Eight rule worlds
Compare Bloom, Orbit, Cells, Swarm, Rings, Maze, Bridge, and Void.
Quick answer
What is Particle Life?
Particle Life is an artificial-life simulation where simple attraction and repulsion rules between colored particle families create clusters, waves, rings, and lifelike motion. No particle is told where to go; the patterns come from each family reacting to its neighbors. This page runs a particle life simulator in your browser: choose a preset, adjust the forces, and touch or click the canvas to disturb the colony. Read the beginner's guide to Particle Life for the history and the rules in plain language.
The living rule
Simple rules, surprising motion
Every dot follows nearby attraction and repulsion rules. Change the starting preset or one control, then watch local reactions grow into clusters, trails, and new patterns.
Ready to look closer? These short guides explain what you are seeing and where to go next when you want a more focused experiment.
Sandbox controls
Explore eight bounded controls, from damping to family count.
Particle Life in 3D
Orbit a true depth simulation with drag, wheel, or pinch controls.
Touch first mode
Use tap, drag, and pinch gestures with a lighter 2D colony.
Result explanation
What you are seeing
Particle Life is not pre-scripted animation. Each colored dot belongs to a family. Families apply simple attraction or repulsion to nearby particles. Over time, those local rules create global behavior: clusters, streams, rings, membranes, and sudden collapses.
Clusters
Stable clusters mean several families found a temporary balance of attraction and repulsion.
Trails
Moving trails usually appear when one family chases another faster than it can settle.
Bursts
Pointer disturbance injects energy, giving the colony a chance to reorganize.
How it works
How the Particle Life Simulator Works
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Choose a preset
Start with Bloom for soft, pulsing colonies, Orbit for rotating chases, Cells for membrane-like pockets, or Swarm for faster motion. Each preset changes the attraction and repulsion rules between particle colors, so it gives the same controls a different starting behavior. Use Reset after switching presets when you want a clean comparison from the same starting density.
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Let families interact
The simulator evaluates nearby neighbors instead of directing the whole world from one central point. Every particle life simulation develops from those local reactions, which is why clusters, trails, rings, and sudden collapses can appear without a scripted animation. Because starting positions are randomized, repeating a preset can reveal a different structure.
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Adjust density and energy
Particle count changes density and performance, Motion controls how quickly particles respond and travel, and Forces controls the strength of attraction and repulsion. Small adjustments usually make cause and effect easier to see than moving every control to an extreme. For a deeper explanation of how the live controls reveal each preset's internal rules, read the Particle Life parameter guide. On slower devices, reduce the particle count before lowering motion or force strength.
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Disturb the habitat
Click, drag, or touch the canvas to scatter nearby particles and inject energy into the system. Then stop interacting and watch whether the colony rebuilds its earlier pattern, forms a new structure, or continues moving in a more chaotic state. Repeat the disturbance in different areas to compare recovery patterns within the same preset.
Online, mobile, and download intent
Built for quick browser play
This version focuses on a fast 2D particle life online experience. It runs locally in desktop and mobile browsers, requires no account or app download, and keeps every interaction on the current page. Lower particle counts usually provide smoother motion on older phones and laptops.
FAQ
Particle Life questions
What is Particle Life?
Particle Life is an artificial-life simulation where simple attraction and repulsion rules between colored particle families create clusters, waves, rings, and lifelike motion.
Is this particle life simulator free?
Yes. The V1 simulator is free and runs in your browser without an account.
How do I play Particle Life?
Pick a preset such as Bloom or Orbit, then adjust Particles, Motion, and Forces. Click, drag, or touch the canvas to scatter nearby particles and watch the colony rebuild or form a new pattern.
Does Particle Life run on mobile?
Yes. The layout adapts to phone screens, and you can use touch input to disturb the colony. Lower particle counts usually feel smoother on older devices.
Is there a 3D version of Particle Life?
Yes. The 3D mode runs particles in a true three dimensional volume that you can orbit by dragging and zoom with a wheel or pinch.
Do I need to download anything?
No. This particle life simulator opens directly in a browser and does not require a download or account.