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Terry’s Terraforming

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$14.99 (US price)Really Interactive • IndieStory • SandboxQuest 3 • 3S
Planet makeover sim • Ecosystems and climate • Science advice from KTH Stockholm • Released 22 October 2026

Terry’s Terraforming

A funny VR job simulator in which you warm frozen worlds, water deserts and grow forests until each planet suits the alien species that has ordered it. Underneath the jokes sits real research on terraforming and a thoughtful story about who gets to decide what a healthy world looks like.

Developer: Really Interactive
Price: $14.99 in the US
Platform: Meta Quest 3, 3S
Subject: Science • Ecology and climate
7.0
/10
XR School Score
Recommended
Hands on ecosystem balancing • Real research behind it • Funny and thoughtful • A game first, not a lesson • Brand new, few reviews yet
4 out of 5 • UploadVRReview published 28 October 2026
Based on published information, not hands-on play
Overview

Terry’s Terraforming comes from Really Interactive, a Stockholm studio that also made Toran and Virtuoso. It was announced in May as Janet’s Planets, renamed before launch, and released on Meta Quest 3 and 3S on 22 October 2026. A Steam version is listed but has no date yet.

You play a new hire at a cheerful company that repairs dying planets for alien clients. Each customer needs a particular “sweet spot” of temperature, moisture and plant life, and you have around 15 tools to get there, from slingshotting asteroids to starting forest fires. Every tool costs money, so the aim is to hit the target cheaply and quickly. The story campaign runs about five to six hours, and there is a sandbox mode and daily challenges with leaderboards.

What makes it interesting for schools is where the idea came from. Swedish coverage reports that the game draws on a research project by Sabine Höhler, a professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, on the science and fiction of terraforming, including Mars, closed ecosystems and space ecology. She acted as scientific adviser. The developers are clear that it is not a realistic climate simulation, but a playful way to experiment with how ecosystems respond when you change them.

This review is based on the store listing, the developer’s announcements and published coverage, not on hands-on play.

The Key Idea Change one thing and see what happens. Warm a planet and the ice melts; add water and plants can take hold; burn a forest and the balance shifts again. Pupils learn by experiment that ecosystems are linked systems, and that every fix has a cost and a side effect.
How It Plays
👽
1. Meet the Client
Each alien species explains the conditions it needs to live, giving you a target for temperature, moisture and life.
🌡
2. Change the Climate
Use tools such as asteroid strikes to warm or wet a planet you can hold and turn in front of you.
🌳
3. Grow the Ecosystem
Restore forests and life, keeping an eye on the budget, since every tool costs money.
📷
4. Visit the Surface
SweetView drops you onto the planet to explore and take photos of the world you have made.
For Parents: Gentle and Comfortable There is no combat. The humour comes from office life and corporate satire, and the later story deals with greed and honesty in a way UploadVR describes as never lecturing. Movement is by teleport, it can be played seated or standing, and both controllers and hand tracking are supported. We could not confirm the age rating from the store listing, so check it before buying for younger children. Our guide Is VR bad for children? covers sensible session lengths.
Science Links
EcosystemsClimate and temperatureWater cycleHabitats and adaptationMars and space ecologyHuman impactCost and trade offs

The science is simplified for play. Treat it as a starting point for discussion rather than an accurate model.

Curriculum Value
Systems thinking
7.8
Discussion and ethics
7.6
Engagement for pupils
8.0
Scientific accuracy
5.5
Classroom practicality
5.8
Strengths and Limitations
Strengths
  • Hands on cause and effect with whole planets
  • Built with advice from a KTH researcher
  • Funny, warm writing that suits teenagers
  • A story that raises real questions about greed and progress
  • Sandbox mode for free experimenting
  • Teleport movement, seated or standing
  • Hand tracking or controllers
Considerations
  • A game first; the science is simplified
  • Quest 3 and 3S only for now; Steam undated
  • UK price and age rating not confirmed at the time of writing
  • SweetView surface mode feels underdeveloped
  • Some tools become unavailable during the story
  • Too new for many player reviews
For Teachers: A Talking Point for Ecology and Climate Terry’s Terraforming links to KS3 science work on ecosystems, interdependence and the effect of humans on the environment, and to geography work on climate. It works best as a short demonstration or a homework club activity: set a planet’s target, ask pupils to predict what each tool will do, then compare with what happens. The story ending, about following orders or taking the honest route, makes a good discussion on who should decide how a planet is changed. Be clear with pupils that real terraforming of Mars is far beyond current science.
$14.99
US price on Meta Quest 3 and 3S • Check the store for the UK price and any offers
Get on Meta Quest →More science apps →
Quick Facts
Developer
Really Interactive, Stockholm
Released
22 October 2026 (Quest)
Former title
Janet’s Planets
Price
$14.99 in the US
Platform
Meta Quest 3, 3S • Steam listed, no date
Length
About 5 to 6 hours of story
Modes
Story, sandbox, daily challenges
Movement
Teleport • seated or standing
Input
Controllers or hand tracking
Science adviser
Prof. Sabine Höhler, KTH
Players
Single player
Verdict
Terry’s Terraforming is a game, not a lesson, but it is a clever one. Reshaping a whole planet in your hands makes the links in an ecosystem easy to see, the research behind it gives it more substance than most VR toys, and the story leaves pupils with something to argue about. The simplified science and Quest only launch keep it from a higher score, but for ecology and climate topics it is a fresh, funny way in.

Sources: UploadVR review, Mixed News, Hur Bra on the KTH research link, and the Meta Horizon Store listing. Details checked 31 October 2026. Looking for more? See our Universe Sandbox review and best education VR apps.

Gareth Griffiths

Gareth Griffiths is a scientist and the founder of World of Teaching, a free library of over 1,000 teacher made PowerPoints. He set up The XR School to help teachers, schools and parents find virtual and augmented reality apps that genuinely help young people learn, and to give an honest view of what each app teaches, which headsets it needs and what it costs.