My Time at Sandrock

My Time at Sandrock seems to have all the ingredients for a great game, but something doesn’t quite sit right, keeping me away from the game instead of coming back for more.

87%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

94% User Score Based on 10,945 reviews

Critic Score 73%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

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About My Time at Sandrock

My Time at Sandrock is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with post-apocalyptic and kids themes. It was developed by Pathea Games and was released on November 2, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

You'll take the role of a fledgling Builder to Sandrock. It’s up to you and your trusty toolset to gather resources, construct machines, and fix up your workshop into a well-oiled production machine, and save the town from the jaws of economic ruin, as well as a few other unexpected complications.

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Reviews

94%Audience ScoreBased on 10,945 reviews

story1.7k positive mentions

grinding1.4k negative mentions

The game features a richly developed and immersive story with well-written, dynamic characters and surprising emotional twists that engage players for over 100 hours.
Gameplay offers a satisfying and addictive loop combining crafting, resource gathering, building, and social interactions, with unique desert-specific mechanics enhancing depth.
The charming, vibrant graphics and immersive western desert atmosphere, combined with a warm, relaxing soundtrack and witty humor, create a cozy and captivating life-sim experience.

Multiplayer mode is notably lacking key content such as the main story, important mechanics, and balancing, making it feel incomplete and frustrating compared to single-player.
The game suffers from optimization issues on some platforms, including long loading times, stuttering, FPS drops, and bugs that worsen over extended play, especially on lower-end PCs and consoles like the Switch.
The grind can become tedious and slow-paced, especially in late game and multiplayer, with pacing issues in story progression and occasional overwhelming quest management.

