Master the Physics.
Automate the Sand.
The definitive strategy codex for Sandustry on Steam & PC Game Pass. Master granular hydration loops, 25-block kinetic slag presses, molten lava phase-shift transport, and Tier-5 cosmic Aura synthesis.
Your Sandustry Journey
Follow this 4-stage engineering curriculum to scale from primitive hand digging to multi-megawatt subterranean megafactories.
Learn the Basics & Hydration Loop
Master the foundational Dig -> Wet -> Shake -> Gold cycle. Find subterranean aquifers, calibrate shaker grates, and avoid dry sand absorption traps.
Prevent Bottlenecks & Tool Mastery
Upgrade your Material Scanner with Fluxite, master the CTRL replace hotkey, and build gravity chutes before belts to prevent massive slag clogs.
Lava Logistics & Modular Blueprints
Deploy the Quad-Shaker array, drop Burnt Slag 25 blocks into Kinetic Presses, and freeze 1,200°C molten magma into Scoria for conveyor transport.
Abyssal Botany & Cosmic Aura Synthesis
Contain self-replicating crystal flowers, extract violet Voidjuice at depth -1200m, and power the Swarm Console for the Full Circle achievement.
Essential Factory Blueprints
Quad-Shaker Gold Refinery
Synchronized 4-hopper separation grid with lower catch bins. Delivers 100% gold capture efficiency with automated slag diversion.
25-Block Kinetic Slag Press
Harness gravitational impact velocity to pulverize Burnt Slag. Produces secondary refined gold flakes and chemical spores without electricity.
Phase-Shift Lava Solidifier
Cryoblaster freeze loop turns molten lava into solid Scoria stone, enabling long-distance transport via standard rubber conveyor belts.
Closed-Loop Steam Condenser
Boil water with geothermal heat, guide rising steam along 30° inclined ceilings, and harvest condensed water droplets indefinitely.
What is Sandustry?
Sandustry is an innovative factory automation and physics simulation game developed by Lantto Games and published by Hooded Horse. Launched into Steam Early Access on August 13, 2026, it merges the logistical rigor of automation with the emergent creativity of granular physics sandboxes.
In Sandustry, every particle obeys physical laws: dry sand absorbs standing water, high-pressure steam rises to condense on cooled ceilings, and scorching 1,200°C molten magma melts standard iron conduits. Players must excavate raw earth, build vibrating shaker lines, construct gravity drop towers, harness thermodynamic loops, and uncover ancient celestial artifacts hidden deep underground.
Sandustry Quick Facts
Verified Data- Developer
- Lantto Games
- Publisher
- Hooded Horse
- Release Date
- August 13, 2026
- Genre
- Factory Automation / Sandbox
- Steam Reviews
- 97% Overwhelmingly Positive
- All-Time Peak CCU
- 12,551
- Current Version
- v0.5.5 (August 19, 2026)
- Available Platforms
- Steam, Game Pass, GOG
Explore All 21 Factory & Gameplay Guides
Core mechanics and endgame objectives documented from official sources, with community-tested details clearly labeled.
Getting Started & Reference
4 GuidesCore gameplay loops, essential hotkeys, beginner roadmap, and complete world cartography.
Sandustry Beginner Guide: Hydration, Shakers & Early Automation
The ultimate starting guide for Sandustry. Master the Dig -> Wet -> Shake -> Gold loop, early research priorities, and essential efficiency hotkeys.
Sandustry Underground Map & Biome Guide: Surface to Void Abyss
Comprehensive cartography of the 5 subterranean depth layers (-50m to -1600m+), resource locations, and ancient temple coordinates.
Top 15 Sandustry Pro Tips: Fluid Traps, Belt Splitting & Hotkeys
Essential advice from veteran players to avoid factory-destroying floods, prevent shakers from clogging, and optimize research progression.
Sandustry Official Database: Tech Tree, Machinery & Item Index
Complete technical reference for all 5 research tiers, 34 machinery power specs, crafting formulas, and simulated granular mechanics.
Factory Blueprints & Machines
2 GuidesModular production schematics, shaker layouts, and the 25-block kinetic slag crusher.
Sandustry Blueprints Guide: Copy, Paste & Practical Factory Layouts
Learn how to use Sandustry's blueprint and structure-selection tools, plan repeatable factory modules, and test layouts without relying on unverified throughput claims.
