Sandustry Achievements Guide: Progress Without Spoilers
Use Steam's live Global Achievements page for the current names and descriptions, then pursue achievements in a recoverable vanilla save with the Steam client online. Separate progression, production, exploration, and special-action goals so one factory milestone does not obscure another.
On this page
Verify the current achievement list in Steam
Open Sandustry in the Steam client and choose the achievements or global statistics view. The store currently advertises Steam Achievements, but the live client is the authority for the list attached to your account and build. Compare the unlocked timestamp, public description, and global completion rate before assuming a guide has the newest condition.
Avoid search pages that present an unexplained count or a list copied from a prerelease build. Early Access patches can add objectives, clarify progression, or repair triggers. If an achievement is hidden, treat community guesses as hypotheses until your own test or an official note confirms the condition.
Create a recoverable achievement save plan
Keep a stable save before major factory tiers, destructive Lava experiments, and mod changes. A recovery point lets you retry a special action without replaying the entire production chain. Name copies with the game version and milestone, such as tier-five-before-aura, so the purpose remains clear after later patches.
Steam Cloud is a useful transport and backup feature, but synchronization is not a substitute for a deliberate local recovery copy. If a conflict prompt appears, compare timestamps and preserve both versions before choosing. Never test an uncertain overwrite on the only world that contains your achievement progress.
Group goals by progression and production
Progression achievements are easiest to track beside Viability Tiers and research unlocks. Record the tier objective, the required material or energy milestone, and whether the game expects production, delivery, or peak stored value. Those verbs matter. A factory that made enough material over time may not satisfy an objective that checks a single delivery or peak.
Production goals should get a dedicated counter or storage boundary when possible. Start from a known inventory, run a measured batch, and leave the output available until the unlock appears. Shared storage makes it difficult to tell whether the new line or an older reserve crossed the threshold.
Handle exploration and artifact goals methodically
For exploration goals, mark visited routes and unresolved ancient structures on a map sketch. The world is destructible and procedurally generated elements may make another player's coordinates irrelevant. Use tools such as the Locator when the current research path provides them, then return with enough space and power to complete the interaction.
Do not dismantle a puzzle room or expose it to Lava merely to speed a suspected achievement. Update #3 specifically fixed a Thermal Buffer and Lava interaction in self-healing artifact rooms, which shows that unusual environments can have special rules. Preserve a save before interacting with a rare structure.
Test special actions in a controlled area
An achievement tied to a tool, creature, material reaction, or unusual machine state should be tested with the smallest repeatable setup. Update #3 added petting for critters and changed Laser interaction with Ice, so older special-action lists may omit current possibilities. Observe the exact action and wait for Steam to report the result before combining several experiments.
If the action consumes a scarce material, isolate one sample and remove unrelated automation from the area. Record what touched what, which tool was selected, and the order of clicks or movement. That record helps distinguish a missing prerequisite from an achievement notification that arrived late.
Use a vanilla comparison for modded runs
Mods can change recipes, buildings, events, and progression. The official Workshop and Sandkit framework make those changes easier to install, but an achievement may still expect an unmodified state or an original event. Unless a mod author documents compatibility, keep a vanilla comparison save for completion work.
The mods branch moved to v0.5.6 with Update #3. Confirm the branch before opening a modded achievement world, and update dependencies in a copy. If an unlock works in vanilla but not with the mod set, reduce the set and report the smallest combination rather than repeatedly replaying the same milestone.
Troubleshoot a missing unlock
Confirm that Steam is online, the correct account owns the game, and the overlay or achievement service is available. Reopen the achievements view and compare the official condition with what happened in the world. Some milestones may be evaluated only after a completed action, inventory update, tier transition, or save event rather than during an intermediate animation.
If the condition still appears satisfied, restart after making a recovery copy and repeat the smallest final step. Capture the game version, save version, branch, mods, achievement name, and exact observed result. Check official news for a related fix. Avoid editing achievement files or using external unlock tools, because that removes the evidence needed to diagnose the game.
Choose an efficient completion order
Complete normal progression and production milestones in the main factory first. Keep exploration notes while gathering rare materials, then return for special actions after the relevant tools are unlocked. Save cleanup and experimental goals for a copy once the factory can replace consumed inputs quickly.
Recheck the live list after major updates. A new achievement may fit naturally into an earlier tier, and a clarified condition may make an old workaround unnecessary. A short versioned checklist is more useful than a permanent claim of one hundred percent completion in a changing Early Access build.
Frequently asked questions
Does Sandustry have Steam achievements?
Yes. The official Steam store lists Steam Achievements; use the client or Global Achievements view for the current set.
Do Sandustry mods disable achievements?
Compatibility can change and individual mods can alter triggers. Use a recoverable vanilla save as the comparison when an unlock fails.
Why did an achievement not unlock immediately?
Confirm the exact live condition, Steam connectivity, version, branch, and mods. Some checks may complete after the final action, inventory update, tier transition, or save event.
Should Steam Cloud be my only achievement backup?
No. Keep a named local recovery copy before major milestones or experimental actions, especially during Early Access.
Sources
Official references used for this field guide.