STEAMYDATA

Universe Sandbox — patch notes and updates

Stored observation / content update:

Dated developer announcements recorded from Steam. Open the source for the complete update.

UpdateDateExcerpt / source
Back to the Moon! | Update 36.12026-04-29Artemis II MissionThe recent Artemis II mission swept around the far side of the Moon, taking humanity farther than they’ve ever been from Earth. Experience it yourself in our new simulation, Artemis II: Humanity's Farthest Journey.Earthset created in Universe Sandbox. Check out the original Earthset image captured by the Artemis II astronauts.Orion SpacecraftThe Orion Integrity spacecraft from the Artemis II mission is now in Universe Sandbox. See it in our simulation of the Artemis II mission or add it to any simulation. More Highlights Object cohesion, how tightly bound together an object is, is now simulated based on its composition. This
Pale Blue DOTS | Update 362026-03-30Blast apart rings with lasers, deform moons as they become tidally locked, vaporize meteors, and more! We’ve reconstructed the physics simulation architecture of Universe Sandbox to provide a new base for improving performance, finding and fixing issues faster, and more easily adding new physics features.“To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” - Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994New Simulation FrameworkWe’ve overhauled the physics architecture of Universe Sandbox to utilize the Data-Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS) from Unity,
Universe Sandbox Roadmap: 2026 & Beyond2026-03-19Our first planned major release of 2026 is our physics architecture overhaul that will simulate meteors (atmospheric drag) and improve lasers. We’re also continuing development on life simulation, bringing Universe Sandbox to mobile devices, and other grand plans. But before we get into those projects, let’s look back at some highlights from last year. Work in Progress: Objects changing color based on their relative heating rate, heating up when blasted with the laser or crashing into each other.Highlights from 2025A supernova lights up, then boils away Earth in the Solar System. Our first big release in 2025 included a major graphics overhau
Pale Blue DOTS Preview Now Available | Physics Simulation Overhaul2025-12-18For the last four years, we’ve been working on a major overhaul of Universe Sandbox to utilize the Data-Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS) from Unity, the game engine we use to build Universe Sandbox, toImprove performance now and in the future.Add new physics simulation, like visually deformed objects and atmospheric drag to simulate meteors.Make our game code easier to maintain and build on.Provide a foundation for big features in the future, like building and flying spacecraft, and constructing megastructures like Dyson spheres.For this preview version we’ve only overhauled our physics simulation architecture, but we also plan to convert sur
Nominate Universe Sandbox for the “Labor of Love” Award2025-11-24Every year, Steam gives the “Labor of Love” award to games that have been out for a while and continue to receive new content and support year after year. If you feel we are worthy, please nominate Universe Sandbox for the "Labor of Love" award!This year, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Universe Sandbox’s Early Access launch on Steam. We're proud of what we've accomplished in the last decade and are excited about the future. Features we’re actively working on include:Improving collisions with more realistic friction, craters, and simulating atmospheric drag, which allows meteors to burn up in the atmosphere. (A preview version with t
Planet Nine’s New Nemesis | Update 35.42025-10-23Learn about the recently discovered sednoid 2023 KQ14 and why it challenges the Planet Nine hypothesis. Enjoy a handful of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements like the ability to quickly fly to planets just by selecting an already selected object. We’ve also updated our game engine and improved support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays.A New Sednoid In the Outer Solar SystemThe recently discovered sednoid 2023 KQ14 orbits way out in the Oort Cloud with Sedna, and its position challenges the current predictions of a hypothetical Planet Nine in our Solar System. Check it out in our new simulation Sednoid 2023 KQ14.Updating Our Engine
