SpaceEngine

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SpaceEngine is a realistic Universe simulator, featuring trillions of galaxies, stars, and planets at their actual scale, all shown in 1:1 ratio. Explore the solar system and beyond, seamlessly transitioning from planetary surfaces to interstellar space. With procedural 3D terrain and textures, every celestial body is detailed and interactive, allowing you to study or simply appreciate the beauty of our Universe. Spacecraft with Newtonian physics are also available for those interested in space exploration .

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,222 reviews

graphics304 positive mentions

story17 negative mentions

Incredible graphics and stunning visuals that make the universe feel real.
Endless exploration opportunities with both real and procedurally generated celestial bodies.
A unique and immersive experience that provides a sense of scale and perspective about the universe.

Controls can be unintuitive and difficult to master, especially for new players.
Frequent crashes and bugs, particularly when interacting with certain celestial objects.
Lack of interactive gameplay elements, making it feel more like a simulation than a traditional game.

graphics
508 mentions
60 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics in SpaceEngine are widely praised for their breathtaking realism and stunning detail, making it one of the most visually impressive space simulation games available. Players appreciate the ability to explore a procedurally generated universe with high-quality visuals, although some note that the game can be demanding on hardware, requiring a good graphics card for optimal performance. Overall, the combination of beautiful graphics and immersive exploration creates a captivating experience for space enthusiasts.
- “The graphics are beautiful, the controls are easy to learn, this is an awesome game, and is honestly kind of underrated!”
- “The amazing graphics of this game combined with a massive world, makes for one of the best games ever made.”
- “The graphics are stunning, the soundtrack fantastic and the software supports modding, it also has an in-game 'wiki' that you can edit yourself.”
- “However, if you try to run any graphic higher than medium, most of the time, it will crash and you won't be able to play it.”
- “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.”
- “There have been users complaining that using Intel integrated graphics crashes the game/causes glitches/makes it unplayable.”
music
132 mentions
52 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, calming, and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall exploration experience of the universe. Players appreciate the ability to customize their soundtrack, often pairing it with their own favorite ambient or space-themed music, which adds to the meditative and relaxing atmosphere. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that complements the stunning visuals and the vastness of space, making it a highly recommended aspect of the game.
- “Beautiful space music accompanies your exploration of the known universe.”
- “The soundtrack is absolutely amazing and fits perfectly while exploring.”
- “Put on some awe-inspiring music, and set off on a journey to explore the stars, planets, and galaxies – it’s a genuinely moving experience.”
- “The incidental/background music programmed in (if you choose to use it) is also quite soothing.”
- “And sometimes it's very stressful when you're playing alone, especially when you're close to a black hole, the very depressing background music will definitely make your adrenaline rush, very immersive feeling.”
- “All while listening to some not very inspiring 1980s - mid-'90s synth music.”
gameplay
125 mentions
9 % positive mentions
89 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is primarily focused on exploration rather than traditional mechanics, offering players a vast and detailed universe to navigate without restrictive goals or objectives. While some users appreciate the realistic space mechanics and immersive visuals, many note the lack of structured gameplay elements, which may lead to a sense of boredom over time. Overall, it serves more as a simulator for space enthusiasts than a conventional game, appealing to those who enjoy leisurely exploration rather than competitive or goal-oriented gameplay.
- “This is that program you always wanted that'll let you quietly explore an infinite sea of stars and galaxies at your own leisure, without being locked down to restrictive gameplay mechanics.”
- “The sheer level of quality in the graphics (especially with reshade), realism, and mechanics is ungodly.”
- “You can explore the game world using a variety of spacecraft, and the game's flight mechanics are intuitive.”
- “There's no goal, nor gameplay loop, no grind, and no progress.”
- “If you're buying it thinking it's Elite Dangerous or Star Citizen, you'll be sorely disappointed since as far as I'm aware there are no game mechanics in place.”
- “It's hard to review Space Engine because there's no real gameplay mechanics; you're just left to freely explore the universe, land on planets, change the time of day, and take really awesome photos.”
story
90 mentions
3 % positive mentions
78 % neutral mentions
19 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely absent, with many users noting that it lacks a traditional narrative, objectives, or missions. Instead, it offers an open exploration experience of celestial bodies, which some players appreciate for its freedom and immersive ambiance, while others express a desire for more structured storytelling or missions to enhance engagement. Overall, it is described as a simulation rather than a conventional game, focusing on the vastness of space rather than a cohesive plot.
- “Absolutely breathtaking! I am the type to absolutely despise games where there are no goals or story... this might be my only exception.”
- “While SpaceEngine is a stellar experience, it's not a traditional game with objectives or missions.”
- “There isn't any space combat, quests, or specific activities to do, but if you enjoy just drifting in space listening to ambient music, finding interesting exoplanets, and looking at nebulae, this is the game for you.”
- “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 storyline or mission-driven achievements.”
- “Now, this is not really a game - you won't get a story, progression, or even goals here.”
- “For that, I can recommend Space Engine, but if you're looking for a game with story or objectives, you will have to look somewhere else.”
atmosphere
56 mentions
29 % positive mentions
