Solarpunk Full Review: A Cozy Farming Sim Disguised as a Survival Crafting Game
Time to go solar.
Solarpunk is one of the most popular survival-crafting games to release on Steam in 2026 – mostly thanks to its big Kickstarter backing during its early development stages.
While most who have played or seen Solarpunk don’t even see it as a survival-crafting game (its #1 tag on Steam), there are elements from the genre you can compare it to, but it mostly dives down to its core gameplay that really screams cozy farming simulator.
In this full review, I’ll take a deep dive into Solarpunk, dissecting its pros and cons after finishing the game in under 30 hours.
Don’t Expect Your Typical Survival-Crafting Game from Solarpunk
After getting around the first few milestones and learning the basics, Solarpunk does have a hint of survival-crafting. Create a character, explore the world, scavenge for resources for progression, unlock better and better tools, equipment, and tech.
However, it is simplistic in these foundational features. There’s no fighting or combat, so the “survival” aspect is quite limited. The only thing you have to worry about is keeping your hunger and thirst satisfied, and even if you don’t, the game doesn’t really punish you. It’s as cozy as it gets since you really don’t have to worry about anything apart from gathering enough resources and discovering new ones.
It is interesting how the developers also issued a PSA before releasing the game, saying Solarpunk isn’t for those who expect anything competitive (raids, PvP, attacks, or competitive survival gameplay). It’s not for those who want a story-driven game, have hundreds of hours of content before reaching the sandbox mode, or expect combat and deep character creation.
After blabbering about what Solarpunk isn’t, here’s what you should expect. Solarpunk is built around the concept of traveling around floating islands and constructing vibrant and creative buildings to help you sustain food, craft the latest tech, and discover more islands and their new resources.
The sandbox building aspect provides a ton of variety to create your own castle in the sky. The islands are quite small to begin with, so exploring isn’t really a major aspect of the game, which I’ll talk about more later on.
After you get around 10-15 hours in, you’ll mostly feel as though you are playing a farming simulator. You build to your heart’s content at any point of the playthrough, even if you have barely scratched the surface of the latest tech – playing perfectly at your own pace.
Solarpunk Has a Good Foundation But Lacks Liveliness
To me, Solarpunk’s biggest draw is its mysterious floating islands and the technological advancement throughout the game. The crafting mechanics are great, building is fluid, and even the airship exploration is well put together. However, the floating islands you explore all feel empty.
There’s nothing unique about unlocking and discovering a new island apart from finding a new resource to play around with. It is definitely a missed opportunity, since the progression doesn’t feel all that meaningful. Taking five hours to upgrade your airship to get to the next island only to see the same things again is underwhelming, and the one new resource just doesn’t feel worth it at times.
For those who just like building and unleashing their creative side or want a very simplistic cozy game, Solarpunk will scratch the itch. But personally, I found it hard to get excited about a stagnant loop over and over again until you reach the final tier of your tech.
I would’ve loved to see something different on the other floating islands; even the last islands with the snowy biome felt the samey – mostly nature with a few trees, maybe a lake, cliffs, and nothing else new apart from one or two new resources. I even thought one island was going to be interesting since it had a small cave, but it was just empty.
Maybe I’ve been spoiled by so many great cozy and/or survival-crafting games out there. But I can definitely see others enjoying this, mostly for its building mechanics, making it a decent cozy game where you can just turn your brain off, mindlessly progress, and create your own haven in the sky.
Solarpunk
Solarpunk delivers a cozy farming and creative base-building experience rather than traditional survival mechanics. Its fluid construction system and straightforward progression system make it easy to lose hours expanding your personal haven in the sky. However, the game's sense of discovery quickly fades as exploration becomes repetitive and newly unlocked islands offer little beyond fresh resources. While players looking for a stress-free sandbox will find plenty to enjoy, those seeking meaningful exploration, narrative depth, or engaging survival challenges may find Solarpunk's gameplay loop lacking.
Pros
- Excellent building system with plenty of creative freedom.
- Relaxing, low-pressure gameplay perfect for cozy gaming fans.
- Smooth progression through crafting, farming, and technology upgrades.
Cons
- Exploration feels repetitive, with islands lacking unique discoveries.
- Minimal survival mechanics make progression feel shallow at times.
- Gameplay loop can become stagnant after the early hours.
A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review. Reviewed on PC
