We present characteristics of hadronic cascades from interactions of cosmic rays in the atmosphere, simulated by the novel CORSIKA 8 framework. The simulated spectra of secondaries, such as pions, kaons, baryons and muons, are compared with the cascade equations solvers MCEq in air shower mode, and full 3D air shower Monte Carlo simulations using the legacy CORSIKA 7. A novel capability of CORSIKA 8 is the simulation of cascades in media other than air, widening the scope of potential applications. We demonstrate this by simulating cosmic ray showers in the Mars atmosphere, as well as simulating a shower traversing from air into water. The CORSIKA 8 framework demonstrates good accuracy and robustness in comparison with previous results, in particular in those relevant for the production of muons in air showers. Furthermore, the impact of forward ρ0 production on air showers is studied and illustrated
