Planetary Life

About

Planetary Life is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Sotenbox and was released on August 15, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

From an uninhabited planet in space to an ecosystem full of life. In Planetary Life you will be able to shape a planet in the purest Sandbox Simulation style, playing with its mountains, seas and even its climate, to create the perfect habitat to harbor life. PLANETS Control a planet with the multiple tools available. Let the tectonic plates shape the mountains and seas, modify the climate, the…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 410 reviews

gameplay10 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game offers a great mix of evolution simulation and planet management, allowing players to create and observe unique ecosystems.
It has a charming art style and runs smoothly, making it accessible even on lower-end computers.
The developer is actively engaged with the community, frequently updating the game and responding to feedback, which bodes well for future improvements.

Currently, the game feels incomplete with limited features, and many mechanics are not fully explained, leading to confusion for new players.
The evolution system can be frustrating, as creatures often become overly dominant or fail to adapt properly, leading to extinction events that disrupt gameplay.
Some users have reported bugs and performance issues, particularly with the cell stage and creature editor, which can detract from the overall experience.

gameplay
35 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
62%
9%
The gameplay of this game is a blend of evolutionary simulation and sandbox mechanics, offering players the chance to create and observe life forms in a dynamic environment. While the game shows promise with its depth in world-building and evolutionary interactions, many players find it lacks clear goals and progression, leading to a somewhat aimless experience. Additionally, the user interface and some mechanics are criticized for being clunky or poorly explained, but the overall concept and potential for future updates are well-received.
- “As a lifelong SimEarth fan, this game interestingly adapts those mechanics in a much more modern engine.”
- “I was so impressed to see the amount of depth put into the literal world-building and evolutionary mechanics of the game.”
- “The mechanics, music, visuals, and gameplay are all fun to get lost in for hours on end, creating life and watching it grow and evolve.”
- “If you just want to play on a regular planet, throw in some plants, have the game run for a couple of hours and see what will happen, it's okay, but beyond that, it's just not serious enough about its core gameplay.”
- “Right now, the gameplay's a little aimless in my eyes: you do get to have fun creating horrible little freaks (which is very fun, don't get me wrong), but it doesn't feel like there's really any type of goal, as you'll unlock enough points to just do whatever you want pretty quickly, so it doesn't feel like there's much progression.”
- “The biosphere mechanics are frustrating; plants and animals will be living fine, then all of a sudden the planet will change suddenly and kill everything.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
54%
23%
The graphics feature a simple yet charming art style that is well-optimized for various platforms, including the Steam Deck. While the visuals are generally appealing and include unique icons and evolutionary features, some users express a desire for more detailed plant and animal designs, as well as distinct biomes to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the aesthetic is described as cute and engaging, with a balance of simplicity and complexity that supports immersive gameplay.
- “The art style is simple but seems well optimized, at least for me as someone primarily playing it on Steam Deck. The controls work well, and I imagine they perform just as well, if not better, for the usual keyboard and mouse players.”
- “The visuals are very good; icons for different animals are custom, and you can even evolve certain features like skin into fur and fins into wings.”
- “The aesthetic is unique; simple but surprisingly complex.”
- “I'm excited to see how much it grows and hope for more expansive features on detailing plant and animal visuals as they are pretty basic currently.”
- “It's shown in a graphic but I don't know if it's implemented or ever will be, because there is no information on it.”
- “Which is a shame, considering it had everything in place in 1992, and all it needed was a modern UI and graphics.”
atmosphere
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The atmosphere in the game is intricately tied to gameplay mechanics, allowing players to manipulate factors like atmospheric composition, albedo, and climate to influence the evolution of life. While the current system primarily tracks gas percentages rather than thickness, it lays the groundwork for more complex interactions in the future. Overall, the ability to shape planetary environments and observe the resulting biosphere evolution adds a compelling layer to the game's atmosphere.
- “Shaping the atmosphere of rocky barren worlds by literally manipulating axial tilt or surface albedo to properly align each world for life support and then seeding life in from the cellular level is honestly a pretty cool process, all things considered!”
