A God Game for the Modern Era

Sydney-based indie studio Working as Intended has officially announced that its long-awaited simulation sandbox Terra Firma 2 will launch on Steam Early Access on October 27, with a free demo available now ahead of Steam Next Fest.

Developed entirely by solo creator Gareth Robinson, Terra Firma 2 gives players unprecedented power to reshape the natural world. Unlike typical god games that focus on population management or divine wrath, this simulation zeroes in on nature itself — tectonic activity, erosion, rainfall, and temperature — allowing players to literally sculpt planets from the ground up.

What Is Terra Firma 2?

At its core, Terra Firma 2 is a sandbox simulation god game designed to let you play with the forces that shape our planet. Imagine raising mountains, parting rivers, controlling the weather, and altering the climate — all through an intuitive toolset that encourages experimentation.

Players can:

  • Alter terrain using naturalistic sculpting tools
  • Adjust rainfall and watch rivers and floodplains form dynamically
  • Control temperature to create deserts, tundras, and tropical zones
  • Tweak tectonic activity to build mountain ranges or trigger continental drift

In many ways, Terra Firma 2 acts as both a game and educational simulation, illustrating how small environmental changes can evolve into massive geological transformations.

The Vision Behind the Game

Terra Firma 2 is the result of eight years of dedicated solo development by Robinson, who sought to answer a deceptively simple question:
“Why does the natural world look the way it does?”

Robinson explains that the project began as a curiosity about Earth’s complexity. “It’s a question I’m perpetually thinking of whenever I’m out in nature,” he shared in the announcement. “I wanted to make a game that allows players to discover some answers through exploratory play.”

This philosophy lies at the heart of Terra Firma 2’s appeal. It’s not just about building worlds — it’s about understanding them. As Robinson puts it, “In real life, we can’t watch a mountain erode over thousands of years or move an entire river by hand. But with a computer, we can.”

From Viral Sensation to Early Access Launch

Before even launching, Terra Firma 2 has already become a viral phenomenon. In just three months, the game’s short-form clips showcasing terrain sculpting and weather systems have amassed over 13.5 million organic views across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Fans have flocked to the game’s social channels to marvel at its mesmerizing time-lapse erosion, lava flows, and rainfall simulations — some comparing it to Universe Sandbox, SimEarth, and Cities: Skylines, but on a geological scale.

This surge of interest has transformed Working as Intended from a one-person passion project into a studio to watch. For Robinson, the Early Access release marks a major turning point:
“For me, releasing Terra Firma 2 is the culmination of eight years of work to produce something I feel is worth players parting with their hard-earned money.”

Planned Features and Early Access Roadmap

While the Early Access version launches with robust terrain-editing and environmental controls, Robinson plans to expand Terra Firma 2 through frequent updates. The current roadmap includes:

  • Animals – introducing ecosystems and food chains that respond to player-created environments
  • Volcanoes – simulating eruptions, lava flows, and ash deposits
  • Weather systems – adding storms, wind patterns, and dynamic rainfall cycles
  • Ocean details – deeper water mechanics, wave simulations, and coastal erosion
  • Tectonics – expanding on plate movement and mountain formation
  • Editing tools – improved UI and creative controls for advanced world builders

This forward-thinking roadmap shows a clear commitment to community-driven development, allowing players to influence the game’s evolution over time — much like the worlds they create in-game.

Why Terra Firma 2 Matters

Terra Firma 2 stands out because it captures something many simulation fans crave: creative control grounded in science. It’s not a chaotic sandbox; it’s a living experiment in geology, ecology, and time.

Games like Spore and Black & White once allowed players to play god — but Terra Firma 2 narrows its focus to the planetary level, letting nature itself be the protagonist. Players can sit back and watch eons unfold in minutes, observing how erosion reshapes mountains, how rivers carve valleys, and how climate shifts change entire landscapes.

For educators, students, and science enthusiasts, this could become a powerful tool for visual learning. For gamers, it’s an endlessly relaxing and creative sandbox — part art studio, part Earth simulator.

A Love Letter to Curiosity and Creation

What makes Terra Firma 2 special isn’t just its technology — it’s the curiosity driving it. Robinson’s long development journey feels like an ode to every indie creator who dreams big and builds patiently.

By crafting a system that models the rhythms of the Earth, he invites players to slow down, experiment, and discover the beauty of natural processes that are normally invisible to us.

Every mountain peak, every dried riverbed, and every storm system becomes a canvas for the player’s imagination — a reminder that even virtual worlds can feel alive.

Availability and Price

Terra Firma 2 launches on October 27, 2025, exclusively for Windows PC via Steam Early Access. The Early Access version will be priced at $19.99 USD, offering a substantial toolkit of creative options and simulation depth from day one.

A free demo is currently available for download, giving players a chance to experience world-shaping power before the full release. The game will also feature prominently during October’s Steam Next Fest, where it’s expected to attract even more attention from sandbox and simulation fans.

Final Thoughts

As The Game of Nerds has seen with other indie breakthroughs — from Dave the Diver to Satisfactory — it’s often the smaller studios that redefine entire genres. Terra Firma 2 could be the next in line, proving that curiosity, patience, and passion can compete with AAA polish when the idea itself is extraordinary.

If you’ve ever wanted to shape worlds, summon storms, or rewrite geology itself, this might be your new obsession. With Early Access right around the corner, Terra Firma 2 invites you to build, destroy, and evolve — all in the name of discovery.