Getting All Planets Unlocked in Solar Smash Without the Grind
I spent about three weeks trying to unlock every planet through normal gameplay before I figured out what actually works. The game gates most of its content behind progression milestones that are easier to hit with a mod than by playing the standard campaign. Once you understand the mechanics, the process takes maybe twenty minutes. The first thing you need to know is that Solar Smash has two different versions on most platforms. The Play Store build and the APK you get from third-party sites operate differently, and the unlocking method changes depending on which one you have. I wasted an afternoon trying the wrong approach on the official version before realizing I should be working with the modded build instead. Here is the straightforward method. You need a modded version of Solar Smash that already includes the planet unlock features. The most reliable version I found has an in-app menu that shows all planets as unlocked immediately. You download it, install it, and open the game. The planet selection screen should show everything available right away.
One issue I ran into that probably confused other people is that some mod versions crash when you try to switch between planets that were never meant to be unlocked together. If your game freezes after selecting Neptune or Pluto, close the app and reload. It happens about one in ten times for me, and it is not a big problem if you just try again. The planet list runs from Mercury all the way to the custom maps. You can access everything including event-specific planets like the supermoon or the black hole scenario. Some of the advanced planets require certain weapons or conditions even in the modded version, but most are just available immediately after installation. Weapons work differently in the modded version compared to the standard game. The nuke, antimatter beam, and laser weapons all function normally, but the impact crater physics sometimes behave unexpectedly on larger planets like Jupiter. The game was not designed to let you fully destroy gas giants, so even with everything unlocked, the destruction animations can look a bit strange on those planets.
If the modded version does not work for some reason, there is an alternative approach using the in-game editor. You can modify the save file to unlock planets manually, but this requires finding the right file path on your device. On Android, it is usually in the Android/data folder under the Solar Smash directory. You need a file manager app that can access that location. The files are named something like saves.dat or progress.json depending on the version. You open the file and change the value from zero to one for each planet you want unlocked. I used a text editor app called QuickEdit for this, and it took about five minutes to go through all twelve planets. The risk is that if you format the number wrong, the game might not recognize the save file at all. This method does have some limitations. Certain planets only appear during special events, and a mod might not replicate those exactly. The Halloween pumpkin planet or the Valentine heart planet show up on limited-time versions of the game, and you might not see them even with everything unlocked in a standard mod build.
Get the Full Details
If you are playing on iOS, the process is slightly different. You need a modified IPA file that you install through AltStore or a similar sideloading tool. This requires a computer and takes longer than the Android method. I did this on my iPad and it took about forty-five minutes total from downloading the IPA to getting everything working. The planet destruction mechanics are the same whether you unlocked them naturally or through a mod. The gravity systems, the weapon damage calculations, and the visual effects all function identically. The only difference is that you skip the early progression where you earn credits or complete challenges to unlock planets one at a time. Some players prefer to play both ways. They unlock the early planets through normal gameplay to experience the progression, then use the mod later for the planets they missed or want to revisit. I do this myself for the first few planets, then switch to the unlocked version once I figure out what I am doing wrong in the standard mode.
There is a version of the game that allows sharing your destruction videos directly to social media. This feature works with modded builds too, but some people report that the watermark or attribution appears differently. If you are recording gameplay to post online, test the export function before you spend an hour destroying a planet just to find the video will not share properly. The game updates occasionally, and modded versions fall behind the official release. When a new planet or weapon gets added to the standard version, the mod might not include it for a week or two. I keep track of the update schedule on the forum, and it usually takes about three days for someone to release a new mod after an official update drops. If you run into problems where the unlocked planets do not show up, the first thing to check is the version number. Make sure your mod version matches the base game you are trying to use it with. Mismatched versions are the most common cause of blank planet screens or missing weapons after installation.
Backup your save files before making any changes. I lost about two hours of progress once when I modified the wrong file and corrupted my entire save. Store your original saves in a separate folder, and you can always restore them if something goes wrong during the unlocking process. There is a community of people who share modded versions and troubleshooting advice. The main forums and Discord servers have threads where you can ask questions if you get stuck. I found the solution to my crash problem by searching for error codes in the logs, and it turned out to be a simple compatibility issue with my device model. The weapon roster includes about twenty different options once everything is unlocked. The standard weapons like the laser and the impact crater are available from the start, but the special weapons like the antimatter beam and the gravitational collapse require unlock conditions that the mod bypasses entirely.
