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Universe Sandbox

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Universe Sandbox
DeveloperGiant Army
PublisherGiant Army
Programmers
Giant Army
    • Dan Dixon
    • Christian Herold
    • Georg Steinröhder
    • Thomas Grønneløv
    • Jenn Seiler
    • Jonathan Hoy
    • Dave Nelson
    • David Rappo
    • Mat Solomon
    • Jacob Williams
    • Erika Nesvold
    • Jared Meier
    • Eric Hilton
    • Naomi Goldenson
    • Chad Jenkins
ComposerRyan Macoubrie
SeriesUniverse Sandbox
EngineUnity
Platforms
ReleaseFirst game: May 2008
Second game: August 26, 2014 (public alpha)[1]
GenreSimulation
ModeSingle-player

Universe Sandbox is a series of simulation video games; users can see the effects of gravity on objects in the universe and run scale simulations of the Solar System, galaxies or other simulations with celestial bodies, interacting and controlling gravity, time and parameters like mass, density or radius of objects like moons, planets, asteroids, comets or black holes.[2] The original Universe Sandbox was only released for Windows, but an updated version was released for Windows, macOS, and Linux in 2015 titled Universe Sandbox 2. It is often used for near-scientific simulations of space for illustrational purposes.[3]

Universe Sandbox was designed by Dan Dixon, who released the first version in May 2008. Dixon worked full-time on the project since 2010, founding the Seattle-based[4] company Giant Army the following year.[5] Since then, he has hired eight additional designers for the company. Work on a new version of the game, originally titled Universe Sandbox2, began in 2011. In November 2018, the original Universe Sandbox was renamed to Universe Sandbox Legacy,[6] and the new version was then renamed to Universe Sandbox in December.

Gameplay

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During gameplay, the player can place and change the objects from the game's library, which includes all even slightly major celestial bodies of Solar System, tens of different stars like Proxima Centauri, Betelgeuse or Arcturus, known discovered exoplanets, black holes, several galactic formations which game handles as a separate type of object, not consisting of smaller elements, and also procedurally generated non-existent planets and moons.[7] The player can change different characteristics of the planet like rotation period, mass, object speed, density, composition (for example change the components of the planetary core like silicates, helium or iron), influence life likelihood, as well as see maps of surface temperature or height and also control them and customise the outer look of the planet.

Simulations

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Player examining Earth using in-game interface; maps of liquid depth and surface temperature are shown on the left side of the screen.

Both realistic and fictional simulations appear in Universe Sandbox, with each area of outer space being placed by default or according to the player's preference.[8][9][10] Real simulations include the Solar System, which includes all planets, 160+ moons, and hundreds of asteroids; or predictions of future events such as the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxy collision which will occur in 3.8 to 4.5 billion years. For example, a visual size comparison of the largest known stars and planets can be explored, real time animations of events like the Apophis asteroid passing near Earth in the year 2029 can be made, as well as comets can be observed colliding into planets, such as the Shoemaker Levy 9's collision with Jupiter. Visual Lagrange points of the Earth and Moon can be simulated, along with the galaxy and star system. The gamma-ray burst locations, found in distant galaxies, can be found, as well as supernovas can be shown in real time.

Reception

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Both games have received near-universal acclaim. Duncan Geere of PC Gamer gave it an 84/100 and spoke positively of the game, "Universe Sandbox is not going to change your life. It is not going to make you cry, and it won't sit in the top of your most-played list in Steam for weeks. But if you like the idea of an interactive orrery that you can rip apart and put back together in whatever way you like, and you're happy to feed it with a bit of imagination, it's hard to find a better way to spend £6."[12] Jules of Wired said in their review, "I've seen some pretty wonderful interactive programs that allow you and your family to explore the vast regions of the universe, but nothing nearly as enthralling as Universe Sandbox. Unlike most astronomy software that just shows you what the sky looks like or where the planets are, Universe Sandbox is a powerful gravity simulator."[13]

Remake

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The first game of the series was released in 2008; in 2011, the team began working on a complete remake of Universe Sandbox featuring an entirely different game engine, originally titled Universe Sandbox2.[14] Some of the new features include atmospheres being shown on planets, simulation of planet compositions and surfaces, dynamic and procedurally generated textures on stars and gas giants, a more realistic and graphic collision system, control over planetary life ecosystem, 3D charts in chart mode, simulation of stellar evolution, procedural detail in rings/particles, visualisation of black holes, simulation of fluid-like objects (such as gas clouds, surface water, nebulae and protoplanetary disks, and planetary collisions) and other.[10] The team demonstrated many of these features at the Unite 2012 conference.[10] On November 15, 2018, the feature to share player-made simulations through Steam Workshop was added.[15] Examples of simulations include situations like Planet X crashing into Earth, Solar System in real time and position, collision of two black holes or terraformed versions of real planets like Venus. In December 2018, the game was renamed from Universe Sandbox2 to Universe Sandbox, citing disputes over the game's pronunciation.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jar (26 August 2014). "Universe Sandbox ² Alpha Now Available". Universe Sandbox. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  2. ^ "The Best Sandbox Games To Explore In 2026". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2026-05-16. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  3. ^ O’Callaghan, Jonathan (2026-05-20). "This Moon of Neptune Might Have Survived a Wrecking-Ball Event". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  4. ^ "Presskit". Universe Sandbox. Archived from the original on 2025-08-16. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  5. ^ "Giant Army | We create Universe Sandbox". giantarmy.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  6. ^ "Universe Sandbox Legacy". SteamDB. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Kelly, Andy (November 4, 2020). "The most relaxing games on PC". Archived from the original on January 22, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  8. ^ Alex Cox (2008-10-05). "How one man created his own universe - How Dan Dixon fashioned a whole universe out of mere bytes". TechRadar. PC Plus, Issue 274 and techradar.com - computing news. Archived from the original on 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  9. ^ "Universe Sandbox". Universe Sandbox. Giant Army. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "Creating the Universe with Unity". Unity3D.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "Universe Sandbox for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2024-01-24. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  12. ^ a b Geere, Duncan (November 20, 2011). "Universe Sandbox review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  13. ^ Jules (August 4, 2011). "The Universe Is Your Sandbox With Universe Sandbox". Wired. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  14. ^ "Buy Universe Sandbox". Universe Sandbox. Archived from the original on 22 November 2024. In development since 2011 [...]
  15. ^ "The Universe Just Got Bigger - Update 22". Universe Sandbox | blog. November 15, 2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  16. ^ Davies, Marsh (2015-08-31). "Premature Evaluation: Universe Sandbox 2". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
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