- “I love how you can shape the planet, from mountains and oceans to climate and atmosphere, and then watch life evolve from simple cells all the way to advanced civilizations.”
- “In this minigame, which happens completely outside the world you have created, you combine different cells that might result in some plant or animal that produces energy by photosynthesis, for example, and has some influence on the composition of your atmosphere once you leave that separate minigame.”
- “The atmosphere system only tracks the percentage of atmospheric gases and not atmosphere thickness.”
- “The planetary geology and atmosphere simulation adds a new dimension that plays into how the biosphere evolves by separating habitats based on temperature, land, and humidity.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, allowing it to run smoothly even on lower-end systems like the Steam Deck. Players appreciate the clever design choices that enhance performance while maintaining visual quality, making it an enjoyable experience for both casual and dedicated gamers. However, some users express a desire for more extensive mutation options, acknowledging that higher settings could impact performance.
- “I have played so many other evolution sims that tank my computer after just a little while, but this game is small enough to run smoothly and optimizes things in really clever ways.”
- “This game is the perfect planetary sim game. I got this game 7 hours ago and have been playing it since writing this. Not only is it well optimized, but it also has this quality feedback of watching the world evolve while taking control and creating the perfect creature or plant.”
- “The art style is simple but seems well optimized, at least for me as someone primarily playing it on Steam Deck. The controls fare well, and I imagine they work just as well or better for the usual keyboard and mouse players.”
- “The mutation on your planet is variable; you can set it to 0% up to 30%. Personally, I would like to see that go to 100%, but I can see how that would affect performance.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as decent, with potential for improvement through future updates. While players find it enjoyable for short-term play, some feel it may not sustain long-term engagement. Overall, there is optimism that enhancements could boost its replay value.
- “If it is enhanced over time, it will always be replayable.”
- “Replayability is high, especially with upcoming updates!”
- “It's a great game for having a good time, but I wouldn't get it if you are looking for a very long-term replayable game (it's still very replayable, just gets less fun).”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report a positive experience with stability, highlighting that the game runs smoothly and performs well without significant issues.
- “I really like it; it's great and runs smoothly.”
- “The game has excellent stability, with minimal crashes or bugs.”
- “I've experienced consistent performance throughout my gameplay.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music is characterized by a relaxing soundtrack that complements the simple art style, enhancing the overall immersive experience of the game. Players find the combination of music, visuals, and gameplay enjoyable, allowing them to become deeply engaged for extended periods.
- “It's got a relaxing soundtrack and simple art style.”
- “The mechanics, music, visuals, and gameplay are all fun to get lost in for hours on end, creating life and watching it grow and evolve.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game frustrating, particularly due to the difficulty in smoothing land and managing rough terrain, which complicates tasks like preventing rainfall. Additionally, the process of creating fungi is seen as tedious, especially since it requires navigating the cell creation mechanics.
- “The land is hard to smooth; planets with rough terrain make it annoying to lower the land, preventing rainfall and making the game more tedious.”
- “Creating fungi is especially tedious for the same reasons, as you have to create them using the cell process.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for enhanced storytelling through additional customization options and missions, indicating that the current narrative could benefit from greater depth and variety.
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for the game to evoke emotional responses through gameplay mechanics, such as creating impactful chain reactions with minimal input. This suggests that players seek deeper emotional engagement and satisfaction from their actions within the game.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly how evolution continues to unfold in unexpected and amusing ways while they focus on other planets, leading to comically overpopulated environments upon their return. This element adds a lighthearted and entertaining twist to the gameplay experience.
- “Another funny thing is that evolution keeps going while you are busy on other planets. After messing with the extreme planet a lot, I went back to my original world and found the population absolutely exploded to the point where every viable tile had a plant, a fungus, and an animal or sun-eating creature.”