10-Year Steam Launch Anniversary2025-08-21The 10-year anniversary of Universe Sandbox’s Early Access launch on Steam is this Sunday, August 24, 2025! To celebrate this milestone, Universe Sandbox will be on sale now until August 28. Over the last 10 years, we’ve added so many new features to make Universe Sandbox better than ever, from simulating liquids and gases flowing over planet surfaces and lasers in 2019, to realistically simulating planet atmospheres and accurately terraforming planets in 2023, and our major graphics update just a few months ago.And we have so much planned. We’re currently working onImproving collisions with more realistic friction and craters and simulating
Another Interstellar Visitor | Update 35.32025-08-20Watch the third-ever discovered visitor from outside our Solar System, 3I/ATLAS, fly past the Sun and see how it compares it to other known interstellar interlopers. We’ve also improved the view that shows what parts of the surface of a planet are illuminated, updated our scientific notation, and more! In the Light of DayThe Daylight view now shows surface illumination of a planet in real-time as the object rotates and orbits within the simulation. Previously it was a static snapshot of the daylight on a planet.BeforeAfterComets from Beyond the Solar SystemWatch the comet 3I/ATLAS, the third-ever discovered interstellar visitor to our Solar S
Blinded by the Light | Update 35.22025-06-17Watch the boiling surface of a star, then set off a supernova and light up your worlds (before your planets are vaporized anyways). Massive stars now leave behind a neutron star or black hole when they end their life with a bang, and much more!Super(nova) LightingSupernovas now brilliantly light up space as they explode and boil away your planets. Be careful looking at them without your Space Goggles, they’re extremely bright before they realistically fade as they expand and cool down.See Stellar SurfacesExamine the boiling surface of a star. Cells called stellar granules are created when currents of plasma bring bubbles of superheated materi
Describing the Universe | Update 35.12025-04-28https://i.imgur.com/pPaVBgp.gif Describe Your Worlds Add rich details to any object and the simulation itself with the new description properties. Include your favorite facts about each planet in the Solar System, or give a detailed backstory to your custom Tatooine! Add them under Object Properties > Overview > Description Simulation > Description Choose Your Startup Simulation Pick up where you left off and have Universe Sandbox open your most recent save, your own custom work in progress, or any of our included simulations when it starts up. Set this under Home > Settings > General > Experience > Startup Simulation This feature was added i
Universe Sandbox Roadmap: 2025 & Beyond2025-03-31We started 2025 by releasing our major graphics overhaul, but we have much more planned for the year, including allowing meteors to burn up in an atmosphere, simulating basic life, and getting Universe Sandbox on mobile devices so you can create and destroy on the go. Before diving into details, let’s look back on some highlights from 2024. Highlights from 2024 https://i.imgur.com/OGhpqVB.gif The Moon’s shadow passing over Earth during the total solar eclipse across North America on April 8, 2024. We spent 2024 working on our major graphics overhaul, released March 2025, and many of the other in-progress features mentioned in this roadmap. In
Space in a New Light | Update 352025-03-03https://i.imgur.com/UUnmo8S.gif Immerse yourself in a universe more awe-inspiring and realistic than ever before with our next-generation graphics update! We've also added many interface improvements to make controlling the universe easier and more intuitive. You need to see it to believe it. A More Realistic Graphics Engine We’ve completely replaced our 10-year-old graphics technology with a state-of-the-art system to make Universe Sandbox look more realistic with physically-based lighting. This new system has required us to update our minimum requirements. Learn more. https://i.imgur.com/uBMlO8X.gifBefore https://i.imgur.com/uUQa9W7.gifAfte
But Wait, There’s More: Improvements Beyond Graphics2024-12-19https://i.imgur.com/bGO2nqm.gif Since our last sneak peek of the Universe Sandbox graphics update, we’ve put out a preview version of our new state-of-the-art graphics system that you can test now on Steam to immerse yourself in a universe more awe-inspiring and realistic than ever before. We've also made many interface improvements to make controlling the universe easier and more intuitive. There's still more to do before this update is ready for release, but we wanted to share other improvements you can look forward to and test out right now. Space in a New Light | Update 35 is now out! Learn more about all the additions and improvements in
