Strategic Overview & Gameplay Walkthrough
> Source Reference: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3781669041 (Sandustry Steam Community Comprehensive Beginner & Automation Guide)
Sandustry Complete Beginner's & Progression Guide
Welcome to Sandustry! Sandustry is a physics-driven granular sandbox factory automation game where granular physics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics govern every single production process. Unlike tile-bound factory simulators, every grain of sand, particle of slag, bucket of water, and wave of lava behaves according to simulated physics.
1. The Core Factory Loop (Dig -> Wet -> Shake -> Gold -> Automate)
Phase 1: Excavation & Hydration:Use your digging shovel or terrain excavator to dig Dirt and Sand from the desert surface.Transport raw sand into a Water source (ponds, underground aquifers, or artificial reservoirs).Dry sand instantly absorbs water to become Wet Sand. Pay close attention to hydration ratios: porous sand will rapidly soak up standing water pools if you do not seal the basin with stone or impermeable tiles.Phase 2: Separation & Extraction:Feed Wet Sand onto Shakers (vibrating screen separators).Shakers agitate the wet mixture, causing heavier Gold Flakes and Gold Nuggets to fall through the lower sorting grates into collection boxes.The remaining residue rolls off the front of the shaker as Slag and Coarse Dirt.Phase 3: Economy & Research:Deposit refined Gold into your Research Core / Research Terminal to unlock new technology tiers.Early-tier research unlocks mechanized conveyor belts, pneumatic launchers, grabber filters, steam boilers, and underground pipe networks.Phase 4: Tool Progression with Fluxite:Collect blue Fluxite crystals scattered in underground rock pockets.Fluxite is a non-monetary upgrade currency used at your workshop to permanently enhance your avatar's toolset:Material Scanner: Highlights ore densities, liquid pressure levels, and underground ruins through solid rock.Grabber Capacity & Range: Expands your manual manipulation radius and allows moving multi-block composite items.Digging Speed & Excavation Area: Significantly boosts your manual mining velocity for fast path clearing.
2. Step-by-Step Early-Game Setup Walkthrough
1Locate a Sustainable Water Basin: Do not build in dry open dunes. Find a low-lying valley with an active water spring.
2Build Your First Sorting Line:
Place a basic hopper or item dropper over a water channel.Position 2x Shakers side-by-side underneath the drop point.Place a Collector Box directly below the shaker grates to catch 100% of gold yields.3Route Slag to Prevent Factory Clogging:
Unprocessed slag will pile up and back-clog your shakers in under 3 minutes if unmanaged.Place a downward conveyor belt leading away from the shaker exits toward a designated slag disposal pit or secondary processing zone.4Prepare for Slag Refining (Kinetic Press):
In Sandustry, no byproduct is waste! Later in Tier 2, you will burn Slag with a Flamethrower to create Burnt Slag, which drops into a Kinetic Slag Press to extract secondary gold and rare chemical spores.
3. Key Controls and Building Efficiency Hotkeys
C: Copy selected structure type under cursor.Ctrl + C / Ctrl + V: Multi-building blueprint copy and paste tool for rapid assembly line expansion.Ctrl (Hold while placing): Replace/Upgrade hotkey. Swaps existing belts, pipes, or sorters with upgraded variants without demolishing adjacent machinery.Alt + 1-0: Quick-swap between 10 customizable hotbar banks for logistics, power, fluid handling, and defensive structures.Left Shift: Fine placement grid alignment mode.Middle Click / R: Rotate machinery and directional output ports.
> Source Reference: https://sandustry-wiki.site/guides/general-walkthrough/
Mid-Game Transition & Infrastructure Guidelines
Thermodynamic Loop Management:Heat converts solids to liquids (Ore -> Molten Metal) and liquids to gases (Water -> High-Pressure Steam).Steam rises naturally due to lower particle density. If trapped beneath ceilings, it condenses into rain droplets that fall back down, creating an infinite closed-loop water condensation system.Cryoblasters and cooling radiators reverse the process, freezing molten lava into solid Scoria stone and condensing volatile gases.Automation Bottlenecks & Troubleshooting:*Symptom: Shakers stop vibrating.* -> Check power grid connection and ensure collector boxes underneath are not at maximum capacity.*Symptom: Water reservoir dries out.* -> Seal the dirt floor with clay or refractory bricks to prevent natural soil absorption.*Symptom: Belts jammed with mixed items.* -> Install Filter Grabbers or Pneumatic Sorters calibrated strictly to single item IDs before merging conveyor streams.Official Steam Specifications & Mechanics
> Source Reference: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2764460/Sandustry/
Title: Sandustry (Early Access Launch: August 13, 2026)Developer / Publisher: Lantto Games / Hooded HorseOverview: Sandustry combines deep granular sandbox physics with sprawling automated factory building. Every grain of sand, drop of water, and puff of steam behaves realistically. Build sprawling automated production networks, research lost technologies, manipulate extreme thermodynamics, and uncover underground mysteries.Launch Milestones: 97% Overwhelmingly Positive user reviews across 700+ reviews at launch; Day-one PC Game Pass availability; 23 language localizations.Video Guides & Visual Walkthroughs
> Source Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m7xp1q24Qw (Official Sandustry Launch Trailer - Hooded Horse)
> Source Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5jUjNmy86I (Sandustry Ultimate Beginner's Guide & Walkthrough - PicaPinguin)
