The Planet Crafter
2024 video game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Planet Crafter is an open-world survival game developed and published by the French studio Miju Games for Windows. The player character awakens in a crashed spacecraft, tasked with terraforming a barren planet to make it habitable. Gameplay involves gathering resources, building machines, and gradually transforming the environment.
| The Planet Crafter | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer | Miju Games |
| Publisher | Miju Games |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform | Windows |
| Release | April 10, 2024 |
| Genre | Survival |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
The game was initially created by two developers before the team grew to six members over the course of production. It entered early access on March 24, 2022, and was officially released on April 10, 2024. In October 2024, Miju Games released the first downloadable content (DLC) for the game, titled "Planet Humble". This was followed by "The Moons Update" in May 2025, which added two more celestial objects to terraform, and "Toxicity" in November 2025.
The Planet Crafter received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its relaxing sandbox gameplay. The reviewers also criticized the limited map and quality-of-life issues. Player reception was similarly favorable, and the game sold over one million copies by June 2024.
Gameplay
The Planet Crafter is a single-player and multiplayer open-world survival game[1] in which players control an astronaut who must terraform a barren, rocky planet into a habitable environment. This involves modifying environmental features such as the atmosphere, temperature, and ecology, and requires players to manage resources and plan their progression.[2]
The player's goal is to increase the Terraformation Index (TI) and progress through intermediary stages of planetary development. This is accomplished by constructing machines that raise environmental statistics—primarily oxygen, heat, and pressure—to modify the planet's atmosphere. As these metrics increase, the global ecology shifts to support biomass through plants and animals.[2] Machines require power to operate, which is supplied by generators placed on planets or moons.[3][4] Early exploration is limited by a finite oxygen supply. The player character wields a "matter-manipulation gun," which allows base construction.[5]
Plot
The player assumes the role of an unnamed criminal sentenced by the corporate entity Sentinel Corp to terraform a hostile planet.[6][7][4] The player character wakes up in a crashed spacecraft, with few rations and essentials to terraform the planet.[8] Throughout the game, the player receives intermittent communications from a character named Riley, who provides information about Planet Prime.[7] The world is littered with "remains of those who have tried to settle the planet" and failed before you.[9]
Remnants of an ancient civilization referred to as the Wardens are found across the planet, often within locked ruins. These ruins can be accessed using Warden's Keys, of which ten are available. Collecting all ten keys grants access to various relics left by the planet's previous inhabitants.[10] The game features three possible endings: Subjection, Subservience, and Subversion.
Development
Early development and announcement
Development of The Planet Crafter began as a small,[11] two-person project and later expanded to a six-member team. The game was developed by Miju Games, an independent studio founded in 2019 and based in southern France.[12] The studio's first title, Abracadabrew, received little attention, prompting the team to start work on a new project.[1] Work on The Planet Crafter began in December 2020.[11]
The team used the Unity engine[13] and drew inspiration from survival games such as Subnautica, The Long Dark, and Don't Starve Together,[14][15] also taking inspiration from automation games such as Factorio and Universal Paperclips.[1] During the development, decisions were guided by the goal of creating an engaging and visually appealing game experience,[11] with their most difficult challenge being "scoping the game."[1] The Planet Crafter: Prologue, a free demo showcasing the game's early progression and core mechanics,[5] was released on Steam on December 19, 2021, ahead of the full game.[16]
Early access updates
The game entered early access on March 24, 2022,[17] with its programmers and artists working fully remotely.[12] During this period, Miju Games released a series of major updates that expanded the game's mechanics and systems.[18] The developers also published development roadmaps outlining planned features and ongoing support during early access.[19][20]
Full release
The Planet Crafter was released on April 10, 2024, for Windows via Steam and GOG.com.[21] The 1.0 version included cooperative multiplayer for up to ten players, new biomes, and other features.[22][23][24] To promote the game's release, Miju Games sponsored popular streamers to play the game, boosting sales, wishlists, and concurrent users.[1]
Post-release updates
The game's soundtrack, composed by Benjamin Young, was released on April 12, 2024.[25] Miju Games released the "Planet Humble" downloadable content (DLC) for the game on October 9, 2024;[26][27] the new world is approximately half the size of the base game's map.[28][29]
In May 2025, Miju Games announced a major update titled "The Moons Update". Players can visit two new moons after completing the terraforming of their first planet. Each moon can also be terraformed, and players retain all equipment from their previous progress. Additionally, resources can be transferred between planets and moons.[30] Following the release of "Planet Humble", the developer acknowledged player feedback, stating that the expansion met expectations in some areas but fell short in others. Miju planned to continue refining both planets and provide additional free updates, while stating that future downloadable content was possible but the primary focus would remain on improving the base game.[31]
In November 2025, another downloadable content pack for the game, titled "Toxicity", was released.[32] In March 2026, Miju Games announced a major update for The Planet Crafter, which the studio described as the "2.0" update due to the scale of changes.[33] In April 2026, the development team released the "2.0" update.[34]
Reception
Critical response
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 81/100[35] |
| OpenCritic | 83% recommend[36] |
The Planet Crafter received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its terraforming mechanics, progression, and gameplay, while criticizing its limited early-game content. It holds a Metacritic score of 81/100.[35] Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 83% of critics.[36]
Critics highlighted the game's terraformation system, describing it as a key part of the experience. Writing for IGN France, Erwan Lafleuriel commended the game's rewarding systems while stating that additional balancing and content could further improve the experience.[38] Matt Cox of PC Gamer praised the feel of being "responsible for such radical changes" in the game,[14] while Enrico Marx of GameStar compared the experience to the film The Martian, characterizing it as a relaxing sandbox game.[37] James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer praised the "satisfying progression" of the game, stating the gameplay loop was engaging and rewarding.[5]
Critics also focused on the gameplay loop and survival mechanics. Ravi Sinha of GamingBolt rated the game 8 out of 10, praising its addictive gameplay loop and audiovisual presentation.[7] In another review from Hardcore Gamer, James Cunningham praised the game's progression system and sense of transformation, describing the gameplay loop as rewarding.[9] However, some reviewers found the early stages of the game lacking; Sinha pointed to a sparse early game and limited map variety,[7] while Lafleuriel suggested that the experience could be further improved with better balancing of initial resources.[38]
The game's technical and narrative depth received more mixed commentary. Writing for CGMagazine, Justin Wood praised the breadth of possibilities while stating the absence of a strong endgame objective or a cohesive narrative.[39] Similarly, Robert Adams of TechRaptor lauded the automation systems, but identified "odd design quirks" including building misalignment.[4] While Jonathan Bolding of PC Gamer commended the game's weather effect and environmental hazards, it also criticized its basic gameplay and sound.[40] Reflecting on the game's popularity, Luis Teschner of GameStar argued that The Planet Crafter deserved its success on Steam.[8]
Player reception and sales
Player reception was highly positive. Prior to its full release, the game earned a 96% "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating from Steam users, indicating that at least 95% of more than 500 user reviews were favorable.[41][42][43] According to Steam Spy estimates, the game sold over 500,000 copies a few months after release.[44] The game maintained its "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating after release.[1] In June 2024, the developers announced that The Planet Crafter had sold over one million copies.[45]
After the release of the "Planet Humble" DLC, TechRaptor reported that the positive reception encouraged Miju Games to continue supporting The Planet Crafter, with updates aimed at expanding and enhancing the game's content.[30]