Ecosystem

Ecosystem

Released Nov 2024

Create virtual lifeforms whose development is shaped by a deep simulation of evolution. Guide them as they fight, mate, and adapt to the environment you have built. All the creatures in the trailer evolved on their own in the game!

77% positive · 627 reviews
Done
All announced content has been released
Medium confidence
Done
All announced content has been released
Medium confidence

Where to buy

Steam $19.99
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Evaluation

Ecosystem launched into full 1.0 release on November 8, 2024 after approximately four years in Early Access, with the developer confirming this milestone in a year-end post on December 31, 2024. The 1.0 release added crustaceans and was the culmination of 12 major updates during Early Access. Following the 1.0 launch, one paid DLC was released: the Tropical Fish Pack on August 1, 2025, adding five new creature head options. The game's soundtrack was also released as a separate DLC on the same date. Both DLC items are now shipped; no unreleased DLC appears in the store listing. The developer has not announced any additional content beyond what has already shipped. After the September 22, 2025 hotfix (fixing a critical bug in aquarium mode) and an October 6, 2025 security patch for a Unity engine vulnerability, there have been no further communications. These final posts are maintenance-only patches — there is no roadmap, no announced future expansions, and no developer statement indicating further content is planned. The overall update history shows that the developer has been winding down rather than ramping up: the four years of Early Access saw substantial regular updates, but since the 1.0 release the activity has been a single DLC drop and two bug/security fixes. The December 31, 2024 year-end post reads as a retrospective summary rather than a forward-looking roadmap. For someone waiting to play a complete version of the game, the content appears to be fully delivered as of the Tropical Fish Pack release on August 1, 2025.
Evidence
Tropical Fish Pack DLC launched with 5 new creature heads, the only paid post-launch content released.
news post · Aug 1, 2025 source content shipped
high
Ecosystem reached 1.0 full release after 4 years in Early Access, adding crustaceans and multi-language support.
news post · Nov 8, 2024 source content shipped
high

Content

2 of 2 released · no outstanding content
Released
Aug 2025

Media

Details

Developer
Publisher
Slug Disco
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player

About this game

Ecosystem is a game about life. At its heart are evolving virtual lifeforms, who grow from synthetic DNA and live in a physically-simulated ocean. This DNA encodes everything about a creature: their skeletal structure, their mental processors and even their combat prowess.

Simulation

The nervous system of a virtual lifeform is a pipeline computer where, every moment, data from sense organs passes through a network of neurons and finally contracts a muscle in a specific body part. Creatures swim just like real sea-life, applying torque at their joints to push against the water in a way coordinated to propel themselves forward.

Evolution

To create life, you need only release a batch of these lifeforms into the water with random brains and bodies. Most will flail around aimlessly, but those that manage to move even slightly will get to have more offspring than the others. Ten generations later, their descendants will be talented swimmers.

It’s really satisfying to see the creatures evolve in a real sense, guided by your hand in the simulated fluid of your own world.

Combat

Whether it’s using electrical attacks to stun enemies or developing poisonous spikes to evade the jaws of predators, Ecosystem’s simulation features an in-depth combat layer.

Each creature has a range of combat statistics that will determine their role in the food chain. As a species evolves and gains a foothold, it will need to adapt to survive attacks from predators or face extinction.

Playing God

If you want to take a more hands-on approach in your creatures’ evolution, a suite of tools are provided, unlocked as you progress through the game, to force certain traits in your species. From high level settings such as requiring a species to have tentacles, be a certain size, or have a set amount of body parts, to minute details such as determining the amount of drag or torque a creature may face when swimming, the simulation is yours to control.

Sculpt Your Own Ecosystem

Ecosystem features procedural worlds with a variety of options such as ocean depth and soil type, but you can go one step further and sculpt the terrain yourself, raising mountains or carving out dark caves for your predators to lurk in.

Data At Your Fingertips

For players who want to monitor their ecosystems closely, there is a lot of data at your fingertips. We’ve got you covered for all the statistics and analysis of your world that you could possibly want - from ecosystem overviews showing population charts for both animals and plants to phylogenetic trees for individual species, allowing you to track your species evolution.

Share Online

Ecosystem features Steam Workshop support, allowing you to share your species, maps and aquariums. Download other players' species from within the game and introduce them to your ecosystem and see if they have what it takes to survive.

Last evaluated Jun 17, 2026
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