The Crust is a lunar colony builder in which you mine regolith, automate production with conveyor belts and drones above and below the surface, research across three tech trees, and keep a crew of colonists healthy and willing. Earth is a customer and a political problem at once: you trade resources through contracts with rival factions, and the side you favour shapes their politics. The 1.0 release adds a full story campaign with multiple endings, a Planning Mode, Sandbox 2.0, global events and macOS support.

Chart credential: new entry at #15 on the Steam 250 seven-day chart, scoring 7.48 from 3,791 reviews — the largest review base of any new entry this week. Released 10 September 2026.

Key features

Colonists with traits, not population counters

You track each colonist’s health, mood and needs, and hire specialists whose traits and skills feed back into production and research. This is what separates a colony sim from a factory game: when the workforce has opinions, an efficient layout can still fail, and the optimisation problem stops being purely spatial.

Automation that has to work underground too

Conveyors and drones run both on the surface and below it, powered by satellites and batteries. Splitting the base across two layers forces genuine logistics planning rather than one flat sprawl, and it is the reason the tech trees have something to unlock beyond bigger numbers.

Trade contracts that move Earth’s politics

Resource contracts with Earth let you back a faction or play the field for profit, and those choices shape the political landscape back home. Attaching a consequence to the selling screen is what stops the economy from being a pure output sink — and it is the hook the campaign’s multiple endings hang on.

Where to find it

The Crust is on Steam at $20.79, discounted 35% from $31.99 at the time of writing. Published by Crytivo, with Windows, macOS and Linux builds.
View The Crust on Steam

Frequently asked questions

Is The Crust out of early access?

Yes. The store page leads with 1.0 out now, adding the full campaign with multiple endings, Planning Mode, Sandbox 2.0, global events and macOS support.

Does The Crust have a story campaign?

Yes. The 1.0 release includes a story-driven campaign with multiple endings, alongside a sandbox mode.

How much does The Crust cost?

It is listed at 20.79 dollars on Steam, reduced 35 percent from 31.99 dollars at the time of writing.

Does The Crust run on Mac and Linux?

Yes. The Steam store page lists Windows, macOS and Linux builds, with macOS support added at 1.0.

Is The Crust multiplayer?

No. The store page lists it as single-player, with Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud and Family Sharing.