Osmos

2009 Hemisphere Games Casual, Indie

Windows 11Runs

MacNot confirmed

LinuxNative

Steam DeckPlayable

Gamicality score

Metacritic 804

OpenCritic Not rated

Steam players 821

How it’s combined

Playability today

Runs today5/5

Design today5/5

Steam user reviews

Very Positive

86%

1,376 reviews1

Get it on Steam Watch the trailer

Facts checked November 1, 2026

Does Osmos run on Windows 11, Apple Silicon Macs, Linux and Steam Deck?

Windows 11Runs

Sold for Windows today, no problem on record.1

Mac (Apple Silicon)Not confirmed

A Mac version is sold. Not yet confirmed on Apple Silicon.1

LinuxNative

Native Linux version.1

Steam DeckPlayable

Playable, as rated by Valve. May need some setup.1

Played Osmos lately?

One click, no account, so the next player knows. How we check where it runs

Synopsis

Osmos is an ambient physics puzzle game from Hemisphere Games in which players control a single glowing mote drifting in a fluid. They grow by absorbing smaller motes and must avoid larger ones, but every push forward ejects some of their own mass. Later zones add gravity wells, orbits and hostile motes that hunt the player.

Developer: Hemisphere Games
Released: 2009
Genre: Casual, Indie
Where to get it: Steam

Reception

Critics praised its calm look, its electronic soundtrack and the clever tension of shrinking to move, and it holds a Metascore of 80. IGN called it a beautiful and absorbing change of pace from frantic action games. Players today still recommend it as a cheap classic and often say it is far less relaxing than it looks. The main criticism is that the orbital levels near the end turn slow and fiddly, with long waits for paths to line up.

Trailer from Steam

Playability today

The average of two parts, each from 1 to 5. Tap a check to see why. How it works

Runs today

5/5

Sold or given away today by an official source
Runs on Windows 11 without fan patches
?Not confirmed yetSingle-player works without an internet connection
No source covers the current version yet, so this check counts as open, not passed. Played it lately? Tell us
All of its content still works (servers, DLC, unlocks)
The full game is intact on Steam; only the long-gone Games for Windows Live edition is unavailable (PCGamingWiki).
Supports modern resolutions and widescreen
Widescreen, ultrawide, multi-monitor and 4K are supported (PCGamingWiki).
Full controller support or remappable controls
Keys can be remapped through a config file, though controllers are not supported (PCGamingWiki).
Steam Deck Verified or Playable
No intrusive DRM or required third-party launcher account
No pay-to-win or pushy microtransactions
No known game-breaking bugs in the current version
PCGamingWiki lists only an old blank screen issue with a known fix and no open crash or progress bug (PCGamingWiki).

Design today

5/5

Controls feel natural on a modern controller or mouse and keyboard
Movement is aimed and fired with the mouse, the wheel zooms and the right button slows time, and players note the touch design carries over cleanly to the mouse. There is no gamepad support. Source: ign.com, steamcommunity.com.
Menus, text and interface are clear on today's screens
The game adopts any resolution and aspect ratio, including ultrawide and 4K, and its minimal menus sit on a plain dark background. Source: pcgamingwiki.com, hemispheregames.com.
Saving is fair: free saves or frequent checkpoints, little lost progress
Progress is kept per level, and each zone's individual levels can be picked from the map, so quitting mid-zone does not force a replay of finished levels. Source: hemispheregames.com.
It teaches itself: no guide needed to make progress
The first levels start with the basics of absorbing smaller motes and moving by ejecting mass, and aggressive motes and hazards arrive only in later stages. Source: ign.com.
Pacing holds up: little grind, filler or forced backtracking
Levels are short and self-contained, though the orbital levels near the end can mean long stretches of waiting for orbits to line up. Source: steamcommunity.com, hemispheregames.com.
Camera and movement never fight the player
The fixed top-down view zooms freely with the mouse wheel to show the whole field or a close detail. Source: ign.com.