What is Gadgeteer?

Gadgeteer is a physics-based VR puzzle and sandbox game developed by Metanaut, built around one gloriously simple idea: build Rube Goldberg chain reaction machines. A Rube Goldberg machine is an absurdly over-engineered contraption that accomplishes a simple goal through a long sequence of cause-and-effect steps — a ball rolls down a ramp, hits a domino, which pushes a lever, which releases a hammer, which triggers the next link in the chain. You probably built something like this with books and toys as a child. Gadgeteer lets you do it with perfect physics, over a hundred different gadgets, and no mess to clean up.

The game takes place in a series of rooms in a domestic apartment, where puzzles are built around everyday objects — bookshelves, bathtubs, staircases, window ledges. You work with two hand tools: your right hand grabs, clones and destroys; your left hand is your gadget palette. Objects can be frozen in mid-air (a crucial mechanic for building complex suspended chains) and then activated to see whether your contraption succeeds — or entertainingly collapses.

In November 2024 Gadgeteer received a major free update for Quest 3 and Quest 3S owners: a full mixed reality mode. You can now build your chain reaction machines directly in your actual room — dominoes cascade across your real desk, balls roll across your actual floor, and gadgets hang suspended in the air in front of your bookshelf. Machines can be saved and reloaded based on your room environment. It's a genuinely transformative addition that makes the experience feel even more tactile and grounded.

Three Modes of Play

How Well Does It Fit?

The sweet spot is KS2–KS3. Younger students engage with the cause-and-effect joy of watching their machines succeed (or spectacularly fail); older students can tackle the more complex puzzles and apply Physics and DT design principles more deliberately. Particularly strong for Science (forces, energy), Design Technology (iterative design, mechanisms) and Computing (logical sequencing). The sandbox mode scales to any age — there's no ceiling on ambition.

What Are People Saying?

Mixed Reality Mode — Build in Your Room

Released as a free update in November 2024, the mixed reality mode for Quest 3 and 3S is the most significant addition to Gadgeteer since launch. Rather than playing in a virtual apartment, you build your chain reaction machines directly in your real room — on your actual desk, across your real floor, mounted in mid-air in front of your bookshelves.

Machines can be saved and loaded based on your specific environment, meaning a student could build a machine that uses their actual classroom furniture as part of the chain. Peter Kao, Gadgeteer's Creative Director, has said the game was always conceived as an AR experience: "Gadgeteer is the ideal game for mixed reality."

See It in Action

YouTube has extensive gameplay videos including puzzle solutions, sandbox builds and the new mixed reality mode in action.

How Does It Compare?

The mixed reality update (November 2024) lets you build chain reaction machines in your actual room. Free update for existing owners. Quest 2 / Pro play in the original virtual apartment mode.