# Solar Explorer: New Dawn — The ultimate action lander!

> Action lander game with realistic physics, customizable spacecraft, and mission-based colonization. (iPhone/iPad app by Dwarf Cavern AS.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-explorer-new-dawn/id1457559035 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Dwarf Cavern AS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1457559034)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Casual, Simulation
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 3.99/5 from 95 App Store ratings · 77 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 847 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2019-05-20
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-explorer-new-dawn/id1457559035/reviews.md

## What is Solar Explorer?

Earth resources are dwindling and tensions are rising around the globe. All nations of the world have united in a historic effort to colonize the worlds of the Inner Solar System and bring our civilization into the Solar Era. As the absolute best of the best, bravest of the brave and most awesome of the awesome, you are the humanity's best and last hope. No pressure.  

Bring colonists and establish bases on worlds of the Inner Solar system by completing each mission. As you progress, unlock additional parts and skins for your customizable lander spaceship: parts make it possible to finish missions that were impossible before, skins help you express yourself through designing your very own lander craft. Max out re-playable missions to gain bonuses to your lander attributes, a little something that goes a long way towards the end of the journey.

Real physics drive the core of this experience, so your lander configuration matters a lot, especially side thruster placement and angle. Experiment beyond the default configuration to get the maximum out of your lander craft.

Procedurally generated missions offer a gameplay experience where each time you play a mission, challenge level is the same, but the actual experience is different, always keeping you on your toes, honing your lander piloting skills and pushing them forward.

Visit 6 alien worlds, recreated in stunning realism and beauty of all the worlds of our Inner Solar System. Each environment has been faithfully recreated to resemble the world you are landing on, both on graphical and audio side. Let the award nominated visuals of this game bring you one step closer to these distant worlds.

Immerse yourself in the award nominated soundtrack that interactively follows your journey in every stage of the game. Soundtrack has been carefully composed and tailored to complement your adrenaline filled journey and leave you with a memorable experience.   

FEATURES:
- Unique lander type of gameplay experience.
- 40 missions, spanning 6 worlds with real environmental physical conditions, including gravity, wind,  and temperature.
- Customizable lander craft with unlockable parts and skins.
- Real physics control of your lander craft, configuration matters!
- Gorgeous, realistic and immersive awards nominated visuals and soundtrack.
- Difficulty modes for novices and pros alike.
- 51 challenging achievements!

It’s time to strap up, sharpen your skills and show humanity what you are made out of.
Welcome to Solar Explorer: New Dawn!

## Key features

- Unique lander gameplay
- 40 missions across 6 worlds
- Customizable lander with parts and skins
- Realistic physics control
- Award-nominated visuals and soundtrack
- Difficulty modes

## What do users think of Solar Explorer?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 🎨 Stunning graphics and visual polish
- 🎮 Engaging and addictive gameplay mechanics
- 🎵 High-quality soundtrack and audio design
- 💰 No ads or microtransactions
- ⚙️ Realistic physics simulation
- 🎯 Challenging difficulty that rewards skill
- 📱 Smooth controls and responsive gameplay
- 🚀 Excellent value for price point
- 🎪 Arcade-style fun without simulation complexity

**Cons**

- 🐛 Overly sensitive controls and thruster responsiveness
- 😤 Extremely difficult difficulty curve for beginners
- 🔄 Highly repetitive gameplay loop
- ⏱️ Short game length with limited content
- 📍 Unfair asteroid hit detection mechanics
- ❌ Unclear progression system and mission objectives
- 🌍 Unrealistic landing velocity requirements
- 🎮 No checkpoints between mission stages
- 📝 Small text size difficult to read
- 🎯 Overpowered thruster mechanics cause uncontrollable spinning

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Left thruster works sporadically during descent
- Asteroid collision detection is inaccurate
- Controls unresponsive during entry phase
- Ship spins uncontrollably when using thrusters
- Landing pad not appearing in correct location
- Game crashes on older iPad models without iOS updates
- Mission progression stuck at 80% completion
- Active missions remain marked as active after completion
- Text cutoff on right side of iPhone Max screen
- Spelling error: 'collonists' instead of 'colonists'
- Video banding artifacts in cutscenes

**Most requested features**

- More planets and moons to explore
- Checkpoint system between landing stages
- Customizable rocket designs and paint options
- Sandbox or infinite mode for endless gameplay
- Training/practice mode for landing techniques
- Procedurally generated planets
- Additional rocket types and equipment tiers
- Outer solar system expansion
- Multiplayer or competitive racing modes
- iCloud save synchronization across devices
- Adjustable fuel load during planning stage
- Delta-V and maneuver readouts
- Separate fuel systems for maneuver thrusters
- Strategic mission planning with budget constraints
- Text zoom and accessibility improvements
- Directional indicators for course correction
- Story elements and narrative expansion

## Recent user reviews (10 of 77)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/solar-explorer-new-dawn/id1457559035/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Very good

*2025-02-13, version 1.0.3*

Very good game 
I mainly made this to say it is an arcade game don’t rate it 1-2 stars just because you thought it was something different nowhere does it say it’s a simulator.

