The Planet Crafter is a game where players explore a large world and survive, created by Miju Games, a studio from France, for computers running Windows. In the game, players start inside a broken spaceship and must change a lifeless planet to make it suitable for living. Players collect materials, create tools, build machines, and slowly change the planet's environment.

The game was first made by two people, and later, the team grew to six members during development. It was available for early testing on March 24, 2022, and officially released on April 10, 2024. In October 2024, Miju Games added the first downloadable content (DLC) called "Planet Humble." Later, in May 2025, the update "The Moons Update" added two new places in space to change, and in November 2025, the update "Toxicity" was released.

The Planet Crafter received mostly positive feedback. Reviewers liked its system for changing planets, the feeling of progress, and the relaxing style of gameplay. Some reviewers also mentioned the limited size of the game world, problems with how easy the game was to use, and issues with how balanced the game was. Players also liked the game, and by June 2024, it had sold over one million copies.

Gameplay

The Planet Crafter is a game where players can play alone or with others. They control an astronaut who must change a harsh planet into a place where life can exist. The game begins on a dry, rocky planet, and players must work to change the planet's environment. Changing the environment includes adjusting the air, temperature, and living things. To do this, players must collect resources and plan how to move forward.

The main goal is to raise the Terraformation Index (TI) and complete steps to develop the planet. Players build machines that improve conditions like oxygen levels, heat, and air pressure. Later, they add living things such as plants, animals, and insects. These machines need power, which comes from generators placed on planets or moons. If the power needed is more than what is available, the machines stop working until more power is provided.

After finishing the first planet, players can visit two new moons. Both moons can be changed to support life, and players keep all their tools, knowledge, and equipment from earlier in the game. Resources can also be moved between planets and moons.

The first paid extra content for The Planet Crafter, called "Planet Humble," was released on October 9, 2024. This content adds a new planet named Humble, which players can change from the beginning. The planet has different environments, new areas to explore, and story elements not found in the main game. "Planet Humble" is about half the size of the main planet and includes new types of environments, materials, and natural features.

Plot

The player plays the part of an unnamed criminal sent to a dangerous planet to change it into a habitable place. The player starts the game inside a broken spacecraft with only a few supplies needed for terraforming. During the game, the player receives occasional messages from a character named Riley, who shares information about Planet Prime. These messages suggest that Riley and the player knew each other before. Riley helps arrange a secret rescue with smugglers to take the player off the planet, but this help requires money.

Traces of an old civilization called the Wardens are found throughout the planet, often inside locked ruins. These ruins can be opened using Warden’s Keys, ten of which are available in the game. Finding all ten keys allows access to relics left behind by the planet’s former inhabitants.

The game has three possible endings: Subjection, Subservience, and Subversion. In Subjection, the player leaves the planet while it remains under Sentinel Corp’s control. Subservience happens when the player escapes with the smugglers. Subversion occurs if the player leaves through the Warden’s portal.

Development

The Planet Crafter started as a small project with two people and later grew to include six team members. The game was created by Miju Games, an independent studio that began in 2019 and is located in southern France. The studio's first game, Abracadabrew, did not receive much attention, leading the team to begin a new project. Work on The Planet Crafter started in December 2020.

The team used the Unity engine and took ideas from survival games like Subnautica, The Long Dark, and Don't Starve Together, as well as automation games such as Factorio and Universal Paperclips. During development, the team focused on making the game enjoyable and visually appealing. Their biggest challenge was deciding how much to include in the game. A free demo called The Planet Crafter: Prologue, which showed the game's early progress and basic mechanics, was released on Steam on December 19, 2021, before the full game.

The game entered early access on March 24, 2022, with all programmers and artists working remotely. During this time, Miju Games released several major updates that added new ways to shape the environment, expand the game world, and improve progression systems. The developers also shared plans for future features and ongoing support during early access.

The Planet Crafter was officially released on April 10, 2024, for Windows through Steam and GOG.com. The 1.0 version included cooperative multiplayer for up to ten players, new biomes, more story details, endgame content, and other features. To promote the release, Miju Games invited popular streamers to play the game, which increased sales, wishlists, and the number of players online at the same time.

The game's soundtrack, composed by Benjamin Young, was released digitally by Kid Katana Records on April 12, 2024, two days after the game's full release. Additional music was added in later updates. On October 9, 2024, Miju Games released downloadable content called "Planet Humble," which added new environments, resources, and gameplay elements.

In May 2025, Miju Games announced a major update called "The Moons Update." After releasing "Planet Humble," the developers said that the expansion met some player expectations but needed improvements in other areas. They planned to continue refining the game and provide more free updates, while leaving the possibility of future downloadable content open.

In November 2025, another downloadable content pack called "Toxicity" was released. In March 2026, Miju Games announced a major update for The Planet Crafter, which the studio called the "2.0" update because of the large number of changes. After this update, the team plans to release another free moon-themed update and the third downloadable content pack for the game.

Reception

The Planet Crafter received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising its terraforming features, progression system, and gameplay. The game has a Metacritic score of 81 out of 100. Another review site, OpenCritic, reported that 83% of critics recommended the game.

Reviewers highlighted the game’s slow and careful terraformation process, calling it a key part of the experience. IGN France praised the game’s rewarding systems but noted that more balancing and content could improve the experience.

Luis Teschner of GameStar wrote that The Planet Crafter deserved its success on Steam. Enrico Marx of GameStar gave the game an 86 out of 100, comparing it to Ridley Scott’s The Martian. Marx described the game as a relaxing sandbox experience. Hardcore Gamer praised the game’s progression system and the sense of transformation, calling the gameplay loop rewarding.

Other critics liked the game’s terraforming systems, pacing, and freedom to explore. Screen Rant gave it an 8 out of 10. GamingBolt also gave it an 8 out of 10, praising its addictive gameplay, handcrafted environments, and visuals, but noted limited early-game content, few map choices, and some quality-of-life issues. PC Gamer praised the feeling of being responsible for major changes in the game.

CGMagazine scored the game 8 out of 10, noting its many possibilities but pointing out the lack of a strong endgame goal or story. TechRaptor gave The Planet Crafter a 7.5, praising its survival-crafting gameplay and automation systems, but mentioned unclear terraforming instructions and some confusing mechanics.

The Planet Crafter: Prologue received positive feedback for its crafting and exploration. James Cunningham of Hardcore Gamer praised the demo’s progression system but noted that the prologue covers only about 40% of the full game world. He also mentioned the game’s relaxing gameplay and the visual rewards of terraforming. PC Gamer liked the game’s weather effects and environmental dangers but criticized its basic gameplay and sound design.

Players gave the game highly positive feedback. Before its full release, it earned a 96% “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam, with at least 95% of over 500 user reviews being favorable. Steam Spy estimated that the game sold over 500,000 copies a few months after release. The game kept its “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating after release. In June 2024, the developers announced that The Planet Crafter had sold over one million copies.

After the release of the “Planet Humble” DLC, TechRaptor reported that the game’s positive reception encouraged Miju Games to continue improving the game with updates that added new content and features.