tinyBuild, Hologryph, and TowerHaus have launched SAND: Raiders of Sophie into Early Access on Steam today — a multiplayer extraction FPS set in a dieselpunk alternate history where ecological disaster has dried out the oceans of the planet Sophie and left humanity scavenging its vast deserts in giant modular mechs called Tramplers. It’s out now at $19.74 USD following a 21% launch discount that runs for two weeks, and it’s positioning itself as an answer to two specific genre frustrations: extraction shooters with brutal learning curves, and survival games where you log back in to find everything you built has been raided overnight.
The hook that sets SAND apart from both genres is a single design decision: your Trampler mech extracts with you at the end of each session. You don’t lose it offline. You build it, take it into the desert, fight and scavenge, extract it, and it’s waiting for you next time. No base raids, no logging in to rubble. That persistence model changes the emotional equation of the genre significantly and is probably the most interesting design choice in the game’s pitch.
Two Modes, Two Playstyles
Explore Sophie’s deserts at your own pace. Farm resources, play with friends, no time pressure. The accessible on-ramp for players new to the genre or wanting a more relaxed session.
High stakes. A shrinking storm closes in, encounters escalate, and the loot is better. Built for players who want the full extraction shooter tension with a dieselpunk mech twist.
Key Features
SAND: Raiders of Sophie
SAND is developed by two Ukrainian studios — Hologryph (Lviv, previously behind Secret Neighbor and Hello Neighbor series work) and TowerHaus (Kyiv, co-developer of Secret Neighbor, formerly Velcro Games). Both studios have worked closely with tinyBuild across multiple franchises. The team is committed to community collaboration through the Early Access period on the road to version 1.0.