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Shifting Sands

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Shifting Sands

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Shifting Sands is a singleplayer extraction roguelite set on a storm-lashed desert world. Rise from the dust as a scavenger, harvest scrap, explore crashed ships, and upgrade gear before sandstorms reset the land each day. Push deeper for greater rewards... or retreat before the sands erase it all.

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Most popular community and official content for the past week. (?)

After Next Fest

Mar 11

Next Fest is over... here's what the numbers and your feedback told us, and what we're doing next.

Thousands of you played the demo. Average run: right in the sweet spot (~40 min). And the share of you who wishlisted after playing blew past the usual benchmark... so when you sat down with it, the loop landed. That's the signal we needed.https://store.steampowered.com/app/3986410/Shifting_Sands/

Thank you. Seriously.

If you streamed or made content about the demo: we see you. Thank you. We're going to keep improving so there's more to show... and more reasons to come back.

What's in the build → gameplay

New prototype bosses. Ferox got an upgrade and we've added the Giant Mimic Crab and Sand Specter. More "what did I just find?" moments.

Combat is more rewarding. Enemies can now drop guns. Take them, use them, sell them (soon dismantle them for parts). Every fight can juice your run with gun drops.

Gear Utility. The tool, gun, and comp can all harvest... different modifiers, different payouts. This is a big step towards stronger differentiation and playstyles for each major gear item. Invest in your gear to become a melee monster, a sharpshooter, or energy manipulator.

Pacing: Punishing day events (raids, rampages) don't fire until day 10... so early game day events are more helpful. Early runs are learnable; difficulty ramps.
World: Vendor and vehicle recovery fixed. Secret Collector NPC. New special encounters. New zone backgrounds, updated storm waves, shooting stars, rare UFO sighting. Chest and cache spread so loot isn't clustered.
Progression: Research tabs and gear flyout panels so you can inspect plans without getting lost. Battery slots wired up. Stash and gear position fixed.
Companions: Wrangler, Gearhead, Botsworth rotation and recovery fixed.
Juice & items: Omnipack upgrade feedback and harvesting FX for all gear types
Controller: We've made numerious gamepad updates for QOL.

What you told us → what we're doing

Intro / first run. We've shipped more tuning so the first 10 minutes feel open stronger, though more improvements are planned.
Demo ending when the loop clicks. We're rethinking how we cap the demo (content limits vs. day limits) so it ends on "I want more."
Combat / early pressure. We're tuning telegraphs, dodge/block, and inner-ring density so combat feels like a choice that comes with risks AND rewards.
Controller & UI. Keep the feedback coming... we're reading it and adding more and more QOL improvements as we go!

What's next

One goal: a demo that shows run based desert survival (scavenge → research → forge → see how far you get) and ends in a way that makes you want the full game. We're using your feedback to get there.

Wishlist if you want more. It helps us stay visible and keeps you in the loop. We'll keep posting as we tune and move toward release.

Watch the trailer:
https://youtu.be/Ct-8ipD8A98

Shifting Sands

Can't seem to leave intro?

Followed the guy to escape, he told me to go east and north and he'd "see me at the nexus" I reach what I assume is the pyramid but nothing happens and don't seem to be able to interact with it at all

Kryto

Apr 13 @ 2:06pm

General Discussions

The Desert Just Got Bigger. Demo Updated for Next Fest.

Feb 23

The Desert Just Got Bigger. Demo Updated for Next Fest.

Sand in your lungs. Scrap in your pack. Storm at your back.

Shifting Sands is an isometric pixel-art roguelite where the desert resets every night.
You leave the safety of the Nexus, move across a board-like overworld, enter dangerous zones in real time, scavenge what you can carry, and try to return before the storm erases the day.

What you extract survives.
What you don’t is gone.

The demo has received its largest update yet.

Mounts

The desert is too big to cross on foot.

Ride the Silt Strider, a desert bird that expands your carry capacity and helps you scout danger.

Take the Sand Speeder to dramatically increase how far you can travel in a single day.

Or glide across dunes on a Hoverboard and do halfpipe tricks off dunes.

Mount choice changes your route planning, your risk tolerance, and how ambitious a run can be.

Companion Drones

OD-1 and MO-3 have arrived in the Nexus.

