SpaceEngine

About

SpaceEngine is a single player open world strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Cosmographic Software and was released on June 11, 2019. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

SpaceEngine is a 3D astronomy program and game engine developed by Russian astronomer and programmer Vladimir Romanyuk. Using real astronomical catalogs and procedural generation, it creates a three dimensional planetarium representing the entire universe. Users can travel through space in any direction or speed, and forwards or backwards in time. It uses pseudo-random numbers to procedurally cr…

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 8,943 reviews

graphics406 positive mentions

story38 negative mentions

Incredible realistic and detailed simulation of the entire observable universe allowing free exploration of stars, planets, galaxies, black holes, and more.
Stunning visuals and graphics that run well on a variety of PCs; includes VR support for immersive experience.
Educational and calming tool for astronomy enthusiasts, offering endless discovery and high-quality screenshots.

Steep learning curve and unintuitive controls, especially for spacecraft and VR mode, which can frustrate new users.
Performance issues and occasional crashes on lower-end PCs or when rendering complex scenes like planet rings or black hole vicinity.
Lack of gameplay elements such as objectives, storyline, or interactivity beyond exploration; some find it boring after extended play.

graphics
689 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
40%
1%
The game features breathtaking, photorealistic graphics that vividly depict the vast, scientifically accurate universe, including detailed planets, stars, and cosmic phenomena. While it demands a relatively powerful PC for the best experience, the visuals remain impressive even on medium or lower settings, making exploration immersive and visually stunning. Minor graphical bugs and performance issues exist but do not significantly detract from the overall outstanding visual quality praised by users and critics alike.
- “The graphics are breathtaking, with realistic textures and lighting that make every planet and star feel unique.”
- “The visuals are stunning and the amount of information available is unbelievable.”
- “Space engine is one of the best mostly realistic universe visual games I've ever played, the stunning visuals and procedurally generated fictional systems are part of its charm, especially with how expansive and beautiful the game is!”
- “Poor graphics and has trouble launching every now and then.”
- “The performance is abysmal, the engine can't load textures properly and in a timely manner (unlike its predecessors) and I can't for the life of me get it to look the way I want because the graphic settings once there are now gone.”
- “Graphics are obviously an improvement in most areas, but the new volumetric nebulae system has very blocky static, making any FOV zoom beyond default with nebulae pretty useless.”
gameplay
191 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
90%
2%
The gameplay in this title is minimal and non-traditional, focusing primarily on open-ended exploration of a vast, realistic universe without objectives, missions, or progression systems. While some appreciate the accurate flight and orbital mechanics, most note it lacks conventional game elements, making it more a space simulator or educational tool than a typical game. Players seeking structured gameplay or action may find it lacking, but fans of sandbox exploration and astronomy will enjoy the immersive experience.
- “Endless stars, real places, oceans, looking up from a distant star and looking home... I've used the ship flight mechanics and they feel so real, yet even though I've barely learned them fully, even just this light part of the engine has so much to offer.”
- “You can speed up or rewind time, observe celestial mechanics, and even plan interstellar journeys using the software's robust interface.”
- “I learned about orbital mechanics, flight in low atmosphere, impressive weird places and stars, all with an immersive and evocative score. You can explore the game world using a variety of spacecraft, and the game's flight mechanics are intuitive.”
- “If you like games with actual gameplay, this is not for you.”
- “Spaceengine doesn’t offer missions, goals, or any traditional gameplay structure. It’s not for everyone, especially those who need objectives or traditional game mechanics to stay engaged.”
- “The devs have long since abandoned the gameplay aspect, and it's just the premier planetarium on the market as far as I'm aware.”
music
166 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
46%
2%
The game's music is widely praised for its beautiful, ambient, and calming soundtrack that perfectly complements the vast, awe-inspiring visuals of space exploration. Players highlight how it enhances immersion and evokes a profound sense of wonder and tranquility, with options to customize or add personal music enhancing the experience further. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that significantly enriches the meditative and expansive atmosphere of the game.
- “Hell nah this game has one of the most beautiful and on-point soundtracks.”
