Sandustry PC requirements, FPS and best settings

Quick answer: can your PC run Sandustry?

Where Sandustry ranks for hardware demand

How this game ranks among 937 modelled titles, and what that means for different classes of GPU.

Across the 937 games we have modelled, Sandustry lands on a demand score of 8, ahead of 38% of them. In plain terms it is a light game for graphics hardware.

We take the recommended GPU Steam lists (NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960 (4 GB) / RX 570 (4 GB)) and translate it into a 1080p High demand figure. The result ranks games well, but individual frame rates will vary.

What it means by card class

• With an enthusiast card such as the RTX 5090 the game is limited by its engine long before the card, with about 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p in our model.
• On a high-end card, the RTX 5080, expect the frame rate to be capped by the game or CPU: roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p, 360+ FPS at 1440p.
• On an entry card, the RTX 5060, expect the frame rate to be capped by the game or CPU: roughly 360+ FPS at 1080p, 305 FPS at 1440p.
• RTX 5070, our example of a mid-range card, manages around 360+ FPS at 1080p and 360+ FPS at 1440p, so you will not need to tune much.

For the processor we score Sandustry at 21, which is above 21% of our data set.

System requirements for Sandustry

Everything Steam lists for Sandustry, then what it means for real hardware.

Published by the developer on Steam and subject to change with patches.

Reading the specs against real hardware

Steam names NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 550 Ti (1 GB) / AMD® Radeon™ HD 7750 (1 GB) as the minimum graphics card. Expect around 74 FPS at 1080p Low, or around 40 FPS if you raise the preset to High.

The recommended card, NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 960 (4 GB) / RX 570 (4 GB), hits about 81 FPS at 1080p and 52 FPS at 1440p on High in our model. That is above 60 FPS at 1080p, so the recommended spec reads as a comfortable 1080p target.

On the CPU side the recommended entry is Intel® Core™ i5-9600K (hexa-core) / AMD® Ryzen™ 5 1600 (hexa-core), which our model rates at roughly 100 FPS of frame preparation for Sandustry.

You will need 4 GB RAM of RAM at minimum or 8 GB RAM to match the recommended spec, plus 1 GB available space on your drive.

Which graphics card do you need for Sandustry?

The lowest graphics card we tested that hits each target in Sandustry, plus the first desktop RTX 50 card that does.

Start at the GTX 1060 6GB if you want 60 FPS at 1080p on High. Among current RTX 50 cards, the RTX 5050 is the first to manage it.

Moving up to 1440p, the GTX 1060 6GB is the lowest card that holds 60 FPS on High, and the RTX 5050 is the first RTX 50 option.

At 4K, expect to lean on DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling. The RTX 5050 is the first desktop RTX 50 card to achieve 60 FPS on High once Quality DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling is switched on.

The table covers NVIDIA, AMD and Intel cards. To test your own parts, open the can my PC run it checker, or see whether your processor limits you in the bottleneck checker.

Estimated Sandustry FPS on 28 graphics cards

Estimated frame rates for 28 GPUs from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel. Use the buttons to change resolution.

Top to bottom, the RTX 5090 averages around 360+ FPS at 1440p (360+ FPS at 4K) against 226 FPS for the RTX 5050 at 1440p. Where you land depends on the card and resolution you choose.

Full results table

These estimates use High settings and a fast processor. Upscaled columns assume the Quality mode of whichever upscaler the game provides. Results over 360 FPS appear as 360+. Compare two cards directly in the GPU comparison tool.

Is your graphics card good enough for Sandustry?

A verdict in plain English for twelve popular GPUs.

Verdicts below use High settings throughout. For older cards a weak result mostly means lowering the preset, since Low and Medium settings recover a lot of speed in our model.

In this game the RTX 5070 returns around 360+ FPS at 1440p while the RTX 5060 returns 305 FPS, a gap of 27% that is worth considering against price.

Best Sandustry settings at 1080p, 1440p and 4K

One plan per resolution, each aimed at a steady 60 FPS in this game.

1080p playbook

1080p is straightforward on GTX 1660 Super, RTX 3060 12GB, RTX 4060, which hold 60 FPS on High natively here, so you only need upscaling for extra smoothness.

