Sandustry modding now spans 125+ community mods, a refreshed sandkit API on a 0.5.5 experimental branch, and a 0.5.6 patch focused on stability first.
TL;DR for players
This is not a patch — it is a status post, and a useful one. Two things worth knowing: the mod ecosystem is much bigger than expected, at over 125 community mods, and there is now an updated modding framework with its own API documentation sitting on a separate experimental branch. The other half of the post is a deliberate expectation-setting exercise: 0.5.6 will be another stability release, and new content is being held until the foundation is solid.
Modding
Over 125 community mods now exist, many of them far more ambitious than anticipated. In response, an updated modding framework was pushed to a new 0.5.5 experimental branch, accompanied by a new API document published as sandustry.com/sandkit.html.
The branch situation is the part worth reading carefully. Mods require opting into a separate experimental Steam branch, and those branches are split into 0.5.2 and 0.5.5 for backward compatibility. The mods branch stays on 0.5.2 until modders have had time to update their work against the new framework. Modding support is still explicitly work in progress, and the API is not yet stable.
What's next
Work on 0.5.6 was described as continuing, focused on bug fixes, stability, performance and requested features. New content is being deliberately held back until the current foundation feels solid — a choice the post makes openly rather than implying through silence.
Feature requests and suggestions were directed to sandustry.nolt.io, where they can be posted and upvoted, which is a more actionable channel than reviews or scattered Discord messages.
Roadmap
There are no firm roadmap commitments yet. What the post does confirm is that new content development has begun, which is a different statement from promising a date, and should be read as such.
What this means for your factory
If you use mods, the practical decision is which branch to sit on. The 0.5.2 branch is older but has broader mod compatibility, since that is where the existing ecosystem was built. The 0.5.5 experimental branch carries the new API but fewer updated mods. Pick by which specific mods you actually want to run rather than by version number.
If you write mods, treat the sandkit API as new and still moving. Mods built against it may break in future versions, and the post says as much rather than implying stability it does not have.
If you are waiting on content, adjust expectations: 0.5.6 is another stability and quality-of-life patch, not a content update. The most effective thing you can do to influence what comes after it is submit and upvote ideas on the Nolt feedback board, where the developers are actually reading.
And if you are on the fence about whether modding is a serious way to extend the game — 125 mods and a maintained API is a reasonably strong signal that it is.
Affected guides and materials
No material behaviour changed here; this is branch and ecosystem information.
The official post is linked below, and the summary above is our paraphrase of it.
FAQ
How many mods does Sandustry have?
Over 125 community mods existed at the time of this post, several of them considerably more ambitious than the developers expected when modding support was first opened up.
Which Steam branch should I use for Sandustry mods?
It depends on the mods you want. The mods branch stayed on 0.5.2 until modders updated their work, while the new framework and API live on a separate 0.5.5 experimental branch. Older branch means broader mod compatibility; newer branch means the current API.
Is new Sandustry content coming soon?
Not immediately. Work on 0.5.6 was described as bug fixes, stability, performance and requested features, with new content deliberately held back until the foundation feels solid. New content development has begun, but without firm roadmap commitments.
Official post
This summary paraphrases the developer announcement for 0.5.5 experimental — modding framework. Read the original at the official Sandustry news post .