Lead the Monks in the Monastery: Ora et Labora
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to run a medieval monastery, Monastery: Ora et Labora is giving you the chance to find out. Dragonkin Studios’ monastery management sim has officially entered Early Access on PC, and players can now build, expand, and manage their own religious community through Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Taking on the role of an abbot, players must guide a newly established monastery through the daily rhythm of medieval life. Inspired by the Benedictine motto “Ora et Labora,” meaning “Pray and Work,” the game revolves around four key parts. This includes praying, working, eating, and sleeping.
Running the monastery is far from a simple task. Players will need to construct everything from dormitories, refectories, and infirmaries to churches, scriptoria, and production rooms. As the community grows, so will its needs, with monks, visiting worshippers, and people seeking medical assistance.
Monks also have their own personalities, traits, and skills. They can farm, care for animals, brew beer and mead, treat illnesses, build structures, and create beautifully illustrated manuscripts. Their abilities improve with practice, while monks with a natural talent for certain tasks can master them faster.
Players will also need to maintain the monastery’s rules, research new technologies, unlock divine blessings, complete quests, trade with merchants, and prepare for crises.
Early Access marks the beginning of the game’s ongoing development, with Dragonkin Studios planning regular updates shaped by player feedback.
Monastery: Ora et Labora is available now for $14.99/€14.99, with a 20% launch discount for the first two weeks. With plenty of systems to juggle and a monastery to turn into a thriving abbey, there’s already plenty here for management fans to sink their teeth into.