Warli World

At a glance

Warli World is a small desktop companion game for Windows and macOS. It paints a village in the style of Warli rice-paste wall art, the folk painting of the Warli people of Maharashtra, India, in a thin strip just above your taskbar or Dock. Clicks pass through everywhere except the village. Villagers follow real time and four seasons, and you can click them to chat, collect rice gifts and run a 25-minute Focus Mode.

Good fit

It suits someone who wants a calm, decorative presence at the edge of the screen while working, likes folk art and slow village life, and enjoys light collecting rather than goals. Rice gifts bring new families, bullocks, a peacock and the tarpa, and a mural fills with moments as the village goes about its day. Focus Mode adds a simple 25-minute work timer that ends with a small celebration.

Consider something else when

Skip it if you want a game with challenge or a clear end, or if anything moving on screen pulls your attention from work. Skip it on Linux, since only Windows and macOS builds are offered. On a managed Windows machine that blocks unsigned apps, the build may not run at all, because it is not code-signed yet.

Start here

Download the zip for your system from the itch.io page. On Windows, unzip and run WarliWorld.exe; if SmartScreen warns you, choose More info, then Run anyway. On macOS, unzip and move Warli World to Applications. Success is a village appearing above the taskbar or Dock. Left-click a villager to chat, set sounds to Off, Quiet or Normal in Settings, and right-click the village to close it and save.

Cost and requirements

As of 3 November 2026 the itch.io page asks you to name your own price and lists the game under free simulation titles, so you can download it for $0. Version 0.2.0 downloads are 46 MB for Windows and 67 MB for macOS. The developer says it runs at 30 frames a second using a few percent of CPU. On macOS, turning on Full-screen apps in Settings keeps the village visible over full-screen apps by moving it to the menu bar.

Limits to know

The developer calls this an early build and asks for feedback in the comments, so expect changes and rough edges. The Windows version is unsigned and triggers a SmartScreen warning, while the macOS version is signed and notarized by Apple. The village notices when you are away and asks you to visit, talk and share a meal to keep its spirits up, which some people may find a small nag.

Still unclear

• How does the strip behave with multiple monitors, an auto-hiding taskbar, or a taskbar placed on the side of the screen?
• What happens to the village if you stay away for a long time, and is any progress lost?