These bees are hard workers and terrible thinkers, so you do the thinking. In this programming game you connect nodes into programs, and the colony does exactly what you said. Not always what you meant. Start with one clueless bee. End with a hive that runs itself. The Queen will still want more.

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as ignored

This game is not yet available on Steam

Planned Release Date: 2027

Interested?
Add to your wishlist and get notified when it becomes available.
 

About This Game

WaxWire: Program the Hive is a programming game where you never steer a bee yourself. You build the program, the colony runs it, and the meadow shows you exactly how good your idea was.

Programs are made of nodes. Drag one in, connect it with a wire, press Run. "Find the nearest flower. Fly there. Sip. Fly home." That is a complete program, and your first bee will follow it all day. No typing, no syntax errors, and you can rewire it while the bees are in the air.

First she wants nectar. Then pollen. Then a colony that survives winter. Every Decree from the Queen takes a new idea: a decision, a loop, a search. Meet it, then spend the reward on new nodes, so your bees can sense, decide and do more.

One bee is easy. A whole colony will race for the same flower, and yes, that is an actual race condition. Freeze time, set a breakpoint and step through one bee's program node by node until you find the wire to blame.

There are no levels. The seven cells you start on grow into a wide meadow that keeps every flower you planted. Seasons turn, rain comes and goes, gardens need sowing and watering, and winter arrives whether your code is ready or not.

Paint your bees and change their wings. There's a node for that. Win new wing skins from the Queen's odd side jobs, like sorting flowers from small to big or fetching an orchid out of a maze. Recolour the whole game, swap fonts and wire styles, and keep your program spotless or a glorious mess. The bees don't judge.

In time the hive gets a program of its own. It wakes new bees, buys its own upgrades and takes on the Queen's requests without you. Your work here is done. You'll add one more node anyway.

  • Visual programming with more than 140 nodes: decisions, loops, memory, events and your own reusable methods

  • 21 Decrees from the Queen, plus a board of optional side challenges

  • One persistent meadow with seasons, weather, gardens and real winters

  • A real debugger: pause, breakpoints, step by step, and an output log

  • Guided first flights and hints when you're stuck. No programming experience needed

  • Paintable bees, wing skins, colour palettes, fonts and wire styles

  • Mouse and keyboard or controller. English and Ukrainian

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

The game's text is partially translated into multiple languages with the help of AI.
Feedback from native speakers is welcome.

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
SteamOS + Linux
    Minimum:
    • OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
    • Processor: rock
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: might come in handy (maybe)
    • DirectX: Version 12
    • Storage: 301 MB available space
    • Sound Card: any
    • Additional Notes: works even on a brick
    Recommended:
    • OS: Windows 11 (64-bit)
    • Processor: stone
    • Memory: 3 GB RAM
    • Graphics: anything that can draw a hexagon
    • DirectX: Version 12
    • Storage: 303 MB available space
    • Sound Card: any that can buzz
    • Additional Notes: works on my machine. probably works on yours too
    Minimum:
    • OS: macOS 12 Monterey or newer
    • Processor: apple core
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: might come in handy, if it speaks Metal
    • Storage: 301 MB available space
    • Sound Card: any (it just works)
    • Additional Notes: it just works. probably
    Recommended:
    • OS: macOS 12 Monterey or newer
    • Processor: whole apple
    • Memory: 3 GB RAM
    • Graphics: anything with Metal that can draw a hexagon
    • Storage: 303 MB available space
    • Sound Card: any that can buzz, no dongle required
    • Additional Notes: one more thing… bees
* Starting February 15, 2024, the Steam Client will no longer support 32-bit games or macOS 10.14 or lower.
    Minimum:
    • OS: Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, SteamOS
    • Processor: penguin-approved rock
    • Memory: 2 GB RAM
    • Graphics: might come in handy, if the drivers agree
    • Storage: 301 MB available space
    • Sound Card: any (probably)
    • Additional Notes: if you got Linux running, you've already done the hard part
    Recommended:
    • OS: Ubuntu 22.04+, SteamOS, or Arch (btw)
    • Processor: penguin-approved stone
    • Memory: 3 GB RAM
    • Graphics: anything with Vulkan that can draw a hexagon
    • Storage: 303 MB available space
    • Sound Card: any that can buzz even on Linux
    • Additional Notes: sudo make me some honey
Review Filters