They call it Satisfactory for a good reason. The factory and automation builder is one of the most satisfying PC games I’ve played. Nothing quite beats the feeling of looking out over your whirring industrial sprawl, knowing you’ve put it all together yourself. Offering a more approachable entry point to the genre than the likes of Factorio, Coffee Stain’s excellent open-world sandbox game is finally ready for full release, and there’s even a special addition coming to celebrate its 1.0 launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
Start out in a beautiful open world filled with open space and potential, armed with just a basic mining tool to your name. Get your hands on some raw materials, build your first hub, and gradually expand, automating each step of the mining and crafting process over time before your base is a vibrant hub of humming machinery and chugging conveyor belts running between them. This is Satisfactory, and it’s one of the best building games you’ll find, especially if you can’t get enough of the automation process.
Now, five years after it first arrived in early access, Satisfactory 1.0 is almost ready. With eight major updates already under its belt, Coffee Stain made the decision that the full release would be its next. To celebrate this, the developer showcases one of its favorite new features coming in the update with a special announcement trailer for the flushing toilet.
“Players can look forward to plenty of new features coming in 1.0,” Coffee Stain remarks, “however this feature has been long yearned for by the breadth of the community. Premium plumbing is now a reality. The HUB’s once trivial toilet has been updated with an advanced flushing mechanism, providing an extra luxurious worker experience for fans.”
With more than 5.5 million copies sold so far, it’s worth noting that the Satisfactory price is going up very soon. This will follow soon after its ongoing Steam sale discount window, a little while ahead of the 1.0 release. Community manager Snutt Treptow says this was due to price change regulations on Steam and Epic, noting, “It’s a bit of a bummer that we have to do it now, as we feel that 1.0 will better reflect this price point, but we needed to do it beforehand.”
Satisfactory version 1.0 launches Tuesday September 10, 2024. You can buy it with a 50% discount through Thursday July 11 on Steam, paying just $14.99 / £13.99. Note that the price rise will happen before 1.0, going up shortly after the Steam sale concludes, so if you’re eager to jump in for the full launch you may want to grab your copy now.
You can also explore your creativity with more of the best sandbox games on PC, or take it easy and relax by jumping into one of the coziest, best relaxing games instead.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.