Umama Ali spent more time as a kid arguing with his brother over who caused the most chaos in GTA Vice City than doing homework, and he’s been unapologetically hooked on games ever since. That childhood obsession eventually became a career. After over five years writing content for a variety of sites and serving as an editor at a content agency, he joined GameRant in 2023 to finally focus on what he loves most: video games. Outside of gaming and writing, he’s a The Office superfan who will happily defend Dwight Schrute as the best sitcom character ever, and has probably memorized enough of his quotes to run his own beet farm someday.
In Sandustry, players land on a strange planet to find out whether it can support industrialization. That means mining its resources and setting up production to see what the planet has to offer. The factory simulation game introduces factory building through the tutorial, but once players have to put together their own setup, things can get confusing. There are quite a few tools to work with, and it can be hard to know where to start or how everything should fit together.
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How to Build a Gold Production Factory in Sandustry
The first thing to keep in mind when building your first factory is location. Make sure you pick a place near water because you need to wet the sand before you can process it. There is a good spot near the tutorial area where you build your first setup. Look for the brown dirt and green grass next to the water.
Start by placing a Launcher in the water. Make sure it is tall enough to sit well above the ground. The Launcher will carry the material upward and feed it into the rest of the factory.
Next, you will need to attach a Conveyor Belt to the top of the Launcher. Select it from the toolbar at the bottom and connect it to the Launcher. Keep the belt relatively short. The screenshot above shows the recommended lengths for both the Launcher and Conveyor Belt.
Now it’s time to add the Shaker. This tool processes the wet sand and separates the gold from the residue. It is also the first tool unlocked through the Tech Tree after collecting 20 Gold. Place the Shaker at the end of the Conveyor Belt.
The next step is setting up the Collectors to collect the refined gold. Start by placing a Foundation directly below the Shaker. Then add a vertical Foundation at the end. Finally, you’ll need to place the Collectors on the horizontal Foundation.
There’s no need to keep digging up dirt and carrying it to the water by hand. Equip your shovel and dig up the brown dirt area instead, then place a Launcher there facing the water. It will automatically send the sand into the water for you.
One more thing that’s easy to miss is the Conveyor Belt on the Launcher sitting in the water. It lets the Launcher pick up the sand being sent over by the other Launcher. From there, the Launcher in the water moves the wet sand onto the Conveyor Belt, which carries it to the Shaker. The Shaker separates the gold from the residue, while the Collector picks up the gold. And just like that, your first Gold factory is up and running in this factory automation game.
Released
August 13, 2026
Developer(s)
Lantto Games
Publisher(s)
Hooded Horse
Early Access Release
August 13, 2026