- “The soundtrack also has to be one of the best in history, because it actually feels like I'm ascending each time I hear it, not a single bad track.”
- “The beautiful and calming soundtracks perfectly complement the visuals, creating an indescribable atmosphere of space travel.”
- “Music is a bit much, but can easily be disabled.”
- “And then on occasion when I start up the game, the music won't play (simply restarting the game fixes this, it's a very small gripe).”
- “- should be able to edit the sound track with custom music?”
story
149 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
71%
26%
The game offers no traditional story, missions, or objectives, functioning more as an open-ended space exploration simulation than a narrative-driven experience. Players have complete freedom to explore the cosmos at their own pace, crafting personal journeys without constraints or progression requirements. While lacking a structured plot, this lack of narrative pressure is praised for its liberating and immersive exploration focus.
- “The freedom to roam the cosmos, unencumbered by the constraints of a linear narrative, is incredibly liberating, allowing players to craft their own story within the universe.”
- “This is simply a fascinating exploratory mission rendered with beautiful visuals to anyone curious to experience the absolute vastness of the cosmos.”
- “Anyway, of course in Space Engine you could, if you wanted to, plot out essentially the voyages of famous craft.”
- “Great sim all around, but if you're looking for a space game with a plot or goal, not the game for you.”
- “However I can't call this a game, no story, no search or cause.”
- “The game is essentially a viewer for various stellar bodies and there is no instruction on how to navigate or move around space nor is there any type of story line or mission driven achievements.”
atmosphere
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
64%
4%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visual fidelity, scientific realism, and immersive effects like light scattering, auroras, and layered clouds, creating a deeply atmospheric space exploration experience complemented by a fitting soundtrack. While some users note minor bugs, limited texture realism on planets, and desire more detailed atmospheric features (e.g., gas giant layers, weather effects), the procedural generation and rich scientific data provide endless variety and educational value. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout aspect that evokes awe and wonder, effectively capturing the vastness and beauty of the universe.
- “The game handles atmospheres beautifully, and peeking into space from the dark side of another planet is truly beautiful.”
- “If you have a powerful enough system, the visual fidelity is stunning—volumetric nebulae, accurate orbital motion, and dynamic atmospheres all contribute to a sense of being in a living universe.”
- “From wandering among black holes and binary stars to cruising through gas giants’ upper atmospheres, the freedom to explore is both exhilarating and humbling.”
- “It kills the fun of discovering new planets because you never know if the environment you’re seeing is actually plausible or just a bugged atmosphere.”
- “Every time I enter our solar system and then try to view any planets, it's just blank; has atmosphere colors but other than that, it's empty no surface texture, even if I load a user-created save that clearly shows a planet's textures.”
- “"Landing" on a planet via entering the atmosphere can lead to stuttering and being repositioned over the surface.”
optimization
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
45%
12%
Optimization is generally praised for delivering smooth performance even on modest to mid-range hardware, with many users achieving high frame rates at ultra settings. However, some report occasional stuttering, glitches, and crashes, especially in VR or densely populated areas, with performance improvements ongoing through updates. The use of OpenGL and lack of newer APIs like Vulkan limits CPU efficiency, but continuous optimization efforts have notably enhanced stability and visual quality over time.
- “Extremely well optimized, I loved and still love this game since I first played.”
- “Very good optimization too, hitting about 150 fps in 1440p most of the time, about 60-70 in huge clusters and about 40 near the event horizon of a black hole.”
- “The visuals are incredible, it's optimized very well, constantly getting better and better through each new update.”
- “After 7 years, the app is not optimized: menu functions stop working, UI elements display incorrectly or partially off-screen, objects disappear, selection becomes unresponsive, and it frequently ends in a crash.”
- “So do not buy this unless you have a good system. Although I have a decent PC that can run many games at high 1080p, this is poorly optimized.”
- “The performance is abysmal; the engine can't load textures properly or in a timely manner (unlike its predecessors), and I can't get it to look the way I want because graphic settings once available are now gone.”
stability