66 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its detailed and realistic representations of celestial bodies, including diverse atmospheric compositions and stunning visual effects like auroras and light scattering. Players appreciate the immersive experience of exploring various planets and their unique atmospheres, although some bugs and limitations in atmospheric interactions have been noted. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's appeal, making it a captivating experience for space enthusiasts.
- “The game is highly detailed, realistic, and generates detailed and realistic surfaces and atmosphere; I recommend all astronomers play this game.”
- “I found myself lost in these alien landscapes on different planets, each one with its own unique features and atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere, cloud, and nebula rendering are orders of magnitude better than they were previously.”
- “There are a few bugs specifically regarding the atmospheres of gas giants, but other than that, it is great.”
- “Every time I enter our solar system and then try to view any planets, it's just blank; it has atmosphere colors, but other than that, it's empty with no surface texture, even if I load a user-created save that clearly shows a planet's textures.”
- “The detail isn't quite as incredible as the scope - like if you 'land' on a gas giant or ocean planet, you won't feel as though you're in a whirling atmosphere or in an ocean in any sense.”
optimization
49 mentions
43 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization receives mixed feedback. While many players praise its smooth performance and impressive graphics on various hardware setups, some report significant issues, particularly with Intel Arc GPUs and VR, leading to stuttering and texture loading problems. Continuous updates have improved performance, but concerns about CPU limitations and the need for further optimization remain prevalent among users.
- “Its well optimized and highly customizable, it takes very little space on your hard drive you can always keep it installed and have a relaxing scroll through the universe enjoying the views.”
- “The visuals are incredible, it's optimized very well, constantly getting better and better through each new update.”
- “Unbelievably well optimized, it'll put most AAA titles to shame.”
- “I don't know what causes this problem; is my device getting weaker to handle it, or does the simulation really need to be updated for its optimization?”
- “The lack of personnel is probably why there are no plans to migrate to Vulkan, which would bring huge performance gains because the CPU will be used more efficiently.”
- “It seems to be poorly optimized at present and will drag your system down on higher settings unless you do some finer tweaking of settings.”
stability
48 mentions
6 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
94 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, graphical glitches, and crashes, particularly in VR mode. While it runs well on lower-end hardware, many players experience issues such as texture loading delays, menu malfunctions, and game freezes, especially on higher-end systems. Despite these problems, some users find the game enjoyable and educational, expressing hope for future improvements as it remains in early access.
- “Runs great on lower-end hardware as well as aging hardware, and is perfect for anyone who finds space meditative.”
- “Runs great on my system.”
- “Runs great on Linux through Steam Play.”
- “Please note that the current build is extremely buggy.”
- “The entire experience was very frustrating and buggy beyond reporting.”
- “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 altogether is black.”
grinding
24 mentions
0 % positive mentions
88 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The reviews overwhelmingly indicate that grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, with many users humorously suggesting that players would need a "second life" to manage the required effort. This sentiment highlights the tedious nature of grinding, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I'm looking forward to a lot more time with this program, but I wish that whatever the problem is with subsequent launches wouldn't require the drastic-but-effective method of deleting and reinstalling from scratch, else having to keep the program open indefinitely to avoid the tedious process.”
- “No more grinding in Elite Dangerous to have great astronomical vistas.”
emotional
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players describe the game as a profound emotional experience that evokes feelings of insignificance and existential reflection, often leading to tears and panic. The vastness of the universe portrayed in the game instills a sense of awe and horror, making players feel both small and special, as it offers a unique blend of educational and emotional engagement. Overall, it transcends traditional gaming, creating a deeply impactful journey into the cosmos.
- “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.”
- “Words cannot describe how it made me feel when I swooped to the edge of the observed universe and beyond to look at the universe as we know it from the outside.”
humor
8 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it amusing to explore planets and engage in quirky activities like spying on neighbors. The lighthearted tone is enhanced by playful puns and whimsical elements, making it a fun experience overall. Users recommend it for its entertaining and humorous take on space exploration.
- “It's a funny game to find planets :D”
- “Truly 'out of this world' ha ha funny pun because space, get it?”
- “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
2 mentions
50 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
While some users find the game visually stunning and appreciate its grand themes, there is a notable divide in opinions on replayability; some feel it lacks depth for repeated playthroughs, while others argue it offers endless replayability due to its expansive universe.
- “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.”
- “It's amazing looking at all the planets of the solar system and beyond; however, one thing I dislike is the fact that it isn't very replayable.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy has been criticized as a cash grab, with players feeling that promised features were not delivered, leading to disappointment and potential backlash from the community.
- “Made many videos on it; however, this cash grab with a mechanic that was promised and not delivered is a fast track to failure on Steam.”
- “This game is failing on Steam because its fans see how much this is just a cash grab.”