Getting Started in Sandustry

Your first session in Sandustry should end with one reliable truth: Wet Sand entering shakers produces gold often enough to fund Refining and Logistics research. Everything else — slag presses, drone haulers, artifact caves — can wait until that line runs without constant babysitting. This guide assumes you have launched the free Steam demo or Early Access build (2026-08-13 on Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, PC Game Pass; see Release Date and Platforms).

Before you dig: know the win condition

Sandustry is not a race to the bottom of the map. It is a race to stable refinery throughput. You win the early game when:

• Sand supply keeps up with shakers.
• Water keeps mixers wetting sand without flooding the floor.
• Gold collects in a safe pickup zone.
• Slag is stored or routed for later burning, not deleted.

If any step stalls, fix that step before researching new toys. The Production Ratio Helper helps once you add a second shaker.

Ultimate new player Sandustry guide

Step 1 — Learn controls (five minutes)

Open Keyboard Shortcuts in another tab and practice:

• S to descend toward Sandsoil.
• R to swap linear vs rectangular build.
• X to remove misplaced blocks.
• Shift marquee to select a row of tiles.

You will rebuild your first layout at least once. Fast remove and rebuild saves more time than perfect initial placement.

Step 2 — Mine Sand from Sandsoil

Find Sandsoil — the diggable terrain that yields Sand when broken. Surface patches teach physics; underground layers feed long-term runs. Pile sand near your future mixer and shakers to minimize walking.

Sand behavior matters: it flows, stacks, and clog narrow gaps. Read Materials for how Sand differs from Wet Sand and Slag. Do not mix piles yet; contamination slows learning.

Step 3 — Add Water and make Wet Sand

Combine Sand and Water in a mixer (or equivalent early-game interaction depending on your build version). Output is Wet Sand — the input your shakers need.

Early mistakes include:

• Too little water → dry sand skips shakers.
• Too much water → pools that drown gold pickups.
• Mixer too far from shakers → you spend minutes hauling instead of researching.

When water misbehaves, pause factory expansion and read Water Management. Pipes and pumps are research-gated; until then, use simple gravity feeds and manual buckets if available.

Step 4 — Build your first diagonal shaker row

Research Refining 1 as soon as you have gold for Shakers (unless the demo gates it differently). Place shakers on a diagonal so:

• Gold falls through the grate (about 20–25% chance per processing pass).
• Slag exits sideways for collection.

Flat shaker lines look tidy but fight Sandustry’s separation physics. Detailed placement diagrams and throughput notes live in How to Get Gold.

Start with one or two shakers. Prove the line, then duplicate horizontally.

Step 5 — Collect gold and plan slag

Pick up Gold from your catch basin. Gold is research currency — not a score counter you hoard forever. Typical first purchases:

1. Refining 1 (if not already) — shakers enabled.
2. Logistics 1 — conveyors and launchers when manual carry hurts.

Store Slag in a marked bin or conveyor lane heading toward a future burn zone. Slag is not trash; Slag Processing explains burn → press recovery.

Step 6 — First research branch

Follow the Research Priority Tier List with this beginner rule: fix your current bottleneck before unlocking new systems.

If you struggle with…	Research first
No shakers	Refining 1
Hauling sand/wet sand	Logistics 1
Mixed materials jamming lines	Filters
Water chaos	Pipes / Pumps / Vents
Slag piles overflowing	Refining 2 (press) + Tools (Flamethrower)

Guns, Lights, Drones, and Planter Boxes are real systems, but they rarely beat Logistics for second-purchase value on a first evening.

Step 7 — Optional automation pass

When conveyors unlock, automate sand → mixer → wet sand → shakers before automating slag. Starving shakers to move slag faster reduces total gold per minute.

Automation Basics covers conveyor spacing, launcher height, and filter splits. Copy a small layout, do not blueprint a megafactory on hour two.

Demo-specific tips

The Steam demo is ideal for learning diagonal shakers and gold RNG without EA pressure. Use it to test whether you enjoy sand physics logistics. Demo scope may cap research or depth; full EA adds branches listed on Buildings and deeper biomes in Dig Deeper.

When to leave the starter area

Move downward when:

• Your refinery runs five-plus minutes without input starvation.
• You have gold queued for the next research tier.
• You carry overflow materials without panic.

Artifacts and puzzles (Artifacts and Puzzles) often pull you sideways or downward — go when tools (Grappling Hook, Lights) match the hazard, not when boredom strikes.

Session-end checklist

Before quitting your first session, verify:

• Wet Sand reaches every shaker input.
• Gold lands in a single pickup zone.
• Slag has a destination pile or belt.
• Next research goal is chosen (usually Logistics 1 or Refining 2).
• Controls feel natural (S, R, X, Shift).

What to read next

• How to Play — Loop overview if you skipped straight here.
• How to Get Gold — Optimize shaker banks.
• Water Management — When mixers flood.
• Slag Processing — Second gold stream.

Sandustry rewards clarity over speed. A small correct factory beats a large broken one every time.