Prepare to immerse yourself in a universe more awe-inspiring and realistic than ever before with our next-generation Universe Sandbox graphics update. Over the past year and a half, we’ve been replacing our decade-old graphics technology with a state-of-the-art system that sets the stage for future enhancements.

While there’s still more to be done before it’s ready for release, we’re excited to give you a sneak peek at our progress.

Stay tuned to our Steam Forum and Discord server where we’ll be announcing a preview version you can try before it’s released to everyone. In the meantime, you can check out our 2024 Roadmap to learn more about what we have planned.


The color of hot objects is more accurately based on their temperatures.

Current
Work in Progress

Spacecraft and other human-scale objects will interact with light more realistically.

Current
Work in Progress

Gas clouds no longer create sharp intersections when passing over planets.

Current
Work in Progress

Objects will only glow in areas where they’re hot instead of the entire object glowing based on average temperature.

Current
Work in Progress
Current
Work in Progress

Hot objects will emit light based on their temperature.

Current
Work in Progress

More accurate lighting at a distance for more realistic and cinematic views.

Current
Work in Progress

Explore the beauty of the universe more awesomely than ever.

Current
Work in Progress

We fixed that annoying issue where stars look like they’re being eclipsed when seen from the surface of a planet.

Current
Work in Progress

Stars appear brighter, realistically obscuring surface detail.

Current
Work in Progress

Our new graphics renderer is still a work in progress, and final appearances may look different. We can’t wait to share space in a new light with you.

Join our community discussions on our Steam Forum and our official Discord community.