Sandustry Guide and Wiki

troubleshooting

Fix the Sandustry 1 Million Gold Achievement Not Unlocking

There is no current official statement in the reviewed sources that fully documents the achievement trigger or a retroactive recovery method. The official FAQ confirms how the Mods branch is enabled; the failure pattern and liquid-Gold successes come from community reports and are labeled accordingly.

Early Access · checked 2026-08-27 · Checked 2026-08-27

Confirm the actual achievement condition

Use the in-game Gold total rather than estimating storage pixels. Current Steam reports include successful unlocks with liquid Gold, so liquid storage is not by itself proven to invalidate the achievement. Let production stop, allow the total and save state to settle, and keep evidence of the displayed value.

This guide does not publish a tank-size formula because storage geometry and density assumptions can change. The visible currency total is the safer diagnostic signal.

Check whether the save used the Mods branch

The pinned official FAQ says Early Access Workshop modding requires switching Sandustry to the Mods branch through Steam Properties, Game Versions & Betas. Check the currently selected branch and whether Workshop items were loaded during this run.

Multiple current players report reaching one million after adding a QoL or Laser mod and not receiving the achievement. That is strong symptom evidence, but it remains a community-observed rule until official documentation confirms the exact trigger.

Preserve the save before switching branches

Make a recoverable copy through the game's supported save workflow and note the build and branch. Do not overwrite your only late-game save merely to test an achievement. Disable automatic production before closing so the restored state is easier to interpret.

Branch changes can alter available mod content. A save depending on Workshop structures may not behave identically without them, so test with a copy rather than promising a risk-free conversion.

Test a clean Steam state

Switch to the normal unmodded branch using the official FAQ path, restart Steam if required, and verify that Workshop content is not loaded. Confirm Steam is online and the overlay/account can normally record achievements, then open the copied save or a clean test as appropriate.

There is no verified guarantee that loading an already-qualified modded save will award the achievement retroactively. If it does not, preserve your evidence and avoid repeatedly rewriting the same save.

If you still need more Sand

Current endgame players report that the secured Stratocore becomes a placeable item in its own building-menu section and can generate repeatable Sand when attacked. They commonly use the Void Gun for a large manual release or Digger Drones for slower automation.

This is community evidence, not a current official mechanics page. Start with a contained manual test, keep Water and wet-Sand capacity ready, and do not promise that a specific drone geometry will run forever.

Verify the complete Gold path

Follow generated Sand through Water contact, Wet Sand processing, Gold separation, collection and the displayed total. Stop at the first missing state. A large Sand pile or active Shaker is not proof that currency was credited.

Provide overflow for Residue and stop Sand input when downstream storage fills. Performance degradation or a blocked byproduct path can make an achievement grind look like a trigger failure.

Report a reproducible failure

Record the game build, Steam branch, whether any mod was ever loaded, displayed Gold total, solid/liquid storage, save age and the time you waited after crossing the threshold. Link the two current discussion threads when reporting the pattern.

Do not use achievement-unlock tools or edit values as a troubleshooting step. A clean report gives the developer evidence to distinguish a mod restriction, delayed Steam event and genuine base-game bug.

Sources and evidence notes

Frequently Asked Questions