Planetary Life is a sandbox simulation about transforming an uninhabited planet into a habitat for life. Its central creative task is planetary as well as biological: players can alter mountains and seas, adjust climate and core heat, and influence volcanic activity and atmospheric gases. Rather than beginning with a settled world, the game frames the planet itself as something to shape around the creatures that will inhabit it.
Life-building spans several scales. Players can combine cell types to create organisms ranging from single cells to multicellular life, plants, and larger creatures, then guide creatures as they evolve toward intelligence. The design also gives players a choice in how they oversee survival: help their creations or leave them to contend on their own. Building ecosystems means attending to the balance between fauna and flora, while rainfall, clouds, and surface albedo offer further ways to affect planetary climate.
The game also offers a first-person way to walk around a planet and view its creations, adding an observational perspective to its simulation tools. Planetary Life is listed as single-player, so its play format centers on shaping and observing a world rather than coordinating with other players. Civilizations are described as a planned feature, not an available one: the store text says they are not yet available in Early Access.
