notes on…
Factorio
Crash-land, mine some iron, and three hundred hours later you are running a planet-sized factory.
What you actually do
You build automated production lines: miners feed belts, belts feed furnaces, furnaces feed assemblers, until a rocket leaves the planet. The local wildlife does not like your pollution.
Who will love it
Planners who enjoy fixing problems and watching systems run. Engineers, spreadsheet fans and tidy people love it.
The spaghetti phase
Your first base will be a tangle of belts. Everyone's is. Starting a cleaner "main bus" a few hours in is a rite of passage.
Biters
Native creatures attack polluting factories. If you only want to build, choose peaceful mode or turn enemies off when creating a map.
Space Age
The paid expansion adds new planets with different rules. Finish a rocket launch in the base game first.
Plus
- The definitive factory game
- Extremely polished and stable
- Huge depth for the price
Minus
- Steep learning curve
- Will eat your evenings
Bottom line
The best game ever made about getting things to work. Clear your weekend.
Notes written on 27 October 2026. Updates can change details; the official page has the latest.