story
5,873 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29% positive mentions, 68% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
My Time at Sandrock features a richly developed, immersive, and lengthy story with well-written characters and surprising twists that keep players deeply engaged for over 100 hours. While some find the story pacing slow or dragged out, particularly in the late game, most praise its heartfelt narrative and vibrant community that evolves dynamically with the player's actions. Multiplayer mode, however, lacks the main story content, limiting the narrative experience to single-player gameplay.
- “The story is well made, characters are among the most well-rounded and dynamic I've ever seen, and it is very immersive and engaging.”
- “The story is the absolute best and it feels unique to other games.”
- “The overarching storyline is super interesting, the voice acting and the script are so well done (the characters and their quips have me straight up laughing at times - even the idle conversations characters will have between each other have me chuckling), the characters feel real and believable with their own personalities (like how Cooper will ramble on, Pen and his strong man persona, Unsuur and how he is airheaded in the cutest way).”
- “We currently have 20+ hours in the game, and are only now realizing there is no story, no way to progress the game; all of our time and effort put into this multiplayer world is pointless!”
- “I am sorry, but this game is so rage inducing and multi directional that it is hard to comprehend what is going on; I have quests failing because it literally forces you into cutscenes and new quests while you are actively trying to complete 4 other quests and at the same time trying to get things upgraded. There is no structure; it's just a jumbled up pile of long-winded cutscenes taking you from what feels like one basic main quest into four other 'main' ways to go while the first ones fail because of it.”
- “If you want to play this game for the story, it will take more than a hundred hours just to finish it as a whole from start to credits. The game delays you too much, wastes too many days, story progression is so bad; it's like 'oh, we have to plan this and that, I'll give you the diagrams tomorrow,' then they give you the diagram and build it in just a couple of minutes. Then they say, 'wait for the reply in a couple of days.' It gets a lot worse if the main story overlaps with the calendar events, and also with the planting of trees. You have to waste so many days on that, and of course, if you have animals and plants, you wouldn't do that. Even the NPC dialogue is cringey; it's like kids in adult clothing, you'd have pity for the enemy soldier.”
gameplay
1,589 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34% positive mentions, 63% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
The gameplay of "My Time at Sandrock" builds upon its predecessor "My Time at Portia" with refined and polished mechanics, offering a satisfying, addictive loop centered on crafting, building, resource gathering, and social interactions. It introduces unique elements like water management and desert-specific challenges, enhancing immersion and strategic depth, while maintaining a cozy, approachable pace suitable for casual and hardcore players alike. Despite minor bugs and some initially steep learning curve, the gameplay is praised for its smoothness, variety, and engaging character-driven quests that keep players invested for hours.
- “I doubt I'd ever find a game with so much love of detail, emphasis on great quality of life features, such an engaging narrative, and addicting and rewarding gameplay loop - only its successor My Time At Eve (MTAE maybe) being the exception when it releases.”
- “The gameplay loop is robust and satisfying, seamlessly integrating resource gathering, crafting, and town development with social interaction and quest completion.”
- “The gameplay loop itself is rewarding and lets you just every single day do what you want to do.”
- “The singleplayer is fine I guess, but the tag multiplayer should be removed and it is a scam because it is a bare-bones version of the game (missing mechanics, story, the map is different, skills, balancing... a completely different game that feels like alpha).”
- “Gutted mechanics: key features like the factory and greenhouse are missing in co-op mode.”
- “Multiplayer in this game is simply a free mobile phone farm with almost no gameplay and story; waiting for copper to melt in real-time is cringe in a $20 game.”
grinding
1,470 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 2% neutral mentions, 98% negative mentions
Grinding in "My Time at Sandrock" is a significant part of the gameplay loop, with players needing to gather resources, craft items, and complete commissions to progress. While some reviews find the grind rewarding and well-balanced, others note it can become tedious, especially later in the game or in multiplayer mode, with farming and resource gathering occasionally feeling repetitive or demanding. The game is praised for making grinding feel purposeful and integrated with story and building elements, but players sensitive to heavy resource collection may find some aspects grindy or slow-paced.
- “Building up your workshop feels meaningful, not grindy, and every upgrade opens new layers of creativity.”
- “The mechanics - fighting, collecting resources, completing commissions, building up your workshop - they are all really fun and not too tedious.”
- “The crafting in this game is similar to My Time at Portia but with a lot more variety and new challenges/constraints to deal with, making it pretty fun and not too grindy as equipment is upgraded.”
- “As much as I enjoyed Sandrock, I can’t recommend it knowing it eventually becomes tedious to play.”
