Illustrative layout: orbital order is correct, sizes and spacing are not to scale.
Explore a massive open-world universe directly from your browser.
Free in your browser · Desktop · Laptop · Tablet · Mobile
DISCOVER MORE ↓SPACE EXPLORATION · YOUR OWN JOURNEY
No prescribed route. Choose a star, find a distant galaxy, follow its light across the darkness and travel there. Space Explorer Sim brings astronomical catalogues and a vast procedural universe together in one free-flight simulation.
Navigate freely, zoom into planetary systems and experience stars, rings, clouds and atmospheric light from space.
Take direct control of your journey across extraordinary distances with Normal and Inertial flight.
Search catalogued objects, select labelled destinations, use Go To and inspect star systems.
Planetary close-ups, ring systems, atmospheric and cloud effects, stars and distant galaxy light.
CAPTURED IN THE SIMULATOR
Every image below is a direct crop from actual Space Explorer Sim gameplay. Click any image to view the original crop.
OBSERVED & PROCEDURAL · CLEARLY DISTINGUISHED
Known galaxies, generated galaxies and named stars are independently identified. Object labels and navigation help turn an enormous sky into places you can visit.
THE ENGINE BEHIND THE JOURNEY
Space Explorer Sim runs on a custom, browser-first WebGL simulation engine: procedural generation, astronomical-scale navigation, object streaming and detail management, GPU rendering, planetary visuals and free-flight controls.
Built as a solo UK development project with AI-assisted programming, creative direction, iterative testing and a lot of persistence. No large studio — just an idea that kept growing.
The astronomical populations are simulated and streamed at appropriate detail; billions of individual stars are not drawn simultaneously. Visual planetary surfaces and simulated objects are illustrative.
FREE TO EXPLORE · OPTIONAL SUPPORT
The complete Space Explorer Sim is free to play at the official website. A browser-playable itch.io edition will offer the same experience, with an entirely optional contribution to support continued development.
Launch the complete simulator at spaceexplorersim.com — no purchase, account or installation required.
Observed and procedural galaxies, stars, planets, moons, graphics settings and free-flight controls are all included.
Back to Explore Now ↑A WebGL2-capable browser recommended · Website assets load online
Play the same complete browser simulator on itch.io. If you enjoy the project, you can choose to contribute a couple of dollars to help fund future development.
Contributing is voluntary — there are no locked galaxies, restricted flight controls or paid-only worlds.
Play & support on itch.io ↗Suggested donation, not an entry fee · itch.io page opens in a new tab
Play the complete browser edition free. Contributions through itch.io are optional. A downloadable desktop release may follow on Steam later.
FOLLOW THE JOURNEY
Gameplay videos, development notes and the story of how this custom AI-assisted simulator was built. Platform pages will be linked here when they exist.
In-game flights, galaxies, close-up worlds and tutorials.
Official channel in preparationThe same complete browser game, free to play, with optional $2.99 support.
Visit the itch.io page ↗Technical information, updates and an organised project history.
Public project page in preparationGOOD TO KNOW
Yes. The complete browser edition is free to play at spaceexplorersim.com.
No. Browser play is free on both our website and itch.io. A suggested $2.99 contribution is optional and helps support ongoing development. No gameplay content is locked behind payment.
A downloadable offline edition is planned for a future Steam release. Desktop packaging and sales are not part of this initial browser launch.
This is a space exploration simulator, focused on free flight and orbital/close-up views of planets and moons. Surface landing or walking gameplay is not part of this release.
No. The simulator distinguishes observed catalogue objects from illustrative, deterministically procedurally generated systems. The vast population figures describe modelled possibilities, not objects all simultaneously resident in memory.
A solo independent developer in the UK, working with AI assistance to build and test a purpose-made WebGL simulation engine.