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game suffers from frequent bugs, crashes, graphical glitches, and instability across various systems, especially in VR and on lower-end hardware. While some find it playable with occasional issues and appreciate ongoing fixes, many report frustrating crashes, buggy controls, and persistent visual problems typical of an early access title. Overall, stability is a significant concern, limiting smooth gameplay despite promising features.
- “Runs great.”
- “Runs great (on my system).”
- “Runs great on Linux through Steam Play.”
- “In its current state, it's really buggy and sometimes crashes for no reason. When it crashes, it resets your graphics settings. If you're not worried about these things, then go ahead; it has pretty good graphics and the exploration is fun.”
- “Everything about this program is low quality; the lighting is simple lightmaps, the textures are quite basic, there are no plants or even primitive life beyond one of the aforementioned textures. Water is just a single animated texture thrown at a certain elevation. The procedural generator is boring and "samey" and uses a simple randomizer rather than real procedural generation; the menus are janky and buggy; the star search function is a laugh; the program crashes for no reason all the time; some of the basic menu settings don't save between sessions or sometimes between mouse clicks.”
- “I understand this game is early access, but I do have a problem with game stability. Sometimes the game freezes when I exit to the main menu, and I've encountered significant bugs such as stars showing up black, getting close to certain big moons turns them black, or sometimes the entire object all together is black. I saw Saturn was blue one time, and I consistently see Earth show up without land. Sometimes the surface resolution doesn't increase as I get closer, and sometimes I go through the surface.”
grinding
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
Users consistently highlight that grinding in the game is extremely time-consuming and repetitive, often requiring what feels like "a second life" to progress. This excessive grinding detracts from the experience, leading to frustration and fatigue.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “This is what I wanted to do in Elite Dangerous, but I got tired of the pirates and the grinding.”
- “No more grinding in Elite Dangerous to have great astronomical vistas.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users consistently describe the game as a deeply emotional and transformative experience, evoking feelings of awe, insignificance, and existential reflection. Many highlight moments of genuine emotional impact, including tears and goosebumps, praising the game for its profound, philosophical, and heartfelt exploration of the universe.
- “Goose bumping, mind blowing, all the respect to the developers, also made me feel small in the vast universe at 3am.”
- “This isn't a game, it isn't even a simulation, it's a freaking emotional, existential, and phenomenal experience.”
- “I've never felt so small playing a game before, this simulator is incredible and educational. Genuinely, I felt emotional on the first launch of the game, knowing that this may be the closest I ever get to space. It was incredible and breathtaking.”
humor
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game's humor lighthearted and amusing, particularly enjoying the funny and quirky procedural-generated planets and space elements. The game’s playful and sometimes silly tone adds charm and entertainment throughout the exploration experience.
- “The procedurally generated objects can be scary or funny at the same time, making the game amazing and highly recommendable.”
- “Awesome simulator with nice graphics and funny procedurally generated planets, stars, etc.”
- “So basically you can go to space but you can also go to Earth and spy on your neighbors, and it's really funny.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game's replayability is generally praised for its extensive content and ability to keep the community engaged, offering endless exploration opportunities. However, some users feel it lacks in replay value, indicating mixed opinions on how compelling repeated playthroughs are. Overall, replayability is a strong point but may vary depending on player expectations.
- “This not only extends the game's replay value but also ensures that the community remains active and engaged, continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the game.”
- “Still, it offers endless replayability, wonderful overall presentation and does a near perfect job of depicting how insignificant Earth is in the grand scheme of things.”
- “☐ lots and lots of replay value”
- “It's amazing looking at all the planets of the solar system and beyond; however, one thing that I dislike is the fact that it isn't very replayable.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the monetization as a blatant cash grab, highlighting broken promises regarding promised features. This approach is seen as alienating fans and potentially harming the game's success on Steam.
- “Made many videos on it, however this cash grab with a mechanic that was promised and not delivered is a fast fail.”
- “Track to see failing on Steam by its fans who see how much this is just a cash grab.”