Antkeep

Antkeep is a game about helping native ants resist invasive red fire ants on the Antilles islands. You explore the islands as an environmental conservationist, investigate their ant populations and ecology, and supply native colonies with resources as they approach collapse.

Build and defend colonies

You collect honey to upgrade ant abilities and deploy ants to gather more honey. Breed colonies in test tubes, and upgrade nests to strengthen their offspring. You can send defensive ants to form a barrier, use kamikaze-style attacks against the opposing colony, and drop buckets to temporarily slow its attacks.

Ants can take on different roles, including spreading nests, patrolling and intercepting, or launching suicidal attacks. These options support different approaches, from adventurous or fast-paced to conservative or steady.

Islands and ant ecology

The game presents a gamified simulation of ant growth. Each island has its own missions, ant species and ecology.

The conflict centers on biological resistance: strong native species competing with invasive ants. When ants mate, they take to the air and mate outside their nest before establishing a new nest elsewhere. This is a vulnerable stage, when the population is low; strong native ants competing for food nearby can reduce the likelihood of invasive ants spreading.