What is Dreams?

Imagination is a powerful thing. Imagination has brought the best ideas of humanity to the surface. Imagination took us to the depths of the planet, and helped us to explore the vast reaches of the moon. And closer to home, imagination gave us the possibility to create better lives for ourselves, at every step of the way.

So join us as we imagine a portal to this world of boundless creativity. Imagine exploring that space. Imagine falling down the rabbit hole. Imagine seeing the creative potential of thousands of players around you.

The best part of this?

You don’t have to imagine it.

It already exists. This is Dreams.

Dreams is a game. It's a really fun game. But there’s a lot more going on under the hood. It’s also an expansive universe of creative ideas and concepts. A thunderstorm of creativity from a dedicated coMmunity powered by an innovative creation engine. It’s an audio tool. It’s a virtual reality experience. It’s a creation software suite. It’s art. It’s music. It’s passion. And there’s a little bit of magic thrown in there too for good measure.

As the latest venture from Media Molecule, the BAFTA-winning developers behind the LittleBigPlanet and Tearaway franchises, Dreams is the deepest dive yet into offering players limitless creative freedom. With Dreams, you can set your imagination free by creating swashbuckling pirate adventures, pulse-racing driving games, intimate narrative adventures, sensational sculptures, and everything in between. The creation tools on offer in Dreams are flexible, powerful, and intuitive. Players are given the ability to sculpt, manipulate, and interact with objects in real time, all through the power of a wireless controller. And if you own a PlayStation VR or PlayStation Move controllers, there are even more control possibilities presented to you.

So, let’s take a stroll through some of the most important aspects of Dreams.

The Dreamiverse is your portal to exploring the experiences available in Dreams. The Dreamiverse is what you would get if all your surreal daydreams were placed in a massive blender and poured this imagination smoothie onto a digital canvas. It’s an eclectic mix of game experiences, digital art, paintings and music. If you’re into playing games, you’ll find the most addictive high-score-chasing arcade games, full length epic RPGs, and incredible action games. And also games about smashing priceless artworks in museums and being a seal detective. Because why not?

To help you explore the Dreamiverse, our curation teams create weekly playlists that highlight some of the most interesting experiences in Dreams and break them down into genres, gameplay styles, and other categories to help find what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a more editorial exploration of the Dreamiverse, you can check out the Weekly Roundup over on our digital mag the Impsider, which presents you with five high-quality creations for your pleasure on a weekly basis. There are so many ways to enjoy the Dreamiverse, so jump in and start exploring!

With the varied assortment of creation tools available in Dreams, creation is a simple and intuitive process. Whether you’re looking to create a full length game, design some sculptures or digital art, or want to show off your audio skills, there’s an avenue for everything in the Dreamiverse. Our team have ensured that, from the ground up, the Dreams creation experience is for everyone. Tutorials take new creators through every aspect of creation, from individual tools and techniques, to set-pieces and examples that kickstart the wildest ideas. We’ve even got a handy Create section right here to give you a hand as you get to grips with the game. And don’t worry, if the idea of creating everything from scratch seems like a bit much to begin with, we also have a variety of pre-designed templates and kits with ready-made assets that you can tweak to quickly begin the creation process.

Once you’ve got the hang of the creation process, you can enter a creative flow state where all sorts of games, music, and art can be designed. Dreamers in the coMmunity have already created an impressive variety of content beyond anything we thought possible when we began working on Dreams. On top of that, with regular updates to the game and new creation tools being added, the options for creativity continue to grow.

There’s no right way to get started in Dreams. Whether you’re a player or a creator, how you explore the wonders of the Dreamiverse is completely up to you. But we’re aware that it can be a little bit overwhelming at first. So here are some quick tips to help you get started on your journey.

• Smart small: Rather than trying to make a full game as your first creation, try making some small objects (a vase... a chest... a bunny!) or using the ready-made kits and game templates. Dreams is an experience designed to be explored over time. So take your time with the tutorials, play some ready-made games in between, and try out what you've learned. Your creation skills will get better over time, and spacing them out will help you learn.
• Try out some imp quests: These are designed to help you explore some of the additional features of Dreams, like leaving feedback on games and collecting prize bubbles. Certain imp quests will also reward you with prizes, so it’s worth completing them!
• Don’t be afraid to throw yourself in: The Dreamiverse is vast, and just looking for things you want to play can be a lot. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know. You can either try a genre of games you’re familiar with, or something completely random. Either way, it’s time to jump in!

If you’re still a little bit overwhelmed, take a look at our Beginner's Guide to Dreams for players.

The Dreams coMmunity is a welcoming and inspirational group of humans dedicated to exploring the opportunities presented by creation. The coMmunity is made up of both players and creators, connected through a shared passion for experiencing and producing the most unique and interesting interactive art out there.

Dreams can be a collaborative experience, so getting to know your coMmunity family is a great place to start. The Dreams coMmunity(opens in new tab) is a vast and dedicated group of creative minds that are constantly seeking to push the boundaries of what can be crafted with the Dreams toolset. The coMmunity are so lovely that they even worked with us on co-creation projects like Megapenguin Rehatched, a coMmunity favourite!

The vast majority of the games and experiences you’ll find in the Dreamiverse are created by our wonderful coMmunity. But the team at Media Molecule love bringing their own imaginative creations to life in Dreams too. Mm Originals are full length game experiences created by the Mm team that can transport you to unfamiliar worlds, and challenge your perceptions of reality.

The team has so far released Art’s Dream, which was available at launch for Dreams, and Ancient Dangers: A Bat’s Tale, which was released later on in an update. These games represent the best of Media Molecule’s creative flair, telling stories both moody and magical. Even better, all Mm Originals are made in Dreams, using the same creative toolset you have at your disposal. So give them a go, as they provide a tantalising insight into what’s possible with DreamShaping, and we’ve got many more Mm-quality releases to come. To help you create your own high-quality adventures, we have also released a variety of kits and templates featuring assets made by Mm to add to your creations.

Have you ever had a dream so real you thought you were there? Dreams in VR gives you a new way to play and create by adding a whole extra dimension to explore. With a PlayStation VR headset, you can truly immerse yourself in the Dreams you love. Dreams in VR presents new gameplay experiences, opportunities, and challenges, allowing you to explore fully-realised environments with no limits.

Dreams VR featured some additions to the creation toolset to help you get your head around the way it works, as well as a bevvy of kits and games to inspire you to play with the possibilities of VR.

So, to return back to the question posed at the top of the page: What exactly is Dreams? Well, Dreams is surreal. Dreams is photorealistic. Dreams is us. It’s you. It’s a coMmunity. It’s an experiment. It’s an experience. It’s everything and anything. It’s pure imagination.

Imagination is a powerful thing. And Dreams can help you turn your imagination into reality.

We can’t wait to see what you do with it.