Steam app 230290 · updated 12 Sep 2026, 18:08 UTC
Create & destroy on an unimaginable scale with a realistic physics-based space simulator. Explore the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet. Use science to bend the laws of gravity, collide planets, boil away oceans, fire epic space lasers, and customize your universe.
718 hourly samples, with the daily peak drawn over them. Weekends are shaded.
162 months, January 2013 to September 2026. The highest number of people in the game at once, each month, on a time axis -- a gap in the record stays a gap.
The highest number of people in the game at once, each month. Four, because four is as far back as the source keeps anything finer than one figure a month.
31 days, each one the highest figure that day. The source keeps no hourly detail this far back. Weekends are shaded.
31 days as the curve, each the highest figure that day. Behind it, 438 hourly samples from 13 Aug, which is as far back as the source keeps every hour. Weekends are shaded.
12 days as the curve, each the highest figure that day. Behind it, 280 hourly samples. Each dip is a night. Weekends are shaded.
Universe Sandbox was released on 24 Aug, 2015.
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A blank audio cell means full audio was not marked in the returned language list.
50 developer announcements, Aug 2021 to Aug 2026 · times in UTC
The 11th anniversary of Universe Sandbox’s Early Access launch on Steam is Monday, August 24, 2026!To celebrate this milestone, Universe Sandbox is on sale now through August 31.This year, we’ve already released the first part of our…
bshapiroalbertCollision craters form and combine together more realistically. You can also duplicate objects, watch black holes evaporate, and explore a simulation of a newly discovered exosatellite. Creating CratersCraters from collisions with moons and…
bshapiroalbertWatch winds spread gases across planetary atmospheres, see the unique shape of any selected object with new stylized outlines, and adjust object compositions by percentage. We’ve also focused on eliminating issues with over 50 fixes and…
bshapiroalbertArtemis 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…
bshapiroalbertBlast 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…
bshapiroalbertOur 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…
bshapiroalbertFor 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…
bshapiroalbertEvery 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"…
bshapiroalbertLearn 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…
bshapiroalbertThe 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…
bshapiroalbertWatch 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…
bshapiroalbertWatch 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…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/pPaVBgp.gif {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/fe75027b73ed419d5df35a69251b444cb2504d68.png Describe Your Worlds Add rich details to any object and the simulation itself with the new description properties. Include your favorite…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/aef24e3887265dee25b73e4636e207d9abf5ff1a.gif We 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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalbertPrepare 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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/9d57a5d2813c918a202e0aa67d6d84ca0430abaa.gif 2024 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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalberthttps://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…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/BOy3EZT.gif The Moon is bombarded with asteroids made of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, methane, and water. These materials are transferred to the Moon's surface, forming lakes that flow together and eventually…
bshapiroalbertCollisions and surface simulation already run smoothly in Universe Sandbox on mobile devices. Bringing the complete Universe Sandbox experience to mobile is an exciting and challenging project, and while development was stalled while hiring…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/ygNpP8f.gif Gravity Simulation We've completely overhauled our gravity simulation to increase accuracy, stability, and overall performance. Run simulations at higher speeds than ever before while maintaining…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/JD0q2My.gif We’ve combined our two previously separate collision methods improving collisions so shockwaves now realistically eject fragments as they spread across gas giants during collisions. Interface panels, such as…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/7tZyrxU.gif The Milky Way galaxy with a trail for every nebula in the galaxy using our upcoming physics architecture improvements. Currently, trails are only shown for some nebulae due to performance limitations. The…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/qbE4gCW.gif Watch a green comet pass by Earth for the first time in 50,000 years, see an asteroid swing by Earth in one of the closest ever encounters, and explore a hypothetical planet from the 1800s disproven by…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/Hj4DKOE.gif We’re excited about our plans for 2023, including adding more materials to planets as well as improvements for our physics simulation, but we’ll dive into our roadmap in an upcoming post. First, let’s reflect…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/efhWeCP.gif Collision shockwaves and atmosphere colors are more realistic, camera motion is smoother, and you can try the new Automatic Simulation Speed, which adjusts the simulation speed based on what’s happening