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The Planet Crafter, or simply Planet Crafter, if you will, is today's Xbox Game Pass addition for July 2026, bringing its sci-fi base-building survival goodness to the subscription service on both PC and, for the first time, console!
It's an open-world terraforming survival type that supports co-op for up to 10 players, tasking you and your mates with transforming an inhospitable planet into a comfy spot to call home. If you've played Subnautica 2 or anything of that vein, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Since Planet Crafter launched on Xbox Series X|S, there's only been one full review published so far, so we'll have a look at that before seeing what players are saying on Xbox and Steam:
Xbox Achievements (7/10)
"While it’s taken its sweet time getting to consoles, The Planet Crafter emerges as an enjoyable entry in the survival genre, with simple base building, clearly-presented objectives, and an oddly relaxing gameplay loop that’ll get its hooks into you."
Xbox & Steam Reviews
Big Dazzr 69 on Xbox (4/5): "Runs good, seems reasonably priced for what is offered and is a chill game about terraforming planets, give it a go if you have Game Pass"
StAyWeirDcAt on Xbox (5/5): "Pretty decent tbf. Think I'm the first review so that's alright too I reckon. Game is pretty good."
Huwpaz on Steam: "If you're looking for something like Subnautica but is much less high stakes with no compromise on scope and scale then this is the game for you. It looks very basic at the start, but the pace at which things are layered on always keeps you feeling like you're progressing."
SteelGiant on Steam: "Great game. Highly recommended if you enjoy survival crafting or world builders."
rsalidojr on Steam: "This game is incredible. Good story, great options and the gaming environment, is awesome....No violence, just you and your determination to succeed! Enjoy."
As you can see, it's pretty positive stuff, not ground-breaking, but the enjoyable "switch-your-brain-off" type of goodness. Keep in mind Steam reviews are of the PC build, whilst the others are console specific.
If you're interested in checking the game out, Planet Crafter is available through Ultimate, Premium, and PC tiers of Xbox Game Pass, and is playable across Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC and Cloud.
We'll leave you with a few more details and screenshots for the game below.
A space survival open world terraforming crafting game, designed for 1 to 10 players. Alter the ecosystem of an inhospitable planet to render it habitable for humanity. Survive, gather resources, and build your base. Then, generate oxygen, warmth, and pressure to create a brand new biosphere.