PCGame

The Sapling

Sandbox ecosystem simulator where you design species and watch evolution

Wessel Stoop · Released Dec 12, 2019 · Early Access

Simulation

Reviews
Very Positive
87% of 2,061
Recent reviews
Very Positive
83% of 31 in 30 days
Players
30
daily peak, Nov 7, 2026
Steam Deck
Playable
Last update on Steam
5 months ago
May 16, 2026
Minimum PC
with DX10 (shader model 4…
16 GB RAM · 0.2 GB disk
Full requirements

What is The Sapling?

The Sapling is a single-player ecosystem simulator in which you design algae, plants, and aquatic, land, and flying animals, then see how they fare on a planet. Goal-based scenarios introduce the simulation gradually; sandbox mode lets you generate a planet, set seasons, change conditions, and turn on random mutations.

For you if...

  • +you enjoy creating organisms and testing their survival
  • +you like watching simulated evolution unfold over time
  • +you want both structured scenarios and open-ended sandbox play

Not for you if...

  • −you want fast action rather than observing a simulation
  • −you prefer a scripted story to ecosystem experiments

What players say

87% of 2,061 reviews are positive · 83% of 31 in the last 30 days

Players praise designing organisms and watching ecosystems change. They commonly report poor performance, bugs and crashes, and awkward controls and interfaces. Some say random mutations produce little meaningful variety.

Players over time

▲ +7% vs a month ago

Players online on Steam, one sample a day.

Highest since Sep 2026: 78 players on Oct 25, 2026.

Show the data
DayPlayers
Nov 7, 202630
Nov 6, 202627
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Nov 2, 202618
Nov 1, 202639
Oct 31, 202632
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Oct 26, 202646
Oct 25, 202678
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Oct 21, 202655
Oct 20, 202644
Oct 19, 202654
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Oct 12, 202622
Oct 11, 202630
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Oct 8, 202635
Oct 7, 202623
Oct 6, 202626
Oct 5, 202629
Oct 4, 202625
Oct 3, 202632
Oct 2, 202625
Oct 1, 202620
Sep 30, 202630
Sep 29, 202633
Sep 28, 202626
Sep 27, 202629
Sep 26, 202638
Sep 25, 202628
Sep 24, 202625
Sep 23, 202618
Sep 23, 202641
Sep 22, 202636
Sep 21, 202632

Screenshots and trailer

The Sapling screenshot 1

The Sapling system requirements

Minimum: with DX10 (shader model 4…, 16 GB RAM, 0.2 GB of disk space.

As published by the developer.

Can my PC run The Sapling?

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Minimum

OS
Windows 7
Processor
A processor with SSE2 instruction set support
Graphics
Graphics card with DX10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities.
Memory
16 GB RAM
Storage
150 MB available space
DirectX
Version 10

Recommended

Memory
32 GB RAM

Does The Sapling have co-op or multiplayer?

No: single-player only, no multiplayer modes declared.

Does The Sapling run on Steam Deck?

Playable Playable: it runs on Steam Deck with some adjustments.

  • Some in-game text is small and may be hard to read
  • All functionality is accessible with the default controller configuration
  • Default graphics settings perform well on Steam Deck

PC version details

DRM
None declared on Steam
Controller
Keyboard and mouse
Platforms
Windows, Linux
Achievements
5
Steam features
Cloud saves, Family Sharing
Languages
Text only: English.

Does The Sapling use AI-generated content?

No AI-generated content is disclosed on the game's Steam page.

Self-reported by the developer under Steam rules: it covers AI content that ships in the game, not tools used to make it. Steam page checked on Oct 27, 2026. How to filter AI games on Steam

Tags

Recent updates

1 DLC available.

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