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We shipped a fix for a serious bug, and we owe some of you an explanation and an apology.
On first launch, Desktop Driller used to automatically enable the "start with Windows" option, and it registered that startup entry in the following way: instead of pointing to the game's own executable, it pointed to Steam with a command telling Steam to launch the game.
Steam's uninstaller does not disable that entry, so it stayed behind after uninstalling. At every login, it told Steam to launch a game that was no longer installed, and Steam responded by adding it back to your library and queuing the download. Because the game is free-to-play, it could even re-add the license to accounts that had removed it.
This was a bug, not a dark pattern. It was never meant to survive uninstalling, and we are sorry for the time and trust it cost you.
The startup entry now points to the game's own executable, so it stops working the moment the game is uninstalled. Windows ignores it.
Starting with Windows is now opt-in. New players choose during the tutorial, existing players are asked once the first time they launch the updated game, and the option can be changed anytime in Settings. The Settings toggle also used to display the wrong state for Steam players, showing "off" while the option was actually on. That is fixed too.
You do not need to do anything. The next time the updated version runs, it repairs the old entry automatically.
The leftover entry is still on your PC, and the update cannot reach it. There are two ways to deal with it. Both take about a minute, and you can pick whichever you are more comfortable with.
Option 1: stop the entry yourself, without reinstalling anything
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, then open the "Startup apps" tab.
2. Right-click the column headers and enable the "Command line" column. This matters: the entry launches Steam, so it may be listed under the name "Steam".
3. Find the row whose command line contains steam://rungameid/4529840 and disable it.
4. Do not disable the plain "steam.exe" entry with no command after it. That one is Steam's own startup entry, and you probably want to keep it.
Option 2: let the game fix itself, if you would rather not touch Windows settings
The game is a small download, and the updated version cleans up after itself. You can remove it again immediately afterwards.
1. Reinstall Desktop Driller from your Steam library and launch it once.
2. The game will ask whether you want it to start with Windows. Answer No. If you see the tutorial instead, uncheck the "Start with PC" box on the last page before pressing Start. This is the step that matters: it deletes the leftover entry completely.
3. Close the game and uninstall it as usual. Nothing is left behind.
Whichever option you choose, the game will stay removed until you decide otherwise. If it was re-added to your library, you can remove the free license again from your account page.
Thank you to everyone who reported this issue, including in reviews. That is how we found it.
If you get stuck, post in the Steam Discussions for this game or email us at [email protected] and we will walk you through it personally.
Hey drillers! 👋
Want to see every single drill skin in Desktop Driller in one shot? Say no more.
Desktop Driller isn't just one drill poking holes in your desktop, it's a whole cast of them, each with its own personality, colors and shape. Every collectible you uncover while digging unlocks a unique drill skin.
10 shape templates: Classic, Hammer, Spike, Tank, Rocket, Claw, Spiral, Diamond, Mecha, Arrow
Colors pulled straight from the collectible: the game reads the item's 16×16 pixel art and maps the dominant shades onto the drill (body, cabin, bit, tracks, accent)
Deterministic pairing: a given collectible always produces the same drill. No RNG. No duplicates.
Ruby -> deep red Spiral. Obsidian Shard -> dark Spike. Brass Compass -> warm Hammer. You get the idea.
224 drills. 11 biomes: Surface, Volcanic, Aquifer, Cavern, Lava Chamber, Deep Ice, Upper / Mid / Lower Mantle, Outer Core, Inner Core. Each with 20 collectibles, plus a handful of secrets hidden for the curious. Dig long enough, and they're all yours.
Rarer drills will be tradeable and sellable on the Steam Community Market at launch. Earn them by playing, swap them with other drillers, or just snipe that one specific skin you absolutely need.
Haven't wishlisted yet? It really does make a difference — helps the game surface to more players, and you'll get pinged the second it's out. 👉 Wishlist Desktop Driller See you underground. ⛏️
If you played the Desktop Driller demo, you probably noticed the UI had a certain... intensity to it. Bright colors, sharp contrasts, everything competing for your attention in a 236×340px (or 1.5x, 2x, etc) window. It worked, technically. But it didn't feel right.
A few of you told me exactly that. The feedback from demo players was clear: the game sits on your desktop for hours, it should feel comfortable to look at, not like a neon sign in the corner of your screen.So I redesigned the whole thing.Hey Drillers! 👋
We're looking for Twitch streamers to help us test two of Desktop Driller's most exciting features: Twitch Mode and Twitch Race.
💬 What is Twitch Mode? When enabled, every message your chat sends becomes a drill hit in-game. Your viewers literally help you dig deeper. Monetary support? That gets a special in-game shoutout too.
🏁 What is Twitch Race? Multiple streamers compete in real time to see who can drill the deepest. Think of it as a community-driven race to the Earth's core.
🔍 What we're looking for: We need streamers of any size willing to try these features live, give us feedback, and help us iron out any issues before launch. Whether you have 10 viewers or 10,000, we'd love to hear from you.
Interested? Drop a comment below or join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/5CmGVf6F9z
Thanks for being part of the journey. Let's dig in! ⛏️
Hi everyone!
I’ve just uploaded a new update for the Desktop Driller Demo on Itch.The main focus of this update is performance.I’ve worked on improving the game so it now runs more smoothly and uses fewer system resources overall. The result should be a noticeably more fluid experience, especially during longer play sessions.This kind of optimization is particularly important for Desktop Driller, since it’s designed to stay with you while you do other things on your PC. The goal is to make it feel lighter, smoother, and more comfortable to keep running.With this update, the demo should now:feel more responsive
run more fluidly
put less strain on your system
We are pleased to announce that the official demo for Desktop Driller is now available for download. Along with the core gameplay, this version introduces a new feature: Twitch Mode.
This mode allows you to connect the game directly to a Twitch channel. Once connected, the drill is driven entirely by chat activity rather than local inputs.
Message Impact: Every chat message translates into a hit. The strength of the hit scales with the length of the message.
Community Interaction: The drill can now acknowledge viewers by displaying their names on screen.
Integrated Alerts: The game includes native notifications for subscriptions, bits, and raids, removing the need for external overlays during gameplay.
Desktop Driller was designed as a background application. By adding Twitch integration, we want to provide a collaborative experience where a streamer's community can actively participate in the progression of the game.
We are currently monitoring how communities interact with these features. Future updates may include chat-based voting for upgrades and community-driven leaderboards.
The demo is available now on our Steam page. If you would like to support the project, please consider adding Desktop Driller to your Wishlist.
The Desktop Driller Team
About
This page aggregates Steam news feeds, patch notes, and developer announcements for Desktop Driller, sourced from official Steam community posts.
Major updates, balance changes, and seasonal events often correlate with player-count spikes — cross-reference announcements here with the live charts on the main Desktop Driller statistics page.
Articles link back to Steam for full changelogs. SteamScope refreshes news entries as new posts are published to the game's Steam hub.