Kerbal Space Program ▶ Trailer
Kerbal Space Program screenshot 1Kerbal Space Program screenshot 2
IndieSimulationSpaceSandboxPhysicsScienceSpace Sim

1,558 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 3,165

Peak in the last 7 days: 4,174

Kerbal Space Program Steam store

Game description

In Kerbal Space Program, take charge of the space program for the alien race known as the Kerbals. You have access to an array of parts to assemble fully-functional spacecraft that flies (or doesn’t) based on realistic aerodynamic and orbital physics.

Basic info

DeveloperSquad
PublisherPrivate Division
PlatformsWindows · macOS · Linux
Steam DeckPlayable
Release dateApr 27, 2015
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 7 SP1+
ProcessorCore 2 Duo 2.0 Ghz
Memory4 GB
GraphicsDX10 (SM 4.0) capable, 512MB VRAM
Storage3 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 414 reviews from the past 1 year

93.7/ 100
Top 5%

Steam rating: Overwhelmingly Positive (96%)

Metacritic: 88 /100

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 20, 2026)

Building rockets that explode, then slowly learning why, is what players love here; it scores 93.7, top 5% of games we analyzed.

👍 Strengths

244 reviews say it is fun and addictive, and the most upvoted describes a sense of awe and a game that teaches you things. 28 praise the sandbox freedom to build their own craft, and some say mods add even more room to do what they want. 20 value the depth of learning orbital mechanics and planning missions, with a few calling the problem solving its own reward. Content Volume ranks 11th of 1351, and Gameplay ranks 239th of 1396.

👎 Where it falls short

55 reviews describe a steep learning curve for new players, saying the tutorials are not enough and YouTube and trial and error fill the gap. 28 find the difficulty frustrating, with rockets that flip, explode or never leave the pad, though some treat this as part of the charm. 17 complain that the developers abandoned the series, with no roadmap and promises left unmet, and a few point to the canceled sequel. Tech & Support ranks 754th of 1399, and Pricing & Fairness ranks 343rd of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“800+ hours, sense of awe, teaches you things” · 244 reviews
“sandbox mode offers near infinite possibilities” · 28 reviews
“concepts translate to real life, amazing understanding of space travel” · 20 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 63% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Freedom +4.51 · Room to explore, build, and play your own way
Positive “sandbox mode offers near infinite possibilities” · 28 reviews

Progression 9% · Difficulty 23% · Onboarding 27% · Strategy 22% · Controls & feel 2%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 14% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

World +3.98 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is
Positive “concepts translate to real life, amazing understanding of space travel” · 20 reviews

Story 2% · Characters 4%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 22% of reviews · Top 1% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +3.97 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “can play for very long hours, save system allows experimentation” · 11 reviews
Negative “wish they made 2nd game better, wants more content” · 6 reviews

Variety 2% · Replayability 8%

Graphics, art style, music and sound

Not enough data — only 10% of reviews mention this.

Visuals +1.24 · Graphics, art style, and animation

Audio 2%

Playing with others, the community and servers

Not enough data — only 7% of reviews mention this.

Community +4.00 · Who you play with — how many, and how friendly

Playing together 2% · Servers & Connection 0%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 8% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing +0.02 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Positive “worth every penny” · 2 reviews
Negative “recommends buying all DLCs and installing visual mods” · 8 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Balance 1% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 21% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Developer support -0.16 · Updates, patches, and how devs respond to players
Negative “got abandoned by the devs” · 17 reviews
Positive “insane updates since purchase, devs actively support” · 1 review

Stability 7% · Performance 10%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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🎲 Fans of this game often get the title Mysterious Alchemist. Which one is yours?