Guides
The guides below follow the same order the game teaches itself: dig, sift, automate, then go hunting for what the ancients buried. Work down the list in sequence the first time through; after that, treat each page as a reference you return to mid-build rather than something you read end to end.
Beginner guide — your first hour as a Prospector
The dirt-to-gold loop, exact Tier 1 research prices, the Collector rule that quietly gates your money, and the first Fluxite upgrades worth buying.
First hour · Checked 2026-08-27Water and steam — every source, and how to automate them
Every water source in the game, the two ways steam condenses back, and the Cryoblaster loop that makes water infinite.
Early game · Checked 2026-08-27The sifting line — Shaker mechanics, ratios and layouts
There is no machine called a sifter — it's the Shaker. Its exact odds, the staircase layout, why red sand never gets sifted, and the density numbers for filtering.
Early game · Checked 2026-08-27Slag is now Residue — burning it, pressing it, profiting
The demo's slag is Early Access residue. The 25% burn, the Kinetic Press's 25-block drop rule, and three ways to automate the burning.
Early game · Checked 2026-08-27Lava — the freeze-carry-reignite cycle, and what it's for
Pumps refuse lava, so the game wants you to freeze it, carry it as cinder, and reignite it. The full cycle, plus what burning rock is actually good for.
Mid game · Checked 2026-08-27Fluxite and the Flux Emanator — the upgrade currency, farmed
Fluxite pays for every tool upgrade, and the Flux Emanator is the only machine that makes it. The full production chain, from flower to fluxite ball.
Mid game · Checked 2026-08-27Spores became Seeds — hydration and farming, demo vs. now
The material you knew as spores no longer exists: Early Access renamed the chain to Seeds and cut a step. How hydration works now, and the floating-seed problem.
Mid game · Checked 2026-08-27Planter Boxes — the flower farm that funds everything
Wet seed in, flower out: 4 amethelis + 1 gold per head. The floating-seed problem, what passes through the box, and a farm layout built from the official mechanics.
Mid game · Checked 2026-08-27Haulers, pipes and demolition — moving things, and removing them
Deleting things is three different tools: the Hauler route list, the Pipe Remover, and the Demolisher. Plus what each drone type actually does.
Mid game · Checked 2026-08-27Artifacts and vaults — locations, lockdown rules, and the Locator
Artifact spots are identical in every world. What's confirmed, how vault lockdown zones work, and the Locator that finds the ones nobody has mapped yet.
Late game · Checked 2026-08-27The map — a fixed world, region by region
Seeds change nothing: the EA world is one handcrafted map. A region-by-region tour, what's coming (Deepmire), and the truth about the 'abyss map'.
Any time · Checked 2026-08-27Blueprints and builds — copy-paste, and layouts that work
The blueprint system is C, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. The mini factory pattern, the core layouts it's made of, and the physics rules every build obeys.
Mid game · Checked 2026-08-27Sandustry mods — Workshop, Sandkit, and the Fluxloader era
Early Access mods come from the Steam Workshop on the official Sandkit API. The GitHub modloader you remember is demo-only. How to install both, safely.
Any time · Checked 2026-08-27Sandustry cheats and debug mode — what exists and what doesn't
No official cheats, no console commands, no money cheat. There is a hidden debug mode — how the community switches it on, and its sharp edges.
Any time · Checked 2026-08-27Sandustry demo — what it is, where to play it, what carries over
The demo that made the game famous is still free. Where to get it safely, how it differs from Early Access, and why your demo save will not carry over.
Before you buy · Checked 2026-08-27Sandustry release date, roadmap and patch history
Out now in Early Access since August 13, 2026. What the developer has said about the road to 1.0, and a running log of every patch.
Before you buy · Checked 2026-08-27Sandustry on Game Pass, platforms and system requirements
Yes on PC Game Pass since day one; no console or mobile versions. Every place you can play, plus minimum and recommended specs.
Before you buy · Checked 2026-08-27Games like Sandustry — and what each comparison gets right
Factorio for the automation, Terraria for the 2D dig, Noita for the pixel physics. What each comparison captures, what it misses — and the Mindustry mix-up.
Before you buy · Checked 2026-08-27