SpaceEngine vs Universe Sandbox
They do different jobs. SpaceEngine is for exploring: a 1:1 scale universe you fly through, real catalog stars and galaxies with procedurally generated ones everywhere else, on Windows and in PC VR. Universe Sandbox is for experimenting: build a system, then collide planets, change gravity or boil away oceans, on Windows or Mac. Both cost $29.99 on Steam and both are in Early Access. Neither runs on a phone, a tablet or Apple Vision Pro today.
- Pick SpaceEngine if you want to travel: from a planet's surface to intergalactic space with no loading screens, in a PC VR headset if you have one.
- Pick Universe Sandbox if you want to ask "what if?": add a black hole to the solar system, tilt the Earth, smash two stars.
- On a Mac, Universe Sandbox runs natively; SpaceEngine's Steam page lists Windows only.
- On a headset or phone, neither is available; see the last section for what is.
Side by side
| Feature | SpaceEngine | Universe Sandbox | Everdust |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A 1:1 scale universe simulator: catalog stars, galaxies and planets, procedural everywhere else[1] | A physics sandbox: gravity, collisions, climate and materials you can change[2] | Live particle simulations (galaxies, black holes, nebulae) with physics games and narrated science Stories[3][4] |
| Platforms | Windows (Steam). The FAQ says there will be no mobile version[1][5] | Windows and macOS on Steam; Linux via Proton. A mobile version is in the works, no date[2][6][7] | Out now: Apple Vision Pro, Apple TV, Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and Meta Quest 3 and 3S. Mac: a free download from everdust.ai/mac (Mac App Store version in review).[3][4] |
| Price | $29.99 on Steam (Early Access). SpaceEngine PRO, for commercial use, $69.99[1][8] | $29.99 on Steam (Early Access)[2][6] | Free. Everdust Plus is optional: $4.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $79.99 once (US).[3][4] |
| VR | Yes: SteamVR or Oculus PC headsets, tracked controllers[1] | No longer: VR support ended with Update 35 (Feb 2025); the older Update 34.1.1 still runs on HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Windows Mixed Reality[9][6] | Apple Vision Pro: full immersion, or worlds resting in your room, and you reach in with your hands. Meta Quest 3 and 3S: the worlds and games with hand tracking or Touch controllers, in passthrough or fully immersed.[3][10] |
| Build and break | Make your own planets, star systems and galaxies as shareable add-ons[1] | Its core: add stars, planets, moons, rings or black holes, then collide them; 12 materials; Steam Workshop[2] | No editor for building your own systems: you play with ready-made simulations and games[3][4] |
| Explore the real universe | The whole universe at true scale, time travel, and a flight simulator mode[1] | The real solar system, spacecraft such as Juno and New Horizons, a total solar eclipse[2] | Yes: Night Sky, the real sky for your place and time; look at a planet or one of its 29 wonders and pinch to fly there. Solar System to Scale: walk from the Sun to Neptune at true sizes and distances[3][4] |
| Minimum hardware | GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 460 with 4 GB[1] | 4 GB of video memory; on a Mac, Apple M1 or later[2] | An Apple Vision Pro, an iPhone or iPad, an Apple TV, an Android phone or tablet (Android 10 or later, Vulkan 1.1), or a Meta Quest 3 or 3S[3][4][10] |
Each app as its own store listing or website describes it, checked November 1, 2026; US prices. Numbers in brackets are the sources below.
Where SpaceEngine is the better pick
- Scale: nothing else lets you fly seamlessly from a planet's surface to another galaxy at true scale.
- PC VR support today.
- Spacecraft with Newtonian physics in its flight simulator mode.
Where Universe Sandbox is the better pick
- Real experiments: change a planet's tilt and watch the seasons change, move it closer to its star and watch the oceans boil.
- Runs natively on Apple silicon Macs.
Where Everdust fits
I make Everdust, so weigh this part accordingly. It isn't a third version of either program: it has no 1:1 universe and no system editor. What it does is run live simulations you can reach into on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest, or touch on iPhone, iPad and Android: a collision of two galaxies with up to about a million stars, black holes bending light, a star forming from a collapsing cloud.
Everdust's Night Sky on Apple Vision Pro puts the real sky for your place and time around you: look at a planet and pinch to fly there, or at one of its 29 wonders, a nebula, a galaxy or a star cluster, and fly inside it. The Everdust Atlas has a page for each.
The free version covers every world and toy, The Story of Everything in full, and each game's first 3 levels or more and its daily level; Everdust Plus unlocks the rest.
Everdust is free on Apple Vision Pro, Apple TV, Android phones and tablets, iPhone, iPad and Meta Quest. On Mac, it’s a free download; the Mac App Store version is in review.
Everdust on the App Store for Apple Vision ProGet it on Google PlayEverdust on the App Store for iPhoneEverdust on the App Store for iPadEverdust on the App Store for Meta Quest
Questions people ask
Is SpaceEngine or Universe Sandbox better? Neither is better overall. SpaceEngine is the one for exploring a realistic universe at true scale; Universe Sandbox is the one for building systems and watching physics play out. Both are $29.99 on Steam, so pick by what you want to do.
Can I run SpaceEngine or Universe Sandbox on a Mac? Universe Sandbox, yes: its Steam page lists macOS 11 or later on an Apple M1 or newer. SpaceEngine's Steam page lists Windows only.
Do SpaceEngine and Universe Sandbox work in VR? SpaceEngine does, with SteamVR or Oculus PC headsets. Universe Sandbox ended VR support with Update 35 in February 2025; owners can still run the older Update 34.1.1 in VR on a PC.
Are SpaceEngine or Universe Sandbox on phones or Apple Vision Pro? No. Universe Sandbox's makers say a mobile version is in the works with no release date; SpaceEngine's FAQ says a mobile version wouldn't be powerful enough to be worth it. Neither has an Apple Vision Pro app.
Is there anything like them for Apple Vision Pro? Not a full replacement for either. Everdust (free, made by me) runs live galaxy and black hole simulations you can reach into on Vision Pro, and its Night Sky lets you fly inside real nebulae and galaxies. Celestia is free on Apple devices and lets you roam a 3D universe.
Sources
- SpaceEngine on Steam
- Universe Sandbox on Steam
- Everdust on the App Store
- Everdust on Google Play
- SpaceEngine FAQ
- Universe Sandbox FAQ
- Universe Sandbox mobile page
- SpaceEngine PRO on Steam
- Universe Sandbox blog: The Future of VR on Universe Sandbox (19 Feb 2025)
- Everdust on the Meta Horizon Store
Checked November 1, 2026. Prices and features change; the store listing is always the final word. I make Everdust, and I’ve tried to describe the other apps as fairly as their makers do. Everdust is also listed on AlternativeTo as an alternative to Universe Sandbox and SpaceEngine.