Terraforming, crafting, and open-world game The Planet Crafter is finally launching into 1.0 in April after two years of Steam Early Access. With an incredibly positive Steam reception and plenty of big updates over the years, new and returning players will find new biomes, new alien animals, and most importantly, eight-player co-op.
If you’re unfamiliar with the first-person, crafting open-world game, then it’s easiest to describe The Planet Crafter as something akin to Subnautica meets Astroneer. Your goal is to terraform a hostile planet to make it habitable for humans by producing oxygen, generating heating, collecting resources, and of course, building a base.
The upcoming 1.0 launch in April will bring several new biomes, a variety of animal species, and even a new multiplayer mode for up to eight players to the game. With over 96% of the game’s 25,000 Steam reviews being positive, it’s safe to say that the almost two years of early access has done The Planet Crafter loads of favors, so to mark the impending 1.0 launch, we asked developer Miju Games some questions.
“Planet Crafter adds a unique twist to the genre with the terraformation of an entire planet as a mechanic,” Miju Games says when asked what sets it apart from 2024’s myriad other survival games. “That brings a lot to the player’s experience. Seeing the world around you evolve as a direct consequence of your actions is really rewarding and unique, and unlike a lot of survival games, we focus on a chill, non-violent experience that focuses on restoring instead of destroying. We know a lot of players really connect with this.”
We also wanted to get to the bottom of all of the new mechanics and details The Planet Crafter 1.0 is set to add to the game, with Miju diving into what returning players can expect.
“You can now add big animals to your planet, that you’ll be able to genetically modify to your liking by researching specific genetic traits, and the map will be bigger than ever with three new beautiful biomes,” Miju explains. “One that will evolve from a cold desert to a lush grassland, one big cavern system containing new rare and colorful quartz, and another one with wonderful waterfalls. In addition, you will discover new lore, new music, new animations, improved controller support, and of course a new co-op mode to play with your friends.”
If you like the sound of all of that, The Planet Crafter launches out of Steam Early Access on Wednesday, April 10, with a demo available on Valve’s platform right now so you can try it in advance too. There’s even a 30% discount for the week after launch.
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