The Planet Crafter is an Open World Simulation game where players need to explore, gather, craft and transform a barren world so human life is possible. You play by exploring a world using a mouse, clicking things to collect them and gathering them into your inventory, so that you can combine them to build other things. It is a meditative experience which rewards effort and time with seemingly unlimited discoveries and experiences, but also models unintended consequences of your presence on the planet.

You start by landing on an unexplored planet in an escape pod with limited access to tools and equipment. As soon as you leave your pod, you start using up your oxygen and need to return to replenish it frequently. As you explore the planet's surface, you find a wide variety of minerals that you can collect.

As you progress you gain more resources which can be crafted into more and more advanced equipment, upgrades and buildings. This allows you to expand your area of exploration and to find even more resources. You can also find essential equipment on other crashed spaceships which give you access to other upgrades and in game options.

The more you play the game, the more you can build and eventually your actions begin to have an effect on the world around you, for example you can heat the atmosphere, which causes ice caps to melt, water to be formed and life begin to grow. Ultimately, your goal is to terraform the planet so that it becomes able to safely support human life. What gives this game its depth, is just how hard it is to create and sustain complex life - there are no easy routes to build a successful planet.