The Powder Toy
Released Jun 2024
The Powder Toy is a classic physics sandbox game, which simulates air pressure and velocity, heat, gravity and a countless number of interactions between different substances
98% positive · 3,053 reviews
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Not yet
Released, but still in active development
High confidence
Active Development
Where to get it
Free on Steam
Evaluation
The Powder Toy is a long-running open-source physics sandbox that arrived on Steam on June 14, 2024. Since then, the development team has maintained a consistent cadence of updates. Major releases include version 99.0 on December 25, 2024 (adding a separate rendering thread, new save browser features, in-game credits, and a new Lua tools API) and version 100.0 on June 23, 2026 (adding two new elements — BASE and SEED — along with new air simulation settings, improved tools, and a range of simulation fixes). Version 100.1 shipped on August 8, 2026 with additional bug fixes, and its patch notes explicitly state that the team is now "focus[ing] on version 101," directly confirming that development is actively continuing. The game is fully open source, community-maintained, and free to play, with the store description inviting anyone to contribute. No statement of completion has ever been made.
Evidence
Version 100.1 patch released, described as fixing all known issues since 100.0. Patch notes explicitly state the team will now focus on version 101.
Version 100.0 released, adding two new elements (BASE and SEED), new air simulation settings, binary support for the PROP tool, dynamic heat display, and numerous simulation fixes.
Media
Details
Developer
Publisher
The Powder Toy Team
Achievements
—
Platform
Windows, macOS, Linux
Controller
—
Steam Deck
Playable
Players
Single-player
About this game
Unleash your inner scientist - and maybe a little chaos - with The Powder Toy!
This free particle physics sandbox lets you experiment with hundreds of elements, from fiery explosives to intricate electronics. Simulate real-world phenomena like air pressure, heat, and gravity to create:
• High-Powered Explosions: Blow things up in spectacular fashion with meticulously crafted bombs, triggered on your command.
• Miniaturized Power Plants: Design and operate nuclear, chemical, or hydroelectric power plants and reactors using both real-world and imaginary reactions builtin to the game.
• Custom CPUs: Build your own logic circuits and processors, pushing the boundaries of in-game computing.
• Anything Your Imagination Can Dream Up: Create realistic landscapes, explosive-resistant bunkers, or technical machines, the possibilities are endless!
More than just destruction:
• Community Creations: Explore and download millions of amazing saves uploaded by other players, or upload your own to strive for a slot on Front Page!
• Custom Elements: Use the Lua API to mod your own elements into the game, or download packs of elements from other users from the Script Server!
• Open Source: The Powder Toy is fully open source under the GPLv3 license and maintained by the community. Want to see your name in the credits? Anyone can contribute to development!
Ready to unleash your inner mad scientist? Download The Powder Toy today!
Account registration on The Powder Toy website is required to enable certain online features such as saving and commenting.
This free particle physics sandbox lets you experiment with hundreds of elements, from fiery explosives to intricate electronics. Simulate real-world phenomena like air pressure, heat, and gravity to create:
• High-Powered Explosions: Blow things up in spectacular fashion with meticulously crafted bombs, triggered on your command.
• Miniaturized Power Plants: Design and operate nuclear, chemical, or hydroelectric power plants and reactors using both real-world and imaginary reactions builtin to the game.
• Custom CPUs: Build your own logic circuits and processors, pushing the boundaries of in-game computing.
• Anything Your Imagination Can Dream Up: Create realistic landscapes, explosive-resistant bunkers, or technical machines, the possibilities are endless!
More than just destruction:
• Community Creations: Explore and download millions of amazing saves uploaded by other players, or upload your own to strive for a slot on Front Page!
• Custom Elements: Use the Lua API to mod your own elements into the game, or download packs of elements from other users from the Script Server!
• Open Source: The Powder Toy is fully open source under the GPLv3 license and maintained by the community. Want to see your name in the credits? Anyone can contribute to development!
Ready to unleash your inner mad scientist? Download The Powder Toy today!
Account registration on The Powder Toy website is required to enable certain online features such as saving and commenting.
Are these done yet?
Last evaluated Aug 27, 2026
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