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ChemLab
Mix substances, heat them, separate them, and experiment freely. ChemLab is a 2D chemistry sandbox based on real chemistry, where you can combine substances, change temperature and experimental conditions, and discover new reactions and materials through hands-on experimentation.

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Features
Single-player
Family Sharing
Profile Features Limited 
Languages:
Interface Full Audio Subtitles
English ✔
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Spanish - Spain ✔
Simplified Chinese ✔
Traditional Chinese ✔
Portuguese - Brazil ✔
Korean ✔
German ✔
Russian ✔
Japanese ✔
See all 10 supported languages

Coming Soon To Early Access

The developers of this game intend to release as a work in progress, developing with the feedback of players.

Note: Games in Early Access are not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“ChemLab is built around experimentation, discovery, and the interaction between different substances and reaction conditions. While the core sandbox experience is already playable, there is still significant room to expand the variety of experiments and improve how the simulation communicates its results.

Early Access allows us to develop ChemLab together with players by observing how they experiment, which systems they use most, where the simulation may be unclear, and what kinds of chemical interactions they would like to explore further.

Player feedback will help guide the refinement of existing systems and the direction of future content while the game develops toward its full release.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently expect ChemLab to remain in Early Access for approximately 6 to 12 months.

However, this is an estimate rather than a fixed deadline. The length of Early Access may change depending on player feedback, development progress, and the amount of refinement needed before we consider the game ready for its full release.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full version is planned to expand the breadth and depth of the chemistry sandbox.

We plan to add more substances, reactions, experimental pathways, and interactions between existing systems. We also intend to further improve experiment feedback, discovery and knowledge features, usability, balancing, and the overall presentation of the laboratory.

Our goal is not simply to increase the number of reactions, but to create more meaningful connections between substances so that the result of one experiment can naturally become the starting point for another.

The exact scope may evolve during Early Access as we learn from player feedback and observe how people use the sandbox.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version already provides a playable 2D chemistry sandbox focused primarily on inorganic chemistry.

Players can combine substances, change experimental conditions, heat and cool materials, observe reactions, produce new substances, work with gases and precipitates, separate materials through experimental equipment, and reuse reaction products in further experiments.

The game also includes discovery and knowledge systems that record substances and reactions encountered through experimentation.

The core gameplay loop — experiment, observe, transform, separate, discover, and experiment again — is already functional.

Some chemistry and experimental processes are intentionally simplified for gameplay, and the current version does not attempt to simulate every real-world chemical substance or reaction.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“We currently plan to offer ChemLab at a price that reflects the scope of the Early Access version.

As the game grows with additional content, systems, and overall polish, the price may be adjusted during development or when the game reaches full release.

Any planned pricing changes will be communicated to players in advance.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“Community feedback will be an important part of ChemLab's Early Access development.

We plan to use the Steam Community forums and Steam announcements to gather feedback about experiments, usability, bugs, unclear reactions, balancing, and suggestions for future chemistry content.

We are especially interested in seeing how players approach the sandbox without being given a fixed solution. Feedback about unexpected experiments, confusing behavior, or interesting reaction chains can help us identify where the simulation can be improved or expanded.

Development updates and significant changes will be shared through Steam as ChemLab continues to evolve.”
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About This Game

Not a chemistry quiz — a chemistry sandbox

ChemLab is not a game about finding the one correct answer.

Use the substances and laboratory equipment available to try your own experiments. Mix materials, heat them, separate them, change the conditions, and observe what happens.

Some combinations may create new substances. Others may produce gases, precipitates, or visible changes. Sometimes, nothing will happen at all.

Instead of solving predetermined problems, ChemLab is about trying ideas and seeing the results for yourself.

Chemistry based on real reactions

The substances and reactions in ChemLab are based on real chemistry.

Reactions can depend on the materials involved, their quantities, temperature, and experimental conditions. Products created in one experiment can be reused in later experiments.

However, ChemLab is not intended to be a professional chemistry simulator capable of automatically calculating every real-world substance and chemical reaction.

Individual substances and reactions are implemented using real chemistry as their foundation, while some processes and conditions may be simplified to create a practical and enjoyable sandbox experience.

One experiment can lead to another

Producing a new substance does not have to be the end of an experiment.

Reuse the products you create, combine them with other materials, heat them, or separate mixtures before continuing into another reaction.

Mix → React → Transform → Separate → Discover → Experiment Again

One result can become the starting point for the next experiment.

Experiment with different conditions

Chemistry is about more than simply mixing substances together.

Raise or lower the temperature, use laboratory equipment to separate materials, and create different experimental conditions.

The same materials may produce different observations depending on how you perform the experiment.

Record your discoveries

As you discover new substances and reactions, ChemLab's knowledge and discovery systems gradually fill in.

Learn more about the materials you encounter and use products from previous experiments to explore new reaction pathways.

The more you experiment, the more connections you can uncover between different parts of the chemistry sandbox.

Follow your curiosity

ChemLab will not always tell you exactly what to do next.

If you are curious about a combination, try it.

If nothing happens, change the conditions and try again. If you create a new substance, use it as the starting point for another experiment.

Both successful reactions and experiments where nothing happens are part of the process.

ChemLab aims to be a virtual laboratory where you can play with chemistry rather than a workbook that asks you to memorize the correct answer.

Starting with inorganic chemistry

ChemLab currently focuses primarily on inorganic substances and inorganic chemistry.

Experiment with metals, acids and bases, gases, precipitation, oxidation and reduction, heating, separation, and other connected chemical processes.

The goal is not to reproduce every chemical reaction that exists, but to build a sandbox where individually implemented substances and reactions connect naturally into new experiments.

Starting with inorganic chemistry, ChemLab is designed to grow into a broader world of chemical experimentation.

Create your own experiments and see where they lead.

AI Generated Content Disclosure

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

ChemLab used generative AI tools during development to assist with the creation and refinement of some graphical assets and localized text. All AI-assisted content included in the game was reviewed and, where necessary, edited by the developer. ChemLab does not use generative AI to create content during gameplay.

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
    • Processor: Dual-core 2.0 GHz or better
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: OpenGL 3.3 compatible graphics
    • Storage: 1 GB available space
    • Sound Card: Windows compatible audio device