in…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/7c36343b3863b61ccedf1507ba8e58d5c4f868ea.gif Customize the look and topography of planets and moons with a library of realistic color and height maps. Turn Earth into Mars or mix-and-match maps to create your own…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/RDVioYq.gif “Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” - Douglas Adams…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/fd6cb74a24846503602557ede0376e4b0f21e663.png Stars have different naming formats, from Altair to HR 4623, as shown in the Nearest 400 Stars simulation in Universe Sandbox. You’ve probably heard of the star…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/031003fcc3e10d2b9adb88d66fc6268d38d393dd.gif DART Mission NASA’s DART mission will intentionally collide the DART spacecraft with the asteroid Dimorphos, attempting to change its orbit & testing humanity's ability…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/ThCmATN.gif Today, August 24, 2022, marks the seventh anniversary of Universe Sandbox’s Early Access launch on Steam! To celebrate, Universe Sandbox is on sale for another 120 hours (that’s until August 29). Pick up a…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/f2v3dgH.gif Unity Engine Upgrade We’ve updated Unity, the game engine we use to create Universe Sandbox. While you won’t see immediate changes, this will allow us to utilize new features for future improvements to our…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/ebTLT3F.gif The Moon colliding with the Earth. Made with Universe Sandbox, a product of Giant Army. In October 2021, Giant Army, the creators of Universe Sandbox, a physics-based space simulator, officially adopted a…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/d3w9taO.gif Update 31.1 Welcome to Universe Sandbox Discover your infinite power to create and destroy! Our all-new welcome guide now better highlights the awesome potential of Universe Sandbox. Check them out Home >…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/RZBoCYS.gif Update 31 Explore constellations from different cultures and watch as they change over thousands of years as stars move across the sky. Stars also look more realistic and planet and star glows depend on the…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/03cc60ee653304d4e402b763e89af7d5e4b3227a.png We’re constantly working to make Universe Sandbox even better, and we’ve only scratched the surface. Our plans this year include more materials, rigid body collisions…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/f9022f1c3aa4417f9a2d2936b54b2cf21ddcdf10.png Run Steam to download Update 30, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 30 Spin apart planets with the Force Spin tool and discover the destructive…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/b14d59d312e2f1cddff8bd78451b27d4dfca0b56.png With a new year comes many exciting new developments for Universe Sandbox! We’re already hard at work on some of our planned features for 2022, but we wanted to…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/a128fa323451f6cff1d3c35511aff15f774a5aa7.png Run Steam to download Update 29.1, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 29.1 Planetscaping now has an eyedropper tool to sample the surface of an object…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/e0afa789a517337cc8d7e1fb7d2c921e750f2caa.png Run Steam to download Update 29, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 29 Planetscaping is a powerful new tool to design and shape planets to your whims.…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/8d1c2417d1ad3f2391ddd3b2538d9a59e901fc7c.png Run Steam to download Update 28.2, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 28.2 Stars have new Absolute and Apparent Magnitude properties, which measure…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/f91a9c38fcde90e07d5fae1095a475fdd8e6efe2.png Run Steam to download Update 28.1, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 28.1 We’ve improved the “Realistic” Object Visibility setting to better reflect…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/gEKdxHD.gif Run Steam to download Update 28, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 28 Fire Ring introduces a collision model that simulates an impact shockwave across the surface of an object, as part of…
bshapiroalberthttps://i.imgur.com/xfW3eRf.gif Universe Sandbox on iOS! We’re also working on an Android version. You can purchase Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Have you ever wanted a universe in your pocket? We have too, and so we’ve been…
bshapiroalbert{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/4425618/52726bf3adbaf205339c731c8168473a3547b089.png Run Steam to download Update 27.2, or buy Universe Sandbox via the Steam Store. Update 27.2 You can now change specific simulation interactions, like gravity and…
bshapiroalbertWhat Steam runs, and with what. Straight from the app configuration.
| Description | Executable | Arguments | Platform | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launch | Universe Sandbox.app | macos | ||
| Launch | Universe Sandbox x64.exe | windows 64 | ||
| Universe Sandbox VR | Universe Sandbox x64.exe | -vrmode | windows 64 | |
| Launch | x32\Universe Sandbox x32.exe | windows 32 |
The folders Steam Cloud syncs. The root is a token Steam uses for a location on your own machine, not a path this page can know.
| Root | Folder | Files |
|---|---|---|
WinMyDocuments | Universe Sandbox/Simulations | *.ubox |
WinMyDocuments | Universe Sandbox/Simulations/Quicksave | *.ubox |
WinMyDocuments | Universe Sandbox/Objects | *.ubox |
It runs on public data and somebody's spare time.
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