Sandustry Updates & Roadmap: Latest Patch Notes for Early Access

Quick answer

Sandustry entered Early Access on August 13, 2026. The latest verified public patch covered here is v0.5.7 — Update #4, released on September 14, 2026.

Use this page to check whether a guide might be affected by a new patch before rebuilding a factory from older screenshots or Demo-era posts.

Latest verified version

This is a guide-side changelog, not a replacement for official patch notes. If the official Steam page, Steam news, or in-game version changes, trust those first and then use this page to decide what to retest.

What v0.5.7 changed for players

Update #4 is a logistics and bug-fix patch. Regular Pipes now require more deliberate network extension, crossings can create Pipe Bridges, and Pipes can be selected, moved, copied, pasted, undone, and included with structures through Alt+C unified blueprints.

For guide maintenance, the most important Lava/filter fix is that Lava can no longer leak through Advanced Filter Walls. The update also fixed a pass-through Filter bug created by picking a Filter Wall, so older vertical-filter factory layouts should be retested before being copied into a current save.

Recheck these pages first:

• Lava for Lava containment, Cinder transport, Advanced Filter Wall behavior, and Pipe limitations.
• Water for regular Pipe placement, bridges, pump workflows, and compatible-liquid routing.
• Factory Layouts for Pipe Bridges, pipe selection, copy/paste, undo, and Alt+C blueprints.
• Vertical Filters and Troubleshooting for old filter-wall pass-through assumptions.

What v0.5.6 changed for players

Update #3 changed several Lava assumptions. Lava density is now higher, Lava can destroy Fluxite, Redsoil, and Strataform terrain, cold Thermal Buffers convert Lava back to Cinder instead of fully consuming it, and Thermal Buffers no longer consume Lava in artifact rooms. Treat older Lava chambers, burn lines, and artifact-room notes as patch-sensitive until retested.

What v0.5.5 changed for players

The v0.5.5 update focused on stability and quality-of-life rather than a total recipe rewrite. The most guide-relevant item is the Aura Extractor: controls and swarm targeting indicators were improved, which matters because many players get stuck after making Auralite Crystal.

The same update also included extra logging for crashes, a fullscreen/windowed toggle, monitor memory, a tutorial softlock fix, and a macOS right-mouse workaround.

Roadmap signals to watch

When to distrust an old guide

Be careful when a guide:

• uses Demo-era terms instead of current Early Access names;
• says “Spore” where the current game uses Seed;
• treats Lava as pipeable;
• relies on Lava leaking through Advanced Filter Walls;
• shows old Pipe crossings without checking for Pipe Bridge behavior;
• skips Filter orientation / wall-form behavior;
• gives Aura Extractor advice without mentioning nanobot swarm control;
• promises exact throughput without a current build test.

Related guides

• Sandustry Wiki
• Aura Extractor
• Vertical Filters
• Lava Guide
• Water Guide
• Factory Layouts
• Florinol guide
• Multiplayer status

Sources

Checked against the official Sandustry Steam page, Steam/SteamDB patch records for Update #2 v0.5.5, Update #3 v0.5.6, and Update #4 v0.5.7, plus current Steam community discussion patterns.