little more about what happened to this world.

Build

Place walls, floors, doors and roofs freely or snap them into place. Build huts, workshops and your own library wherever you like – in every biome. Wherever your bed stands is your home and your respawn point.

Fight

Combos, blocking, shield bashes and dodge rolls: axe, spear, club, sword and bow each play differently. Clean hits make enemies stagger. Goblins, wolves, bog spiders, a bog troll and a goblin chieftain stand in your way.

Travel Through Books

Lay the Book of Smithing on a Travel Lectern and dive in: a swirl of golden light and ink carries you to the Lipachertal, a misty peat moor with iron ore, peat and bog bodies that rise from the water at night. For the fast way home, awaken a Whisperstone and hold the line against three waves of enemies until the portal opens.

Play Together

Play in online co-op with your friends: gather, build, travel through books and defend Whisperstones together. Play with a controller or with mouse and keyboard.

Features

Open-world survival crafting, solo or in online co-op

Progression through books instead of experience levels

Two worlds connected by books: the Drusustal valley and the Lipachertal peat moor

Modular building with free placement and snap points, build in every biome

Melee combat with combos, blocking, shield bash, dodge roll and stagger

Day and night cycle – tougher enemies come out at night

Whisperstone defense "Hold the Line"

Cooking with buffs, crafting tools and armor, first crops

Controller support, English and German

What's Next

The First Library is being built together with its community. Planned for further development:

More worlds behind more books – from orchard meadows to primeval forest, karst coast and high mountains

Villages that come to life: NPCs with their own daily routines, traders and quests

A story that uncovers the mystery of the stolen knowledge piece by piece

Farming with seasonal crops, irrigation and storage

New weapons, armor sets and dishes with their own effects

Enemies with their own strengths and weaknesses

A world that reacts to your progress – the more knowledge you gather, the more enemies it draws

Horses and riding

Join us: hop into our Discord (link on the right of this page) and be part of the closed playtest at the end of 2026.