Sandustry Update 0.5.4

Update #1 for Early Access is v0.5.4, posted 16 August 2026 — three days after launch and two days after Hotfix 0.5.3. Lantto Games called it a smaller QoL and bug-fix drop, not a biome pack. Filters become editable in place, a Tier 5 softlock after the anomaly investigation is repaired on load, red blocks can be demolished in small selections, puzzle reset buttons stop disappearing, and zoom keys exist (with limits). Crash work continues; this is not the large stability patch promised in 0.5.3.

What to install

Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, and PC Game Pass desktop should show 0.5.4 or newer. If you are still on 0.5.3, you are missing the Tier 5 save repair and the demolisher workaround. There is still no Xbox console build and no Cloud Gaming — Launch Week still holds.

Improved filter config

Before 0.5.4, changing a Filter often meant override-and-replace: you rebuilt the cell to flip Allow / Block or the selected element. That is the struggle Cohh demonstrated live, and Lantto credited the stream in the note.

Now you can:

• Click the filter overlay label, or
• Use Edit last placed

to change the filter without replacing the tile. Allow and Block also have a clearer selected state so you stop shipping Florin through a cell you thought was blocking gas.

This does not change the one-resource rule. A Basic Filter still answers one yes/no about a solid. An Advanced Filter still answers one yes/no about a solid, liquid, or gas. Chain cells when you need Moonhop and RedSand on the same drop. Pair with Automation Basics so reject lanes have a chest, a burner, or a return belt — a smarter editor will not save a filter with nowhere for the reject stream to go.

Tier 5 softlock and save repair

A bug could leave Factory Level / Tier 5 blocked even after you finished the anomaly investigation. 0.5.4 repairs affected saves automatically on load. You should not need a new world if that was your only blocker.

If Tier 5 is still grey after the patch:

1. Confirm the client is 0.5.4.
2. Read the objective text added in 0.5.3 — the UI now shows why a tier is locked (Factory Tiers).
3. Finish any remaining special objective (anomaly / orb), not just a gold chest.
4. Community reports also cite a Florinol production gate around Energy — see How to Get Energy. Trust the in-game panel over a remembered number; Early Access costs move.

This is a progression repair, not a new research node. Gold costs on Research Tree did not get a balance pass in this note.

Indestructible red blocks

Red “indestructible” tiles showed up in open world and in puzzle doors. A full root-cause fix touches core paths and is not in 0.5.4. Until that lands, the Demolisher can remove red blocks when you delete 256 tiles or fewer. Larger marquees skip the expensive orphan scan — if a red tile survives a huge X wipe, shrink the selection (Demolisher).

Puzzle doors: close and open the door to restore red blocks on that door. If it fails, report it — the note asked for that feedback. Puzzle reset buttons can no longer be deleted; if you already deleted one, reload restores it. Do not design a wipe that eats the reset pad. More puzzle etiquette: Artifacts and Puzzles.

Credit in the note: Steejo’s report that pinpointed the underlying issue.

Save browser, zoom, and remaining crashes

Save-browser icons are easier to read. Zoom In and Zoom Out are rebindable; defaults sit on the two keys left of Backspace (symbols vary by layout). Zooming out past the default view is not supported yet (renderer limits). Zooming in pixelates for now. Bind them on Keyboard Shortcuts and do not expect a Factorio-style pull-back until a later engine pass.

Lantto wrote that crash investigation has not stopped. Feature requests belong on sandustry.nolt.io so the community can upvote. Steam reviews still help the launch window (discount through 27 August 2026).

What 0.5.4 did not change

• No shaker yield change, no new biome, no Xbox Cloud.
• No replacement for --sandustry-no-overlay-gpu-flags if overlay crashes persist (Crashes and Performance).
• Demo Hotfix 8 rules (Ctrl-replace, Hydro Sponge, Lock Hotbar) still live on Demo Patches.

Play after the patch

Edit filters in place, then prove the reject lane. If Tier 5 was stuck, load the save once and read the objective. For red tiles, demolish in small boxes. For puzzles, reload before you rebuild a reset pad. Then go back to the lake loop on Guides.

Related

• Hotfix 0.5.3 — Logs, steam-rain memory, overlay flag.
• Factory Tiers — Factory Level vs Gold vs Energy, anomaly, Tier 5.
• Filters — Allow / Block, Basic vs Advanced, 0.5.4 editor.
• Demolisher — X-drag, 256-tile red-block scan, pipes excluded.
• Launch Week — Price, Game Pass, Linux.

Update the client. If it still crashes, send main.log, not a screenshot of a grey Tier 5 icon that 0.5.4 already knows how to repair.