So, you want to know about Stellaris megastructures? These gargantuan feats of engineering were first introduced in the first Stellaris DLC – Utopia – and range from habitats and gateways, to more specialised structures such as Dyson Spheres, giant art galleries, and a device that can destroy the entire galaxy.

Some megastructures – like Ring Worlds – will spawn naturally even if you don’t own any of the expansions, and you’ll be able to repair them if you have the right tech. You won’t be able to research and build any new ones though apart from gateways without some DLC. Quite a few were included in Utopia, for example, but MegaCorps, Federations, and Nemesis introduced new options as well.

Other expansions, such as Distant Stars and Synthetic Dawn, also interact with the megastructure mechanics in some way – the former introduced the L-Gate cluster, for example, while the latter will cause more natural Ring Worlds to spawn in a specific place. We’ve put together this quick guide to Stellaris megastructures, we hope you find it useful, although for a more thorough breakdown you can also refer to the official Paradox Wiki, which we’ve drawn a lot of information from.

Here is a list of all buildable megastructures in Stellaris:

You will need a construction ship to build the initial stage of all megastructures. Many require multiple stages to complete, but you only need the ship for the initial stage.

You don’t need any expansions to make use of gateways – abandoned ones can be found dotted through-out the galaxy, and you can build your own once you’ve researched the right technology.

Habitats are artificial living spaces that are constructed above planets. And have a 70% base habitability rating for every species in the game.

There are ten other megastructures in Stellaris, all multi-stage, and all requiring different expansions. There are less rules and restrictions around them compared to habitats and gateways, although a system can only possess one of these structures at a time.

  • Ring World
  • Dyson Sphere
  • Science Nexus
  • Sentry Array

MegaCorps

  • Matter Decompressor
  • Mega Art Installation
  • Strategic Coordination Center
  • Interstellar Assembly

Federations

  • Mega Shipyard

Nemesis

  • Aetherophasic Engine

We’ll keep this guide up to date as any new content for megastructures gets added via future patches or expansions.