- “I've not experienced similar feelings in other games, so I need to recommend it with one caveat - if you feel that it's grindy after 1-2 hours, it will be 10x more grindy after a few more hours.”
- “The grind, for sure, is there, but what bothers me more than the grind is early on, they throw you in with the sharks to find out the hard way where you can get ingredients; the game has a learning curve... for some, it might be a horrible introduction to the farming game.”
graphics
1,079 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37% positive mentions, 59% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The graphics of "My Time at Sandrock" are widely praised for their charming, vibrant, and improved art style compared to its predecessor "My Time at Portia," featuring a colorful, cartoonish aesthetic with detailed environments and expressive character models. However, some users note issues with occasional glitches, pop-ins, and performance problems, especially following a controversial graphics downgrade intended for the Switch version that temporarily compromised visual quality on PC. Despite these drawbacks, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's immersive and cozy atmosphere, with many players appreciating the unique western desert setting and character designs.
- “The graphics are incredible, the storylines are very easy to follow and become consumed by, the npcs are better than real people, and there's so much gameplay to be had here.”
- “The updated graphics and animations bring Sandrock to life, making it a joy to explore.”
- “From a graphical standpoint, the game looks terrific.”
- “The cartoony bobble head looking characters, somewhat janky animation and stylised yet somehow low poly (well, this was made for the Nintendo Switch) graphics are incredibly lacklustre considering the AAA pricing bolted onto this Nintendo Switch game.”
- “They downgraded the graphics to be at the same level of a potato basically for the console Switch, the previously beautiful game now looks like soulless clay and lost near 90% of details and charm, it looks the same like My Time at Portia now, they still using the old trailers and images to promote their game being good looking and all that, when already isn't the case anymore, a most perfect example of downgrading comparison can be the game went from Playstation 5 to Playstation 2 on terms of graphic quality, yes is that bad... the worse, they keep lying about how this "update" is a major upgrade when isn't.”
- “Poor optimization on Switch: the Switch version has unreadable text, blurry graphics, and overall poor performance.”
humor
372 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 1% negative mentions
The humor in "My Time at Sandrock" is widely praised for its charming, witty, and well-written dialogue that brings its quirky, lovable characters to life, often eliciting genuine laughter and emotional moments. The game balances lighthearted, slapstick, and clever humor with touching and compelling storytelling, enhanced by strong voice acting and numerous pop culture references. While some find a few jokes or comedic elements cringey or uneven, overall the humor is a standout aspect that significantly enriches the cozy life-sim experience.
- “The humor is absolute top tier, and you can tell the developers were listening to their fandom.”
- “The overarching storyline is super interesting, the voice acting and the script are so well done (the characters and their quips have me straight up laughing at times - even the idle conversations characters will have between each other have me chuckling), the characters feel real and believable with their own personalities (like how Cooper will ramble on, Pen and his strong man persona, Unsuur and how he is airheaded in the cutest way).”
- “The dialogue/script writers have done an amazing job creating a varied cast of characters with whom you can have some genuinely funny interactions.”
- “Every action cutscene ends with slapstick humor that I found unfunny.”
- “The pets take so long to actually build up a relationship, which is not funny.”
- “I get this game is trying to aim for a wide variety of audiences, but the comic relief was not funny and was overly long.”
stability
267 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7% positive mentions, 1% neutral mentions, 92% negative mentions
The game currently exhibits numerous bugs, glitches, freezes, and occasional crashes, particularly in late-game content and cutscenes, leading to frustrating experiences for some players. However, most issues are minor or non-game-breaking, with the developers actively addressing bugs through frequent updates and patches. Despite its early access status and occasional instability, many players find the game enjoyable and relatively stable compared to similar titles.
- “The game runs great on the Steam Deck with smooth animations and no major bugs encountered.”
- “For an early access game, this title is surprisingly bug free and polished, with very few issues compared to most games at launch.”
- “The gameplay is fun and immersive, running very smoothly without glitches or major problems.”
- “Full of bugs, glitches, and a grind fest.”
- “Needless to say, I've tried to play three times now and hit a bug a few minutes in each time that freezes the whole game.”
- “Broken and buggy with major issues unpatched for years.”
optimization
253 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 21% negative mentions
Optimization for this game is inconsistent, with many users reporting long loading times, stuttering, FPS drops, and bugs that worsen over extended play sessions. While performance has improved since early access and is generally better than its predecessor, especially on PC and Steam Deck, issues persist, particularly on lower-end PCs and consoles like the Switch. The developers continue to release patches addressing these problems, but the game still requires significant optimization to ensure smooth, stable gameplay across all platforms.
