A game that should carry an addiction warning — the most satisfying factory-builder on Xbox is pure video game joy

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Strategy and simulation games were once primarily for PC gamers, but consoles have become increasingly popular for the genre recently. Some console versions even offer full mouse and keyboard support, like on Xbox. Others required developers to redesign the game’s interface to work well with controllers and larger TV screens.

Satisfactory is a strategy game that recently became available on consoles after first gaining popularity on PC. This open-world, first-person simulator spent a long time in development, and since its 2019 release, it’s earned over 123,000 incredibly positive reviews on Steam.

After a successful launch on PC in September 2024, the popular factory-building game Satisfactory finally arrived on Xbox consoles on November 4, 2025. Players can now explore the alien world of Massage-2(AB)b and build massive factories as part of the FICSIT corporation.

Wholesome resource hoarding for the corporation

In Satisfactory, you’re sent to the alien planet Massage-2-(AB)b to gather resources for the FICSIT corporation, either by yourself or with friends. You’ll explore the planet to find things like power slugs and ores, then use factories to process them into more advanced materials. Building and automating these factories is key to progressing and meeting FICSIT’s demands.

The game starts with players selecting a location to begin exploring the planet. They can choose from four different environments: wide, grassy plains that are easy to navigate and full of supplies, a rocky desert with a good mix of resources and access to water, a challenging northern forest with uneven, hilly ground, or a dangerous dune desert that makes the initial stages of the game particularly difficult.

Don’t worry too much about choosing an easier starting area. Since there’s only one map in Satisfactory, you’ll eventually visit all the different environments as you expand and upgrade your factories.

After choosing a starting location for your adventure (whether playing alone or with friends), you can explore at your own speed. While the game involves mining an alien planet for resources, Satisfactory is actually a very relaxing and positive experience. You can’t really ‘lose’ – when your character dies, you simply drop a crate with your items, which you can recover. Or, you can change the settings to keep your items even after death, letting you explore the planet Massage-2(AB)b freely using vehicles, jetpacks, and jump pads.

Once you’ve found valuable resources, you’ll need to process them into useful items for FICSIT. This is where automation comes in handy. You’ll start with limited tools, but by refining resources and crafting, you can quickly build large, fully automated factories.

In Satisfactory, you build factories from a first-person view and create automated systems to gather resources. You’re free to expand however you like – build upwards, over mountains, or across sprawling plains. The game lets you play and build in a way that feels most comfortable for you.

Creating a simulation game for the console

Coffee Stain Studios, the creators of Satisfactory, have a proven track record with simulation games on consoles. They’re the team behind the popular Goat Simulator, and their publishing division helped launch successful titles like Deep Rock Galactic and Valheim.

In a recent video, Jason Edwards, the community manager for Satisfactory from Coffee Stain Studios, discussed the game’s upcoming console release. He explained the reasons behind removing certain content or features when adapting the game for consoles.

When playing Satisfactory on Xbox Series X|S, players can choose from three different modes. The ‘Quality’ mode limits the game to 30 frames per second, while ‘Performance’ mode aims for up to 60 frames per second. A ‘Balanced’ mode offers a middle ground, running the game at 40 frames per second.

Besides offering different performance settings, the console version of Satisfactory doesn’t allow players on Xbox and PlayStation 5 to play with those on PC. However, players on Xbox and PlayStation 5 *can* play together. The developers explained that the constraints of console development led to the decision to exclude crossplay and mod support.

Because the console version of Satisfactory can only handle a limited number of items on screen at once, letting those players join PC servers – which might be using mods or have a lot more active elements – could make the game unstable.

I’m completely hooked on Satisfactory! Even though it doesn’t have mods or crossplay yet, it’s such a chill and satisfying game. Building and automating your factory is genuinely relaxing, but there’s this fun pressure from your corporate boss judging your progress – it’s a little silly, but adds a really enjoyable tension to everything.

For the near future, the console version of the game will continue to receive updates at the same time as the Steam version. We’ve also gotten a sneak peek at what’s coming in update 1.2.

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2025-11-19 20:10