Factorio has inspired plenty of factory-building games over the years, while Terraria remains one of the biggest names in 2D sandbox exploration. It’s rare to see the two genres collide in a meaningful way, but that’s exactly the niche a brand-new factory automation game on Steam is aiming for. Instead of simply automating conveyor belts or digging through an underground world, the upcoming indie game blends the two into a sprawling sandbox where every pixel can become part of a growing industrial empire.
It’s worth noting that there are plenty of factory-building and/or automation games on Steam, and it’s definitely the focus on pixels, Terraria-like art and exploration, and yet core Factorio elements that make this one worth watching. Whether it sticks the landing on Steam or not is a different story altogether, but fans should be sure to keep an eye on August 13.
Sandustry is a Logical Evolution of Factorio and Terraria
Launching into Early Access on Steam on August 13, Sandustry from developer Lantto Games and publisher Hooded Horse combines open-world exploration, automation, crafting, and fully destructible environments into what looks like a cross between games like Factorio and Terraria. Players land on an unexplored planet and begin with little more than basic mining before gradually expanding into massive factories fueled by conveyor belts, drones, pipes, pumps, and increasingly complex production chains. Along the way, they’ll uncover ancient artifacts, explore underground vaults, and decide whether to focus on industrial expansion, artifact hunting, or exploiting the planet’s wildlife and natural resources.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
What separates Sandustry from most factory builders is its fully simulated world. Every pixel is a physical object with its own properties, meaning sand, water, snow, steam, lava, and countless other materials all react naturally with one another. Water can evaporate into steam before falling back as rain, ice melts into rivers, sand absorbs nearby water, and heat can completely change how resources behave. That system carries over into exploration as well, letting players blast through obstacles with explosives, redirect lava flows, or use the environment itself to solve problems while searching for relics left behind by an ancient civilization.
Sandustry Features at a Glance
- Fully destructible procedurally generated worlds where every pixel is a resource.
- Deep factory automation gameplay with conveyors, drones, filters, pumps, and logistics systems.
- Dynamic physics and chemical systems that affect epic production chains.
- Ancient artifacts and underground vaults to discover.
- Extensive modding support with custom maps, buildings, and gameplay overhauls.
- Multiple ways to expand your factory and customize your industrial network.
The game also appears to encourage experimentation instead of forcing players down one specific path. Players can create tightly optimized production lines, embrace messy conveyor spaghetti if it gets the job done, or spend their time exploring rather than expanding. As new technologies unlock, so do increasingly advanced manufacturing options, creating the kind of constant progression that has helped games similar to Factorio build dedicated communities for years. Meanwhile, the fully destructible terrain gives exploration a freedom that feels much closer to games like Terraria than a traditional automation game.
With its August 13 Early Access release quickly approaching, Sandustry looks poised to offer something that doesn’t come around very often. For players looking for another factory game obsession—or simply a new sandbox to lose hundreds of hours in—Sandustry is writing a lot of checks, and it’ll be interesting to see if ti can cash them.