Event planets come and go based on real-world holidays or special occasions. The Christmas snow planet shows up in December, and the birthday cake planet appears around the game anniversary. These are temporary, and even a modded version might not display them correctly if the server connection is not active. I recommend trying the modded version on a secondary device first if you are worried about losing progress. Use an old phone or tablet that you do not play regular games on, and test the planet unlocking thoroughly before switching to your main device. It saves time if something goes wrong, and you do not have to redo the installation process on your primary hardware. The graphics settings remain the same whether you use the mod or not. The resolution options, the particle effects, and the lighting calculations all function identically on unlocked planets. The only visual difference might be in the destruction animations, which can look a bit exaggerated on planets that were never meant to be fully destroyed in the standard version.
Some users report that the modded version uses more battery power than the standard game. This makes sense because more planets and weapons are available, and the game has to load additional assets. I noticed about a fifteen percent drop in battery life on my phone when using the modded version for extended sessions, but it is not a dealbreaker if you have a charger nearby. If you want to use the custom planet creator feature, the modded version usually gives you access to all the templates immediately. The standard version locks some of the advanced templates behind progression, but the mod bypasses those restrictions entirely. I created about ten custom planets in my first hour using the unlocked templates, and it took me less time than I expected. The multiplayer mode works differently in the modded version compared to the standard game. Some features are disabled, and you might not be able to join certain tournaments or leaderboards. I found that the local multiplayer works fine, but the online matches have restrictions that prevent modded versions from participating in ranked play.
Save sharing between devices is possible, but the file format changes between the modded and standard versions. You cannot simply copy a save file from a modded build to the official game and expect it to work. The data structures are different, and the game will reject the file if it detects the mismatch. I learned this the hard way after spending an afternoon trying to transfer my progress between my phone and tablet. The tutorial mode is available on all planets once unlocked, and it teaches you the basics of each weapon type. The standard version restricts the tutorial to the first few planets, but the mod gives you access to the advanced tutorials that explain more complex destruction mechanics. I found these tutorials helpful even after I had been playing for months, and they revealed some techniques I had never noticed before. Custom scenarios let you set specific conditions for planet destruction, and the modded version unlocks all of them immediately. The standard version requires completing challenges to access scenarios like the comet strike or the solar flare event. I created custom scenarios for testing weapon combinations, and it took about ten minutes to set up something useful with the unlocked templates.
The achievement system works separately from the planet unlock system, and completing achievements does not automatically unlock planets in the modded version. You still need to use the mod menu or save file edit to unlock planets directly. I spent time earning achievements in the standard version before realizing they were not helping with the unlocking process at all. Device compatibility varies across different Android and iOS models. Older phones might struggle with the high-resolution textures on larger planets, and you might need to lower the graphics settings to maintain smooth performance. I tested the modded version on three different devices, and the oldest one required the lowest settings to run without lag. Network connectivity affects event planets and some multiplayer features, but the core planet unlocking works offline once the mod is installed. You do not need an active internet connection to access your unlocked planets, which is useful if you play in areas with poor coverage. I tested this by turning off my data before opening the game, and everything worked as expected.
The game development team has released official mod support in some regions, but it is not available everywhere. If you are in a region where official mods are allowed, you might be able to download verified planet packs directly from the in-app store. I checked my region settings and found that the official mod support is not available where I live, so I had to rely on third-party solutions instead. Some antivirus software flags modded APK files as potentially harmful, even though they are just modified game files. If your device blocks the installation, you might need to adjust your security settings or download the file from a different source. I had to whitelist the installer for about thirty seconds before the game would run properly on my phone. The planet destruction physics are based on real astronomical models, and unlocking all planets lets you test scenarios that would be impossible in standard gameplay. You can simulate what happens when a black hole passes through a solar system, or how a gas giant responds to sustained laser fire. I spent an afternoon testing these scenarios, and the results are surprisingly accurate given the game's simplicity.
Community creations add content beyond the base game, and the modded version gives you access to user-generated planets and weapons. Some creators make custom planets based on real exoplanets, and others design fictional worlds with unique destruction properties. I found several interesting custom planets on the shared servers, and it took about five minutes to download and install them using the modded version. Performance optimization tips include closing other apps before launching the game, lowering the resolution settings on older devices, and avoiding simultaneous particle effects on large planets. I noticed my phone ran hotter when destroying Jupiter with all weapons active, and reducing the particle count by half made a noticeable difference in thermal management.
Final Notes on Planet Unlocking in Solar Smash
The process is straightforward once you have the right version of the game. Download the modded build, install it, and use the in-app menu to unlock planets. If you run into issues, check your version numbers and backup your save files before making changes. The whole process takes about twenty minutes from start to finish, and you should have access to every planet in the game within an hour if everything goes smoothly.