- “It's also one of the best-optimized games I've played in years - even with everything dialed up to the max, it runs quiet and like a champ.”
- “Very fun and optimized game... love it...”
- “The game is very optimized and all characters have their own life which really brings the world to life :)”
- “Longer loading times, stuttering/fps drops, NPCs teleporting around instead of walking (maybe only after long game sessions, but I saw it several times), NPCs walking against things and getting stuck, NPCs keep walking while you're talking to them, late reaction to buttons pressed (1-2 seconds delay).”
- “To boot, it has some of the worst optimization of any game I've seen yet.”
- “Horrible optimization and endless loading, which reminds me of Sims 2.”
music
230 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49% positive mentions, 48% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
The game's music is widely praised for its warm, relaxing, and atmospheric western-themed soundtrack that perfectly complements the visuals and enhances immersion. While some users find it repetitive and occasionally buggy—such as music overlapping or inappropriate tracks during cutscenes—the overall quality, variety for events and seasons, and memorable melodies stand out as a major highlight, often elevating the game's emotional and cozy vibe.
- “The soundtrack complements the visual style perfectly, blending soothing melodies with lively tunes that capture both the serenity and bustle of town life.”
- “The music, which matches the visuals by providing whimsical wild west tunes, is consistent and pleasant to listen to, perfect for the relaxing, comforting feeling of a life simulator.”
- “The soundtrack deserves high praise of its own — catchy tunes that stick with you long after you've turned the game off.”
- “I do have a few complaints, such as the lack of change in background music during cutscenes (at times ruining the mood because the upbeat music did not fit the somber tone of the scene).”
- “There are several cases where the music gets bugged (either stops completely after a cutscene or two tracks overlap with one stuck from the cutscene and the other being the regular one).”
- “The bad: the music is repetitive.”
emotional
209 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
"My Time at Sandrock" delivers a deeply emotional, wholesome experience with heartfelt storytelling, richly developed characters, and charming interactions that evoke laughter, tears, and genuine connection. The game balances lighthearted humor and touching moments within a unique post-apocalyptic setting, creating an engaging life-sim that resonates emotionally with players. While some find certain aspects slower or less polished than genre standouts, the overall emotional depth and community-building elements make it a highly recommended, warm, and immersive adventure.
- “By the end of my playthrough, this game made me feel things no other game has.”
- “Every character has their own personality and backstory, and the emotional highs and lows caught me completely off guard (in the best way).”
- “The dialogue is witty and heartfelt, and the voice acting and script are so thoughtfully created—it really brings the characters and world to life.”
character development
125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 2% negative mentions
The game features strong character development with well-crafted, diverse NPCs whose personalities and stories add depth and emotional engagement to the experience. While some users note occasional inconsistencies or quirky character designs, the overall improvement from previous titles is widely praised, complemented by engaging dialogue, voice acting, and meaningful storylines that evolve throughout the game. This combination makes the characters feel lively and integral to the world, enhancing immersion in the game's narrative and exploration.
- “Sandrock fills the desire for a building game but has actual story, fun town people who have character development (extent specific to each one), great diversity in backgrounds and personalities, unexpected twists, and is overall a huge improvement in the franchise.”
- “The story is gorgeous, the character development is fantastic, you'll actively see the ways you change the entire desert, and find characters that you'll hate at first and then learn to love (also the other way around!).”
- “The layers of detail that went into the main story, side stories, and individual character development was a joy.”
- “Some characters also become scapegoats for others' development/shining moments (Arvio for Fang and Justice for UnSuur), and some character developments could be better executed (like Elsie's).”
- “You will be stuck at certain stages of machine/character development for much longer than others, and the narrative climax occurs when the main story is about two-thirds done, after which it continues meandering for another 40 hours or so.”
- “At first it wasn't that visible, but when you learn most of the mechanics by hour 20ish, you really start digging into the character designs and the romanceable characters are... actually interesting!”
atmosphere
81 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 4% negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its unique desert setting that combines a soothing, immersive, and vibrant town life with a hopeful, post-apocalyptic western vibe. Players appreciate the detailed visuals, ambient soundtrack, engaging characters, and relaxing yet dynamic environment that fosters a cozy and captivating experience distinct from other farming and life sims. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that deeply enriches the gameplay and narrative immersion.