Pick your card in the table for the preset and upscaling mode that keep 1080p above 60 FPS.

1440p playbook

For 1440p play, RTX 4060, RTX 5060, RTX 5070 clear 60 FPS on High without any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling in our estimates, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

Each row below is the best-looking combination that still holds 60 FPS at 1440p in our model.

4K playbook

For 4K play, RTX 5070 Ti, RTX 4080 Super, RTX 5080 clear 60 FPS on High without any DLSS, FSR or XeSS-style upscaling in our estimates, which leaves room to raise individual settings.

Each row below is the best-looking combination that still holds 60 FPS at 4K in our model.

Is a graphics card upgrade worth it for Sandustry?

What each step up the RTX 50 range adds at 1440p using the High preset.

The biggest single step in Sandustry is RTX 5050 to RTX 5060, worth about 35% at 1440p in our model. The smallest is RTX 5070 to RTX 5070 Ti at roughly 0%.

Because Sandustry is light on graphics hardware, upgrades beyond the middle of the range mostly raise a number the game or CPU already limits, so a dearer card buys little.

Compare options directly in the upgrade value calculator or the GPU price to performance calculator.

Graphics memory for Sandustry: how much is enough?

Modelled VRAM use at High settings. Running short causes stutter even on a fast GPU.

We put Sandustry at around 2 GB at 1080p High, 2.6 GB at 1440p and 3.6 GB at 4K. That is an estimate derived from the recommended graphics card, so take it as a guide and leave some memory spare.

If memory is tight, lower textures first: Medium brings the 1440p figure down to roughly 2.2 GB.

Budget tiers: 6, 8, 12 and 16 GB cards

• With 6 GB the verdict is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and upscaling are the practical fixes.
• An 8 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Where it is short, Medium textures and upscaling are the practical fixes.
• 12 GB of VRAM reads as comfortable for 1080p, comfortable for 1440p and comfortable for 4K using the High preset here. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.
• A 16 GB card is comfortable at 1080p, comfortable at 1440p and comfortable at 4K on High. Memory is rarely a worry at these settings.

Check your own settings in the VRAM calculator and our guide on how much VRAM you need for gaming.

Sandustry CPU requirements

How much frame rate each processor can prepare in this game.

The published CPU range runs from Intel® Core™ i5-4670K (quad-core) / AMD® FX-Series™ FX-8100 (quad-core) to Intel® Core™ i5-9600K (hexa-core) / AMD® Ryzen™ 5 1600 (hexa-core). We turn that into a frame-rate ceiling for nine popular processors in the table.

Do not worry too much about the CPU for Sandustry: it sits towards the light end of our scale.

A Core i5-12400F tops out near 212 FPS in Sandustry in our estimates, a handy line to compare against your card.

See whether your parts match in the bottleneck checker and our system bottlenecks guide.

Matching a processor to a graphics card for Sandustry

Seven real CPU and GPU combinations, and which part limits each one.

Sandustry leaves the processor as the limit in 7 of the seven pairings below. Take the RTX 4060 and Core i3-12100F: the CPU tops out around 162 FPS, below the roughly 261 FPS the card could deliver at 1440p.

Our model finds RTX 5090 plus Ryzen 7 9800X3D the most evenly matched build here: roughly 360+ FPS from the processor against around 360+ FPS from the card at 1440p.

None of these is a shopping list. They show how the balance shifts as you move up the range, and the bottleneck checker lets you try your own pair.

How much RAM and storage does Sandustry need?

RAM and disk space from the Steam page, with a practical view.

4 GB RAM is the minimum and 8 GB RAM the recommended memory. Once Windows and your usual apps are counted, 16 GB covers it.

Storage is listed at around 1 GB. Expect around 2 min to download on a 100 Mbps line, or roughly 0 min on 500 Mbps.

Steam notes that an SSD is needed or advised, so install it on a solid-state drive for loading times and smooth streaming.

Size your memory with the RAM calculator, which counts Windows, background apps and streaming on top of the game. Estimate the wait with the download time calculator.

Sandustry best graphics settings

Starter settings for six well-known cards. Each cell is the highest preset that still hits 60 FPS.

