Universe Sandbox

Physics-based space sandbox for building and destroying planetary systems

Giant Army · Released Aug 24, 2015 · Early Access

Reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 96% of 32K
Recent reviews: Overwhelmingly Positive; 96% of 273 in 30 days
Playing now: 177; peak 24h 335
Steam Deck: Unsupported
Last update: 1 month ago; Aug 19, 2026

What is Universe Sandbox?

A single-player space sandbox where you assemble systems from stars, planets, moons, comets, and black holes, then change their properties and run the simulation. Gravity, collisions, climate, and materials determine outcomes such as shifting seasons, planetary impacts, and supernovas.

For you if...

+you enjoy open-ended experiments with gravity and planetary systems
+you like creating planets and testing destructive what-if scenarios
+you want a relaxed, single-player science sandbox

Not for you if...

−you prefer directed objectives over open-ended experimentation
−you want competitive or cooperative multiplayer
−you specifically want current VR support

What players say

96% of 32,283 reviews are positive · 96% of 273 in the last 30 days

Players praise the freedom to build solar systems, test physical scenarios, destroy planets, and demonstrate astronomy concepts. Common complaints include poor performance, especially on macOS, and a lack of goals that some players find boring after the initial experimentation.

Screenshots and trailer

Universe Sandbox system requirements

As published by the developer.

Minimum

OS: Windows 10 21H1+ (64-bit, x86)
Processor: 1.6 GHz dual-core
Graphics: 4 GB Video Memory†, Shader Model 6.0
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Storage: 4 GB available space
DirectX: Version 12
Notes: † Laptops or other computers that use integrated graphics (rather than separate graphics hardware) require DirectX 12 Feature Level 12_2 or higher and may see issues with Universe Sandbox even if they meet the video memory requirement. Discrete video hardware is recommended.

PC version details

DRM, required accounts, controller support and Steam features.

DRM: None declared on Steam
Controller: Keyboard and mouse
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Steam features: Workshop, Cloud saves, Family Sharing

Steam Deck: Unsupported

Graphics settings cannot be configured to run well on Steam Deck

Multiplayer and co-op

Single-player

Languages

Text only: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese - Portugal, Russian, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Bulgarian, Greek, Romanian, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Filipino, Indonesian.