update · August 28, 2025
RimWorld Update v1.6.4566 Overhauls Gravships, Shuttles, and Space Mechanics
RimWorld Update v1.6.4566 refines space travel with new gravship launch options, smarter shuttle behavior, and cross-expansion integrations. The update also adds performance upgrades for world generation and dozens of bug fixes.
RimWorld update v1.6.4566 brings targeted adjustments to space travel, gravships, and shuttle mechanics, alongside cross-expansion features for players running Odyssey, Royalty, and Biotech.
Gravship and Shuttle Control
The gravship launch window includes options to load colony animals and mechanoids automatically before departure while ejecting neutral pawns. A view range tool on the pilot console displays the gravship operational range without initiating a launch. Shuttles land safely on items without being blocked and destroy only necessary roof tiles when landing inside buildings. Gravships can also land at worshipful villages again.
Space and Survival Adjustments
Colonists in dangerous vacuums do not automatically remove their vacuum-resistant apparel. The update adds the vacskin gland prosthetic from the Empire, requiring Odyssey and Royalty, to protect against vacuums. Starjacks receive a new low-gravity adapted gene via Biotech that improves movement and work speed in orbit, and mechanitors can summon mechanoid bosses in space.
Work Tab and Economy
Fishing has its own dedicated category in the work tab. Tree sowing research allows timbershrooms to be grown in glowforests. Sentience catalysts remove roaming and fence-blocked statuses from farm animals. Destroying the mechhive grants plus 50 reputation with all factions and a longer-lasting positive moodlet for the responsible colonist.
Performance and Technical Upgrades
World generation time for 100 percent coverage maps drops by about 40 percent, and loading times are faster. Modders gain support for loading textures from DirectDraw Surface files for improved performance and memory usage, alongside a custom atlas packing implementation that speeds up game startup.
Why this patch matters
Update v1.6.4566 addresses friction points in space-based colonies, making gravship management and shuttle landings predictable.