Sandustry Early Access Launch Date Set for August 13 on PC and Game Pass
The early access launch brings a physics-driven pixel sandbox to a wide audience via day-one Game Pass availability, and the demo's 97% positive rating signals strong player interest before the full release.
Reporting from 2 sources: 4Gamer.net, Automaton.
Publisher Hooded Horse and developer Lantto Games announced on June 25 that the factory automation sandbox Sandustry will enter early access on August 13 (August 14 in Japan due to time zone differences). The game will be available on PC via Steam, Microsoft Store, and GOG.com, as well as on Xbox and PC Game Pass. Sandustry takes place on a procedurally generated, side-view planet where every pixel is a resource with distinct physical and chemical properties. Players dig, mix, smelt, and automate production lines using conveyor belts and elevators. Chemical reactions include melting ice into water and boiling it into steam, which falls as rain. The game features a skill tree for technology research, ancient ruins to explore, and planned mod support with official tools. A demo released in February 2025 has earned an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam from approximately 1,200 user reviews, 97% of which are positive. Sandustry was first announced in January 2024 and has been in development with public prototypes since then.
Sandustry's early access date was finalized after more than two years of public development. The game originally surfaced in January 2024, and a playable prototype circulated before the February 2025 Steam demo. That demo, built around the concept that every on-screen pixel has material properties (sand, seeds, spores, ice), drew 1,200 reviews with a 97% positive rate-an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating that helped secure the Game Pass deal. The full early access version will add a skill tree for unlocking technologies, upgradeable gear, and procedural ruins said to hold power from an ancient civilization. Lantto Games also plans official mod tools, letting players edit visual assets, create handcrafted maps, and add new buildings or processing steps into the production chains. The side-view open world extends both above and below ground, with resources buried deep that require elevators and conveyor belts to extract. Chemical systems allow interactions such as heating ice into water and then steam, which rises and condenses into rain-an example of the granular simulation the developers aim to expand during early access.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.