Games like Universe Sandbox
If Universe Sandbox is your kind of game, the closest matches are SpaceEngine, Kerbal Space Program and Alchemy Laboratory: Simulator — picked from the ranked list below. Reviewers single out its educational value in astrophysics, endless creative sandbox potential and contemplative. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →Universe Sandbox is a physics-based space simulation released in 2015 by Giant Army. The sandbox features astrophysics exploration, black hole generation, celestial object interaction, and Newtonian physics simulation at massive scale. Players describe the experience as contemplative, grand, and immersive. Reviewers highlight the educational value in astrophysics and hands-on astronomy learning, along with endless creative sandbox potential and the freedom to destroy or terraform at will. The game runs at $29.99 USD and is playable on Steam Deck, though it is hardware-demanding. It holds a 97% positive rating from over 18,000 Steam reviews.
About Universe Sandbox: 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.
Players who liked Universe Sandbox also play
Steam players who put hours into Universe Sandbox also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
SpaceEngine
WHY THIS
Shares an epic mood with Universe Sandbox.
Top pick for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
The world's first science-based photorealistic interactive 3D planetarium that models the entire Universe, using procedural generation for uncharted areas.
Kerbal Space Program
WHY THIS
Shares physics simulation and an immersive mood with Universe Sandbox.
Second-strongest match for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
In Kerbal Space Program, take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.
Alchemy Laboratory: Simulator
WHY THIS
Third-strongest match for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Dive into a world of creation and discovery, where each element combines to form new ones. Experiment freely in this interactive sandbox. But be careful: every combination has its consequences..
Sand in a Box
WHY THIS
Ranked #4 for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Sand in a Box is a 'falling sand' game that simulates thermal flow, electricity, radioactive decay, and gravity. Create art, experiment with physics, and craft your own simulation rules with user-friendly mod support!
ANLIFE: Motion-Learning Life Evolution
WHY THIS
Shares physics simulation and a contemplative mood with Universe Sandbox.
Ranked #6 for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
A relaxing evolution simulation where AI-driven block creatures move in unexpected ways. There are no complex ecosystems—just pure movement learning through a physics engine. Watch as these creatures scurry, stumble, and evolve in their own unique, unpredictable ways.
SPORE™
WHY THIS
Shares a grand mood with Universe Sandbox.
Ranked #7 for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Be the architect of your own universe with Spore, an exciting single-player adventure. From Single Cell to Galactic God, evolve your creature in a universe of your own creations.
Rocket Science
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with Universe Sandbox.
Ranked #8 for Universe Sandbox fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Simulation and Early Access with Universe Sandbox.
Take part in a space program. Design spacecrafts and send them off to explore the vast expanses of space. Experience the real scale of the Solar system and the size of its celestial bodies.
Reviewers mention these as similar to Universe Sandbox
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Starvector
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie with Universe Sandbox.
Eat a snack while you watch an entire planet burn in your image.
Space Engineers
WHY THIS
Shares physics simulation and an immersive mood with Universe Sandbox.
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Space Engineers is a sandbox engineering game where you design and build ships, stations, and planetary bases in a fully destructible environment. Explore planets and space, mine resources, survive hazards, and engage in combat alone or with friends in Creative or Survival modes.
Tiny Civilization
WHY THIS
Shares a contemplative mood with Universe Sandbox.
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play.
This is a historical simulation game that promotes the development of civilization based on the match-3 Game. You'll need to gather resources, use skills, discover new technology, and lead humanbeing through a 10,000-year journey to the cosmos.
Sky Settlers
WHY THIS
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Sky Settlers is a minimalistic city building card game in which you build on islands in the sky and encounter different events, disasters and much more. Use different cards, complete quests and unlock new tiles as you progress.
Caesar™ 3
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Universe Sandbox.
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Prove your strength of mind and spirit and you just may be crowned Caesar!
EVE Online
WHY THIS
Shares a stressful mood with Universe Sandbox.
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play.
Over 20 years of legendary space battles! Explore a massive living universe of danger and opportunity in a challenging and highly rewarding space adventure. Fight, trade, build, and connect with a universe driven and shaped directly by players.
Stellaris
WHY THIS
Shares a grand mood with Universe Sandbox.
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Explore a galaxy full of wonders in this sci-fi grand strategy game from Paradox Development Studios. Interact with diverse alien races, discover strange new worlds with unexpected events and expand the reach of your empire. Each new adventure holds almost limitless possibilities.
Colony Survival
WHY THIS
Shares an immersive mood with Universe Sandbox.
Reviewers of Universe Sandbox cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Indie with Universe Sandbox.
Colony Survival is a unique first-person strategy game developed by a two-man team. Build your own colony in a voxel world. Command guards, farmers, miners and other colonists. Defend your colony against the horde of monsters that attacks every night!
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below Universe Sandbox at current Steam store prices.
Garry's Mod
WHY THIS
Priced ~83% under Universe Sandbox on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play.
Stardew Valley
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Universe Sandbox on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
You've inherited your grandfather's old farm plot in Stardew Valley. Armed with hand-me-down tools and a few coins, you set out to begin your new life. Can you learn to live off the land and turn these overgrown fields into a thriving home?
Lethal Company
WHY THIS
Priced ~67% under Universe Sandbox on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Early Access with Universe Sandbox.
A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.
Hollow Knight
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under Universe Sandbox on Steam right now. Shares Indie with Universe Sandbox.
Forge your own path in Hollow Knight! An epic action adventure through a vast ruined kingdom of insects and heroes. Explore twisting caverns, battle tainted creatures and befriend bizarre bugs, all in a classic, hand-drawn 2D style.
People Playground
WHY THIS
Priced ~67% under Universe Sandbox on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.
Vampire Survivors
WHY THIS
Priced ~83% under Universe Sandbox on Steam right now. Shares Indie and Casual with Universe Sandbox.
Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn! Vampire Survivors is a gothic horror casual game with rogue-lite elements, where your choices can allow you to quickly snowball against the hundreds of monsters that get thrown at you. Be the bullet hell!
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Life is Strange - Episode 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it.
Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Universe Sandbox.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
Bongo Cat
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!
Indigo Park: Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Universe Sandbox.
Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.
The Looker
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with Universe Sandbox.
You wake up, alone, on a strangely familiar island full of puzzles that will frustrate and annoy you.
Our Life: Beginnings & Always
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Casual with Universe Sandbox.
A twenty-dollar bill, four summers, fifteen years, and a one of a kind life. Create an experience that’s all your own in this near-fully customizable visual novel where you grow from childhood to adulthood with the lonely boy next door.
missed messages.
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie and Simulation with Universe Sandbox.
‘goth gf’s iPhone’ airdrops you - accept or decline? A love/horror story about life, death, & memes.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
Frequently asked about Universe Sandbox
- Does Universe Sandbox run on Steam Deck?
- Universe Sandbox is rated Playable on Steam Deck — it runs, but expect some manual adjustments (control remapping, text size, or graphics settings) for the best experience.
- How much does Universe Sandbox cost?
- Universe Sandbox is listed on Steam at 29.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to Universe Sandbox?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside Universe Sandbox are SpaceEngine, Kerbal Space Program, Alchemy Laboratory: Simulator.
- Who developed Universe Sandbox?
- Universe Sandbox was developed by Giant Army.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on Universe Sandbox.
For library-aware picks tuned to your specific taste, sign in with Steam on the home page.