Developer brayniac6-glitch has released the first public Alpha version of Project Okran, a Kenshi engine rewrite project, with version number 0.1.0-alpha. This version reportedly already supports gameplay features such as standard starts, combat, and trading. Players must still legally own Kenshi, purchased through Steam or GOG, to run the client.
Project Okran rewrites the program and game logic using Rust and Bevy, with its development direction being compared to the OpenMW project for The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. The project's code is released under the MIT license and does not include copyrighted assets from Kenshi; it reads from the original game directory upon launch, while settings and progress are saved separately in the system directory.
The current version reportedly also supports seamless world traversal, companion recruitment, and base building that includes power grids, machinery, and storage facilities. Research, training, and geological survey systems have also been added. The developer has implemented object interaction via right-click menus and provides support for importing original save files, as well as loading mods from the Steam Workshop and local sources.
The project is still in its early stages, with performance being a clear current limitation. In the listed test scenarios, the client uses approximately 7.5GB of memory after staying in a settlement for several minutes, with memory allocation potentially reaching 13GB; the recommended specifications include 32GB of RAM. The source code and 64-bit Windows executable have been made available in a public GitHub repository.