Planned Release Date: 2027

About This Game

From the towering Brachiosaurus to the ocean-dwelling orca, Ecosystem Architect puts you in control of what inhabits your world. What would happen if an elephant shared its habitat with a Spinosaurus? You have the power to find out, and to influence the outcome.

If you're more of a botanist, plants are just as important as animals when building your ecosystem. You'll need to strike the right balance between plants, herbivores, and carnivores, or it could all fall apart. And remember: not all creatures are created equal.

With nearly 50 species of animals and plants, spanning land and sea, modern wildlife and prehistoric giants, every choice you make can lead to a thriving ecosystem or one thrown into chaos.

Every creature in Ecosystem Architect is simulated as an individual, with its own needs, memories, and traits.

Realistic Behavior - Animals claim and defend territories, form packs, hunt, graze, and flee from predators. Many behaviors are based on real ecological research. Red foxes bury surplus food in hidden caches and find them later from memory, and beavers build dams that change how water flows through your world.

Families and Genetics - Creatures mate, raise their young in nests and dens, and pass traits down to their offspring. Each creature has up to three traits that shape how it lives and survives. Follow family lines as they grow, or watch a struggling lineage disappear.

Ecosystem Architect lets you build in whatever kind of biome you'd like, whether that's a landscape inspired by real places like Yellowstone National Park or an original one crafted from scratch.

Most game modes include a powerful terraforming toolset that lets you raise, lower, and smooth terrain, or paint it with new textures. But be careful: reshaping the land can change the flow of rivers and lakes, which may have ripple effects on the local wildlife.

The weather matters, too. Seasons come and go, bringing changes in temperature and rainfall that influence how creatures behave. Below the surface, the soil changes as well, and the plants you grow will shape the ground for the ones that follow.

Choose from three game modes:

Campaign - Inspired by real-life conservation efforts and ecological studies, each campaign level challenges you with a specific goal, such as growing a creature population or naturally reintroducing a species to an environment. You'll have to plan carefully to succeed with the resources you're given. Completing a level unlocks special rewards you can use in the other game modes.

Challenge - Carefully craft and grow your environment over time with limited resources and a limited ability to directly influence your ecosystem. Build a thriving ecosystem with any combination of creatures you like, in a mode that blends creativity and strategy.

Sandbox - A true creative experience. Free from resource and terraforming limits, build the ideal world for your creatures with ease.

Resource Management - Six resources (DNA, Amber, Hide, Leaf, Fin, and Feather) are used to bring creatures into your world. Every creature produces resources over time, so be strategic about which creatures you keep if you want to grow quickly.

Adaptations - Spend DNA to adapt your creatures. Adaptations improve their stats, and some can even make a species smarter.

Environment Upgrades and Land Expansion - Earn Conservation Points by keeping your environment balanced and by releasing creatures into the wild. Spend them on powerful upgrades, or buy new plots of land to expand your reserve.

Simulated Global Conservation - Track the conservation status and population of every species across real-world regions. These change dynamically based on many factors, including your own efforts. Releasing creatures into the wild earns Conservation Points based on that species' current status, and conservation organizations around the world will notice what you do.

Missions and Events - Take on missions for rewards, and react to random events that can shake up your ecosystem when you least expect it.

Ecosystem Analytics - Dig into the numbers with food webs, energy flow charts, niche plots, and relationship maps that show exactly how your species depend on one another.

Animal Combat - Most fights are simulated from creature stats, but you can jump into the important battles and influence the outcome through turn-based combat. As creatures level up, they unlock powerful moves that can swing a battle in your favor.

Photo Mode - Explore your environment on foot and photograph your favorite sights with the in-game camera. Pictures are saved directly to your PC, ready to keep or share with friends and the community.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

The developers describe how their game uses AI Generated Content like this:

Use of some AI-assisted/inspired icons.