They are configurable companions, not just followers.
Equip them with scout modules, storage modules, shields, or utility upgrades.

They help you explore. They carry extra loot.
They make certain risks possible.

Shipwreck Interiors

Derelicts are no longer just landmarks.

Break open sealed doors and explore interior layouts filled with salvage, hazards, and strange infestations.

More depth. More decisions. More ways to lose everything.

Mod Stacking and Super Builds

Six mod types.
Slot them into your Omnigear at the Mod Forge.

Stack toward synergy and unlock powerful supers that transform how your tools function.

You’re not just upgrading stats.
You’re shaping a build.

Meaningful Combat Rewards

Enemies now drop resources tied directly into progression.

Fights aren’t filler.
They’re part of your long-term growth.

Fishing

Yes, fishing.

Find a rod. Use bait. Cast into silt pools across the desert.
Rare catches trade well and offer a different rhythm between high-stakes runs.

Dynamic Day Events

Some days change the rules.

You might flee from a massive Sand Worm.
You might experience slowed time.
You might encounter something you don’t fully understand.

No two days feel identical.

This is the version of the demo we wanted players to experience.

It’s free during Next Fest.

If the loop clicks for you, wishlist the full release.
The demo is free. Try it right now:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3986410/Shifting_Sands/
Watch the trailer:
https://youtu.be/Ct-8ipD8A98

Shifting Sands

Shifting Sands Coming to Steam Next Fest

Jan 7

Shifting Sands will be featured in Steam Next Fest, with a playable demo available during the event.

Shifting Sands is a pixel art sci-fi roguelite built around a daily world reset cycle. Each in-game day, massive sandstorms reshape the desert, uncovering new wreckage, routes, and dangers. Players venture out from the Nexus to scavenge valuable resources before the storm returns and erases the world once again.

Progress is defined by what you choose to risk and what you manage to bring back. Inventory space is limited, death is costly, and long-term upgrades, gear modifications, and player knowledge persist between runs. Combat exists, but preparation, positioning, and knowing when to retreat often matter more than direct confrontation.

▶ Watch the latest trailer:

Wishlist Shifting Sands on Steam to be notified when the demo goes live.

Shifting Sands

Barely a demo

Do sensors even exist in this demo? I didn't manage to craft a single upgrade because I only ever find scrap. And now it's saying the demo is over? Like, the message says "more bosses" but I never even seen one? The game told me to stay in the first ring, and I get basically deleted by things in outer rings, but I can't find materials to upgrade and apparently I was supposed to somehow figure out progression in just ten deaths? I am kind of interested, but this demo hasn't shown anything to me besides t...

GTG3000

Mar 3 @ 1:56pm

General Discussions

Not impressed with the demo preventing the player from...playing after a number of days.

Wasn't a big fan of how the demo just starts looping you back to your previous day/loadout after a little bit. I was just starting to get into the swing of the gameplay loop without dying a ton, and then it started doing that right when I was making traction. I get that as a demo you can't play too much of the game, but the demo already mentioned the full game having more zones, content, events, etc? I feel like letting me explore the demo content as much as I want would still be fair if there was plenty ...

Charem

Apr 14 @ 1:36am

General Discussions

Pretty Game, very difficult

For the intro, I made it to the door but it closed on me and couldn't get inside with a pack full of loot, is it possible to get in? 2nd day talked to old guy who should me how to run and fight. Didn't enjoy melee combat as much for the duel stick aiming. I would roll in and swing the wrong direction of an enemy often. got killed trying to fight a scorpion 3rd day had a good day of loot and scrap, dodge some risky monsters. buy playing cards. 4-8 days, I got absolutely recked by 3+ dudes with guns ever...

Smuggles

Mar 2 @ 10:50am

General Discussions

Cool idea, needs some work.

I played about 10 days and at least the opening is painfully slow. You have so little inventory space and energy that you basically try to RNG the items you need in the first 3-ish tiles and restart the day. I thought things would go smoother once I got some more inventory space, but after spending the research points the blacksmith needed money AND scrap AND several unique components that never dropped for me. The combat was also poorly tuned. You're told to stay to the inner ring early on but essenti...

Nipah～☆

Feb 23 @ 10:04am

General Discussions

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