- “The desert town of Sandrock is stunning and full of life, with vibrant characters and an atmosphere that feels so immersive.”
- “The soundtrack is a gentle, dusty-sunset blend of acoustic guitars and ambient tunes — the kind that melts into the background and completes the atmosphere.”
- “One thing that is immediately obvious is that the game oozes atmosphere, with plenty of memorable characters, and the writers/localization team did a great job consistently coming up with entertaining, funny, and witty situations and lines.”
- “I certainly did not expect this and in the beginning I didn't really want to play it because I didn't like the dry post-apocalyptic desert atmosphere.”
- “Same bad voice acting, same bad lighting and atmosphere, same ugly animals, same janky animations (jumping is particularly horrible), same clunky menus, exact same workshop layout, awkward cutscenes... what has been worked on?”
- “I like the sand and water mechanics, I think having those put in really add to the atmosphere of hardship that the people of this town have to face, but I didn't find the mechanics cumbersome, it really wasn't that difficult to make sure I had water.”
replayability
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
Replayability of the game is generally rated as solid to high, thanks to extensive content, numerous characters to interact with, and varied relationship paths that encourage multiple playthroughs. However, some note its mostly linear storyline and limited impactful choices reduce replay value compared to true sandbox games. Multiplayer and different playstyles add to replayability, making it enjoyable for both single and co-op experiences.
- “There is plenty of replay value, exploring the romances with the available bachelors and bachelorettes and getting to know the various characters you had little to do with on your previous playthroughs, and with over fifty characters there is always something new to learn.”
- “I've never gotten the after-game blues until this game, and I can already tell this is a game I'll always have an active save for because the replayability is off the charts.”
- “The replay value of this game is immense with all of the different partners you can marry and all of the different ways you can set up your workshop and play the game.”
- “Better replayability is limited, as the quests and storyline are mostly linear.”
- “Not really re-playable since it is so storyline dependent, but it is really enjoyable for a single playthrough.”
- “A second playthrough would be exactly the same experience, so there is absolutely no replay value.”
monetization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11% positive mentions, 7% neutral mentions, 82% negative mentions
The game's monetization is seen as a mixed bag, with some appreciating that microtransactions remain mostly cosmetic and no paywalls block quests, while others criticize the presence of intrusive ads, expensive DLCs, and what feels like aggressive cash grab tactics—especially given ongoing bugs and misleading marketing. Players express concern that key gameplay features like multiplayer are heavily promoted but incomplete, and that some paid content should have been included in the base game. Overall, fair monetization would be welcomed, but excessive ads and DLCs risk tarnishing the game's otherwise strong reputation.
- “I am sure it is a wonderful game with very fair monetization and I am glad to have supported them by purchasing it.”
- “Here's hoping no stupid microtransactions will appear (such as lootboxes, benefits, extra-exp packs). Paid DLCs and additional singleplayer and multiplayer content would be easily applied and welcomed here.”
- “But as I doubt there will be a basic multiplayer (no server tied, no monetization, and no loss because the server will close someday).”
- “A pathetic cash grab for relatively nothing added.”
- “I get that the company needs the funds to continue operating and developing the next game, but this just feels like a blatant cash grab, especially when the game is as buggy as it is, and some of these bugs have existed since it went live.”
- “Sandrock already has too many "optional" microtransactions for such an expensive game, and they're introducing new paid "add-on feature" monster taming pet DLC that reeks of mechanics that should have been in the game to begin with, and of course has absolutely nothing to do with aping the success of recent games like Palworld.”

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Critic Reviews

73%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews

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Play Times

83h Median play time

115h Average play time

46-160h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 152 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

My Time at Sandrock is a open world role playing game with post-apocalyptic and kids themes. Common tags for My Time at Sandrock include farming, indie, lgbtq+, female protagonist, gaming and others.

My Time at Sandrock is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 115 hours playing My Time at Sandrock.

My Time at Sandrock was released on November 2, 2023.

My Time at Sandrock was developed by Pathea Games.

My Time at Sandrock has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked My Time at Sandrock for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

My Time at Sandrock is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

My Time at Sandrock

Platforms

Reviews

story

gameplay

grinding

graphics

humor

stability

optimization

music

emotional

character development

atmosphere

replayability

monetization

Critic Reviews