Read each cell as a recommended starting point for Sandustry: the preset first, then the upscaling mode and the estimated result.

• Limit the frame rate at your monitor refresh rate to save power and noise, and check the VRR and frame cap calculator for a sensible figure.
• Lower the heaviest settings next. Shadow quality, volumetrics and view distance tend to cost the most when they exist.
• Start with upscaling. It costs little image quality and gains many frames. Pick the highest quality mode that manages your target.
• Make one change per test and note the effect on FPS before moving on.
• Keep textures high if memory allows. They cost little speed. Our estimate for this game is 2.6 GB at 1440p.

Settings assume the game offers an upscaler; check the graphics menu. Get a personal recommendation in the best settings generator or compare every mode in the DLSS and frame generation estimator.

Laptop performance in Sandustry

Estimated FPS on RTX 50 laptop GPUs at typical power limits.

For a gaming laptop, our estimates show RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop hitting 60 FPS at 1080p on High at typical power. At 1440p that group narrows to RTX 5050 Laptop, RTX 5060 Laptop, RTX 5070 Laptop, RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, RTX 5080 Laptop, RTX 5090 Laptop.

A laptop GPU is only as fast as the power and cooling its maker allows. Look for the TGP in the spec sheet before relying on any estimate.

Try different wattages in the laptop TGP estimator.

Tips for a Simulation and Strategy games like Sandustry

General guidance for this kind of game, chosen from the Steam genres and features.

Treat these as rules of thumb for games of this type. They come from the genres on the Steam page, not from testing Sandustry directly.

• Strategy titles tend to get heavier the longer a session runs, so judge performance after a few hours rather than at the start.
• Large builds, towns or factories can push memory and processor use up over time, so leave some headroom beyond the stated minimum.
• Because early access games are still being developed, treat today's performance as a snapshot rather than a guarantee.

Sandustry gallery from Steam

These promotional screenshots from the Steam page give a feel for the look you are paying for in graphics terms. Use them to judge how much detail the game shows before you tune your settings.

Screenshots and artwork are promotional images from the Sandustry Steam store page and belong to Lantto Games and Hooded Horse.

Games similar to Sandustry

Related PC game guides on this site.

These guides sit closest to Sandustry in our data, either because they share genres or because they are about as hard to run. The demand scores use one common scale.

• Rising Front scores 7 on the same scale (Sandustry scores 8), which makes it about as demanding. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Bills Must Be Paid scores 4 on the same scale (Sandustry scores 8), which makes it lighter on graphics. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Door Kickers 2: Task Force North sits at 4 for graphics demand and is lighter than Sandustry (8). Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• With a demand score of 4, Kabuto Park is lighter than Sandustry. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Heart of the Machine: demand score 5 against 8 for Sandustry, so it is about as demanding. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Star Birds scores 7 on the same scale (Sandustry scores 8), which makes it about as demanding. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Cataclismo sits at 8 for graphics demand and is about as demanding as Sandustry (8). Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.
• Whiskerwood scores 11 on the same scale (Sandustry scores 8), which makes it about as demanding. Shared genres: Simulation, Strategy.

Game facts and Steam reviews for Sandustry

Steam user reviews put Sandustry at Overwhelmingly Positive (97% positive from 3,500 reviews, checked 2026-11-02). It is a measure of popularity and sentiment, not of technical performance.

Being out for around 3 months, Sandustry may still receive performance patches, so keep it updated and keep your graphics drivers current.

Steam features

Details here come from Steam's public store listing. We have not benchmarked every card, so treat the frame rates on this page as modelled figures.

How we estimated Sandustry performance

A short, honest note on how the numbers are produced.

The inputs for Sandustry are a graphics demand of 8 (taken from the recommended card), a processor score of 21 (from the listed processor line) and 2 GB of VRAM at 1080p High (estimated from the demand score).

In short: card performance divided by game demand, adjusted for resolution, preset and upscaling, reduced when VRAM is short and capped by processor speed.

These are modelled figures, not benchmarks. Real results change with drivers, patches, cooling, the scene you play and your processor. Use the numbers to compare cards and settings, then check them in the game.

Sandustry: your questions answered

The questions players ask most about Sandustry on PC.

Try Sandustry in our tools