Sandustry Kinetic Press Guide: 25-Block Drop Requirement & Secondary Gold
How to properly build the vertical 25-block drop tower to crush Burnt Slag into refined secondary gold and chemical spores without jamming.
Fluids, Heat & Metallurgy
4 GuidesPhase-shift lava logistics, water condensation loops, underground copper smelting, and Voidjuice.
Sandustry Copper Guide: Find Copper Ore, Smelt Copper & Make Power Bricks
Find underground Copper Ore, turn Copper into Liquid Copper in a Smelter, move it through liquid logistics, and cast high-capacity Power Bricks.
How to Move Lava in Sandustry: Phase-Shift Solidification & Belt Logistics
Why normal pipes melt and the proven Cryoblaster freeze -> Scoria conveyor -> Flamethrower re-melt loop to safely move 1,200°C magma.
Sandustry Void Juice Guide: Mix Void Petals and Moonhop
Use the confirmed Void Juice recipe, charge the Locator or Void Gun, and recycle Void Husk without relying on unsupported depth or geyser claims.
Sandustry Water Guide: Hydration Ratios, Soil Porosity & Condensation Loops
Complete physics breakdown of water absorption, clay reservoir sealing, 1:1 hydration formulas, and building an infinite closed-loop condenser.
Botany, Relics & Progression
7 GuidesCrystal flower farming, ancient temple puzzle solutions, cosmic Aura extraction, and Tier 5 tech.
Sandustry World Artifacts Guide: Temple Locations & Cosmic Upgrades
Walkthroughs for all 4 ancient subterranean temples: Chrono-Dynamo, Thermal Core, Quantum Matrix, and the Celestial Compass.
Sandustry Aura Guide: Swarm Console Resonance & Tier 5 Extraction
The full end-to-end Aura synthesis chain from Dried Amethelis + Voidjuice to charging the Swarm Console for the Full Circle achievement.
Sandustry Flower Guide: Growth Cycles, Containment & The Botanical Surge
Mastering Amethelis flower propagation, isolating self-replicating seeds, and designing perimeter fire trenches to protect your factory.
Sandustry Planter Box Guide: Spore Cultivation, Yields & Magma Harvesting
Unlocking Refining Tier 3, hydrating spores for a 4x Amethelis yield, and automating flower containment with timed magma flash-burns.
Sandustry Puzzle Solutions: Thermodynamic Gates, Scales & Unstuck Guide
Step-by-step physical solutions for underground chamber puzzles, hydraulic weight scales, and using the pause-menu Unstuck feature.
Sandustry Stratacore Guide: Find, Secure & Farm Renewable Sand
Find the Stratacore objective, recover the core from its separate toolbox tab, place it safely, and compare community-tested Void Gun and Digger Drone setups.
Sandustry Tier 5 Guide: Endgame Megafactory, Drones & Teleporters
Requirements, multi-megawatt geothermal power networks, autonomous drone hubs, and quantum teleporters in Sandustry's final tech tier.
Platforms, Roadmap & Mods
4 GuidesSteam Early Access roadmap, PC Game Pass details, Demo guide, and Steam Workshop vs Fluxloader.
Sandustry Free Demo Guide: Download Size, Features & Save Porting
Everything included in the 500 MB standalone Steam demo, tier progression limits, and seamless save file migration to the full game.
Sandustry Modding Guide: Steam Workshop, Fluxloader & Top 5 QoL Mods
Installing mods via 1-click Steam Workshop, running custom maps with Fluxloader, and essential mods like Corelib, SomeQoL, and Anti-Clip.
Sandustry Release Date & Early Access Updates: What Is Confirmed
The confirmed August 13, 2026 Early Access launch, the first post-launch updates through v0.5.5, and the developer's non-dated roadmap themes.
Sandustry Xbox Game Pass: PC Game Pass, Cloud Saves & Achievements
Day-one availability on PC Game Pass / Xbox Game Preview, cloud save synchronization, and confirmed 1,000 Gamerscore achievements.
Common Sandustry Questions
Quick, accurate answers to the most frequently searched mechanics and player sticking points.
Sandustry is a granular physics sandbox and factory automation game. The core loop consists of digging dry dirt and sand, mixing it with water to produce Wet Sand, dropping Wet Sand onto Shakers to extract Gold Flakes and Slag, and using Gold to research automated logistics and thermodynamic machinery.