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This page is a starting point for new raiders in SAND: Raiders of Sophie. It launches into Steam Early Access on June 22, 2026, so expect the game to keep changing as the developers add content during Early Access. The basics below are confirmed for the launch build.
The Core Loop
Every run follows the same shape. You build a Trampler, a giant walking mech that doubles as your transport, storage, and combat platform, then deploy it onto the desert surface of planet Sophie. Out there you scavenge ruined cities, shipwrecks, and old settlements for loot, weapons, ammunition, and artifacts. You survive the supernatural Upiors and any rival players you run into, then head for an extraction point and escape back to the orbital station with whatever you carried out. Reach the extract and the haul is yours. Die on the surface and you risk losing the loot you were carrying on that run.
First Steps
Create a character. Your inventory and tech tree are tied to the character you make, and that character is locked to the region you pick when you create it. Pick a region and commit, because progress does not carry across regions.
Build a Trampler. Open the Trampler Editor and assemble a machine from scratch out of engines, storage, weapons, armor, and crew rooms. Your blueprints are shared across all your characters, so a design you save once is available everywhere.
Pick a mode. Start in Voyage for a lower-stakes, no-time-limit run while you learn the ropes, or drop into Storm Dive when you want higher-tier loot and are ready for the sandstorm timer and heavier PvP.
Go solo or grab a crew. The game is balanced for solo play, but you can team up in groups of two to six. See Crews and Teams for crew sizes and how matchmaking works.
Extract. Find an extraction point and leave before something takes your loot. Surviving the run is what banks your spoils.
If You Lose Everything
Losing your Trampler and all your resources is part of the genre. If you have no Tramplers left and nothing to build a new one with, you can create a new character or join another team that owns a Trampler to start recovering resources again. Because blueprints are saved, you do not have to redesign a machine from scratch when you rebuild.
Good to Know at Launch
The game is always online and PvPvE. A broadband connection is required (see System Requirements).
Full controller support is available, and BattlEye anti-cheat runs on the servers. More on both under Servers and Online.
Because this is an Early Access release, balance and content will shift over time. Treat tuning numbers you read anywhere as subject to change.