Is Satisfactory, Worth Playing?

Satisfactory is the type of game you can play for 5 minutes or 5 hours at a time and know you have accomplished something, a perfect game for those with little time to spare or plenty of time to kill.

The Lowdown.

Product Details
Genre: Management
Developer: Coffee Stain Studios
Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Price: $29.99
Release Date: 10 September 2024
Supported Modes:
Disclosure: Review Copy This game was purchased with our own funds for review purposes, however this has no baring on our opinions.

Female Player Character.

Satisfactory is one of the only survival games to offer only a female character model, while most other games either offer players a choice or force them to use a male character.

What makes this more interesting is the developers have stated this was not a political statement; rather, the artist who created the default character chose to make a female character, and the developers just ran with it.

No Goal.

Satisfactory has no end goal at this time, and players are free to spend as much or as little time as they want to expand their factory and explore the vibrant alien world. While some find this lack of structure problematic, I enjoy the freedom of coming and going as I please without feeling like I am not making enough progress or somehow missing out on a more rewarding endgame activity.

Is Satisfactory Worth Playing Screenshot 20240917 103349

Image credit Satisfactory - Published by Coffee Stain Publishing and developed by Coffee Stain Studios.

Performance.

Satisfactory performs exceptionally well until it doesn’t; with thousands of moving parts on screen at any given time, even high-end PCs will soon get bogged down when building or exploring mega factories.

Don’t get me wrong; players can place hundreds of thousands of components before the lag sets in; however, once it has set in, there is little more players can do but delete excess components or start a new game.

While Factorio shares a similar “flaw”, its relatively low hardware requirements and low-quality visuals ensure players can build larger and for longer before performance issues set it.

Is Satisfactory Worth Playing Screenshot 20240917 103329

Image credit Satisfactory - Published by Coffee Stain Publishing and developed by Coffee Stain Studios.

Limited Character Customization.

Satisfactory currently has very little support for customization, with players only being allowed to change a few aspects of their character appearance, such as helmet style and suit colour. Even this is a vast improvement over how things used to be, with players originally having no way to customise their character or differentiate themselves from friends when playing cooperatively.

Is Satisfactory Worth Playing Screenshot 20240917 103336

Image credit Satisfactory - Published by Coffee Stain Publishing and developed by Coffee Stain Studios.

The Lowdown.

Product Details
Genre: Management
Developer: Coffee Stain Studios
Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Price: $29.99
Release Date: 10 September 2024
Supported Modes:
Disclosure: Review Copy This game was purchased with our own funds for review purposes, however this has no baring on our opinions.

Satisfactory FAQ

Satisfactory is a management video game developed by Coffee Stain Studios and published by Coffee Stain Publishing, it was released on 10 September 2024 and retails for $29.99.

Platform Availability.

Satisfactory is available on the following platforms: PC, Playstation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

How Many People Play Satisfactory?

As of September 2024, around 1,000,000 people play Satisfactory on a fairly regular basis.

How Active Is The Satisfactory Playerbase?

While Satisfactory immense popularity is very encouraging regarding ongoing development, as Satisfactory does not offer a public-facing server browser or matchmaking, most players will either play solo or with friends.

Thus, the number of players online does not do much to benefit the average player, which is unfortunate for a game of this scope and quality.

What Peripherals Are Supported?

The following peripherals are officially supported:

  • PC - Mouse and Keyboard.

Is There Any Mature Content?

Satisfactory is unrated and contains:

  • Violence

Final Verdict.

I like Satisfactory a lot. It is more user-friendly and visually pleasing than its rival Factorio; however, I prefer the latter’s minimalistic aesthetic and in-depth resource management.

All in all, Satisfactory is an excellent game that I fully recommend to fans of resource management and base-building games; however, for everyone else, I suggest watching some gameplay videos and waiting for the next Steam or Epic Game Store sale to get the most bang for their buck.

You can read our comprehensive comparison of Factorio vs Satisfactory here for those undecided about which they wish to try first.


Richard Robins

Richard Robins

As a follower of Jesus Christ, Richard believes that the message taught by Jesus is radically different from what is taught in churches today, and that the influence of his message can be felt across all creative mediums, including video games.

Richard has been passionate about gaming since 1992, when he received his first console, a Sega Master System II which included a built in copy of Sonic the Hedgehog.

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