Vivarium
Education
Free · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
Vivarium transforms Conway's Game of Life into a living microscope slide.
Watch as cells evolve, merge, and form complex organisms — all rendered in real-time with AAA-quality graphics powered by Apple's Metal GPU framework.
STUNNING VISUALS
• Per-pixel metaball rendering creates smooth, organic shapes — no blocky grids
• 3D lighting with dual specular highlights and Fresnel rim effects
• Subsurface scattering simulates light passing through cell membranes
• Bloom, chromatic aberration, and film grain for an authentic microscope feel
• Six handcrafted visual themes: Vivarium, Deep Ocean, Ember, Aurora, Neon Pulse, Monochrome
INTERACTIVE SIMULATION
• Pinch to zoom into the cellular world
• Draw cells with your finger — smart draw/erase detects your intent
• Place classic patterns: Glider, Pulsar, Gosper Glider Gun, and more
• Adjustable simulation speed from 1 to 60 generations per second
• Four grid sizes from 64×64 to 512×512
CLASSIC PATTERNS INCLUDED
• Glider — the iconic traveler
• Lightweight Spaceship — fast-moving vessel
• Pulsar — mesmerizing period-3 oscillator
• Gosper Glider Gun — infinite glider factory
• R-Pentomino — chaos from five cells
• And more: Acorn, Diehard, Pentadecathlon
BUILT FOR APPLE
• Native Metal compute shaders for buttery-smooth 60fps
• Resolution-independent rendering — pixel-perfect on iPhone SE to iPad Pro
• Supports all orientations and screen sizes
• iOS 26 Liquid Glass interface design
• Zero data collection, zero ads, zero tracking
Vivarium is completely free. No in-app purchases, no subscriptions, no compromise.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app hasn’t received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
some bugfixes
The developer, Hans Renz, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Hans Renz
- Size
- 14.7 MB
- Category
- Education
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.2 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 26.2 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 26.2 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 26.2 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 26.2 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- German
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © 2026 Hans Renz