### 5/5 — Good good goood

*2024-03-17, version 1.0.3*

Good graphics sundhsn

### 2/5 — The lightest tap can destroy everything

*2022-12-10, version 1.0.3*

On any planet land at are 3-4 kph will instantly destroy you no updates also

### 4/5 — Enjoyable until it becomes impossible

*2022-11-17, version 1.0.3*

I got to Venus on medium level but had to give up as it was just too annoying

### 4/5 — Good but…

*2022-08-28, version 1.0.3*

Please fix the controls on the entry becuase it’s not working properly for me.

### 1/5 — fix this

*2022-07-10, version 1.0.3*

When I use the thrusters to move the rocket it doesn’t work and I crash into asteroids and die, and I can’t slow down on the landing part It just make me do 360 spins also, when I’m in the blue zone your suppost to be in when I go down for landing it isn’t in there and instead I land 10000 Km away also have another mini thruster so you move side to side not spinning, and when ever I can use thrusters there overly powerful and I go flying a bjillion miles away please fix these issues as they are trash for the time being I will not recommend this to anyone as this is not worth the money please fix this.

### 4/5 — Stuck on Earth 88%

*2022-02-23, version 1.0.3*

Must be a bug? I keep successfully landing but I don’t seem to be able to progress, it’s not very clear what else needs to be completed other than looking for ‘active’ missions however upon completing these missions they remain active…..otherwise the game is excellent.

### 5/5 — 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

*2022-02-19, version 1.0.3*

GREAT GAME 20/10

### 4/5 — Very good lander game

*2021-07-11, version 1.0.3*

Overall I really like the look and feel to the game. The only criticism I can make is with the hit detection of the asteroids during landing. 

Some of them are absolutely nowhere near the lander and yet still record a hit - throwing you out of the pipe or worse, into the path of another asteroid.

I’ve go very little faith that I could thread past these rocks without the game thinking I had hit them.

### 3/5 — It is not realistic

*2021-05-09, version 1.0.3*

I touch the ground at 12km per
 hour the moon missions landed at 6-12 miles per hour

## Frequently asked questions about Solar Explorer

### What is Solar Explorer: New Dawn about?

Solar Explorer: New Dawn is an action lander game where players pilot a customizable spaceship to colonize worlds in the Inner Solar System. The game focuses on realistic physics, mission completion, and spacecraft customization to achieve humanity's expansion into the Solar Era.

### What are the key features of this game?

Key features include a unique lander gameplay experience, 40 missions across 6 worlds with realistic environmental conditions, a customizable lander craft with unlockable parts and skins, and realistic physics control. It also boasts award-nominated visuals and soundtrack, difficulty modes, and challenging achievements.

### How much does Solar Explorer: New Dawn cost?

Based on the provided information, this application is a paid game. There are no mentions of free-to-play elements, subscriptions, or in-app purchases, indicating a one-time purchase model.

### What kind of missions can I expect in Solar Explorer: New Dawn?

The game features procedurally generated missions that offer a unique experience each time you play. These missions take place on 6 alien worlds, each recreated with stunning realism and incorporating real environmental physical conditions like gravity, wind, and temperature.

### Can I customize my spaceship?

Yes, the lander spaceship is highly customizable. You can unlock additional parts to improve your lander's capabilities for completing missions and skins to personalize its appearance. Experimenting with different configurations, especially side thruster placement, is crucial for optimal performance.

## Version history (last 4 releases)

### 1.0.3 — 2019-06-10

FIXES:
- Video player banding issues fixed.
- Mission description and other UI texts are more readable now on smaller screens.
- iOS 13 ready.

IMPROVEMENTS:
- Slightly improved overall performance on all devices.
- More discrete "SKIP" UI button during skippable sequences in the game.
- Various smaller adjustments.

### 1.0.2 — 2019-05-29

NEW FEATURES:
- Added the "Restart Mission" option during gameplay. You are now able to restart a mission at any point during any of the gameplay stages. Just press the Restart Mission icon in the upper left corner to access the Restart Mission dialog box.
- Added a new option in game Settings called "Optimized Mode". Use this mode if your device is affected by poor Battery Peak Performance app auto-shutdown issue. If you experience the game shutting down on its own, enabling this mode will eliminate the problem. This mode also improves the performance a little bit, at the cost of mild visual quality optimization. Optimized Mode is automatically enabled for devices running A7 and A8 processors and cannot be disabled.

IMPROVEMENTS:
- Minor color changes to the Landing Zone Indicator and Speedometer, for better clarity in atmospheric worlds.

### 1.0.1 — 2019-05-24

BUG FIXES:
- On older devices that have an A7 or an A8 processor and a battery that is not in an optimal state, the game would close instantly after the intro. This is now fixed for the majority of devices that fit into that category.
- Devices that fit into that same category are now restricted from enabling the "60 FPS Mode".

IMPROVEMENTS:
- Auto-orientation is now functional on all notchless devices. On devices with a notch, orientation remains locked to landscape left.
- Improvements to the home screen icon.

### 1.0 — 2019-04-21

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*