Space in a New Light Preview Now Available | Major Graphics Update2024-11-26https://i.imgur.com/nDPoiSn.gif Immerse yourself in a universe more awe-inspiring and realistic than ever before with our next-generation Universe Sandbox graphics update. We’ve spent the last two years completely replacing our 10-year-old graphics technology with a state-of-the-art system in our biggest update in years and our biggest visual update ever! Our new graphics engine is a vastly improved realistic rendering system that’s more robust, easier to improve, and lets us better show you how the universe really looks. Doubling down on realism brought a new set of technical and design challenges for us to tackle to make every aspect of Uni
Next-Generation Graphics Coming Soon2024-06-27Prepare to immerse yourself in a universe more awe-inspiring and realistic than ever before with our next-generation Universe Sandbox graphics update. Over the past year and a half, we've been replacing our decade-old graphics technology with a state-of-the-art system that sets the stage for future enhancements. While there's still more to be done before it's ready for release, we're excited to give you a sneak peek at our progress. Stay tuned to our Steam Forum and Discord server where we’ll be announcing a preview version you can try before it’s released to everyone. In the meantime, you can check out our 2024 Roadmap to learn more about wh
Universe Sandbox Roadmap: 2024 & Beyond2024-03-18https://i.imgur.com/AiXButx.gif Our new graphics renderer will make hot spots, like those lasered into this planet. This graphics overhaul is a work in progress. This year's plans include a major graphics overhaul, more realistic collisions & craters, and putting Universe Sandbox on mobile devices so you can create and destroy on the go. Before getting into the details, here’s a brief recap of last year. Highlights from 2023 https://i.imgur.com/XmUNE7W.gif Demonstrating highlights from 2023, including a spherical cow and adding materials like methane and nitrogen to planets. In 2023, we put out 4 feature-packed updates. Some of our favorite n
Eclipsed Improvements | Update 34.12024-03-052024 Total Solar Eclipse Watch the Moon completely block out the Sun across parts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada in our simulation of the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. Check it out under: Home > Open > Total Solar Eclipse on April 8, 2024 Learn more about this eclipse. Chaotic Collisional Aftermath Immerse yourself in chaos as gas clouds expand and rock fragments collide in the aftermath of collisions. We've updated our particle system to preserve performance while simulating fuller, more realistic collisions. https://i.imgur.com/f6pdUZt.gif Before https://i.imgur.com/On9cSa1.gif After Custom Habitable Range Customize the habit
Universe Sandbox 2023 Retrospective2024-01-24https://i.imgur.com/9dsML53.gif We’ve got a lot planned for 2024, including a massive graphics upgrade, collision and cratering improvements, getting Universe Sandbox on mobile devices (iOS & Android), and more! We’ll go into more exciting details in our upcoming 2024 Roadmap post, but first, let’s reflect on some achievements from 2023. 1 Spherical cow We added one new human-scale object last year - a spherical cow. A spherical cow refers to a joke that when physicists want to make a problem easier to handle, they sometimes simplify it so much it’s no longer realistic. 4 Significant updates to Universe Sandbox A Comet, an Asteroid, and a Pla
Universe Sandbox on GeForce NOW2024-01-11https://i.imgur.com/AwwfQ0H.gif Universe Sandbox is now available to play on GeForce NOW, NVIDIA’s cloud-based game streaming service! GeForce NOW connects to digital PC game stores like Steam and Epic Games so you can play games you already own in the cloud and stream them to any compatible device in real time. Bend the laws of gravity, collide planets, boil away oceans, fire epic space lasers, and customize your universe in real time with cloud-based gaming streamed directly to any supported device. And check out our newest update to simulate, construct, and terraform planets and atmospheres more realistically than ever with new materials i
Terraforming | Update 342023-12-15https://i.imgur.com/gommnk3.gif Simulate, construct, and terraform planets and atmospheres more realistically than ever before with new materials! Planet sizes, atmospheric heating, gas and liquid colors, and more are now simulated based on the mass and phase of each material in a planet’s composition. Learn more about how we simulate materials in two new guides Home > Guides > Tutorials > Playing with Materials Home > Guides > Science > Terraforming Mars New Materials Terraform planets, rain down oceans, and expand atmospheres with 8 new materials (for a total of 12) using the Material or Planetscaping tools, or adjust the materials directly