Groundwork Simulator ▶ Trailer
Groundwork Simulator screenshot 1Groundwork Simulator screenshot 2
SimulationSandboxJob SimulatorMiningPhysicsBuilding

929 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 1,253

Groundwork Simulator Early Access Steam store

Game description

Dig, haul and wash for gold in an open-world heavy machinery simulator. Operate excavators, wheel loaders and bulldozers, reshape the terrain and build your washing setup. Work solo or team up in online co-op to turn untouched ground into a working site.

Basic info

DeveloperXYZ STUDIO
PublisherXYZ STUDIO
PlatformsWindows · macOS
Release dateOct 22, 2026
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSWindows 10
ProcessorIntel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Memory16 GB
GraphicsNVIDIA GTX 1070 — 8 GB VRAM
Storage10 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 412 reviews from the past 1 year

67.0/ 100
Bottom 20%

Steam rating: Mostly Positive (72%)

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 31, 2026)

This early access digging sandbox scores 67.0, with players enjoying the dirt work while waiting on fixes.

👍 Strengths

149 reviews say they enjoy the game so far, and some describe feeling like a kid in a sandbox again, digging and shaping the ground. 46 reviews ask for patience with the developers during early access, and a few note that patches arrived quickly after launch. 40 like the visuals, with pleasant graphics and amusing animations. Gameplay ranks 1198th of 1396, and Visuals & Sound ranks 1165th of 1249. A creative mode also gets a few warm mentions.

👎 Where it falls short

Tech & Support appears in 76% of analyzed reviews and ranks 1224th of 1399. 98 reviews report bugs, such as an excavator bucket that phases through the floor, unreliable soil physics and crashes on startup, though some call them expected for a first build. 88 find the controls janky, with controllers disconnecting, missing camera inversion and no way to remap keys. 54 say it needs better optimization, describing frame rate drops in vehicles and from shadows. Pricing & Fairness ranks 753rd of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“really enjoying the game so far” · 149 reviews
“pleasant graphics with amusing animations” · 40 reviews
“water physics and vehicle/equipment feel great, gameplay is good” · 36 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 60% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Controls & feel -1.46 · Responsiveness, precision, and how the menus handle
Negative “janky controls, controller disconnect issues, no control customization” · 88 reviews
Positive “water physics and vehicle/equipment feel great, gameplay is good” · 36 reviews

Progression 3% · Difficulty 1% · Onboarding 13% · Freedom 13% · Strategy 5%

Plot, characters and the world

Not enough data — only 7% of reviews mention this.

World +2.27 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is

Story 0% · Characters 1%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value

Not enough data — only 7% of reviews mention this.

Variety -2.00 · Fresh content and situations versus repetition

Volume 6% · Replayability 0%

Graphics, art style, music and sound
Mentioned in 23% of reviews · Bottom 10% of the games we've analyzed

Visuals +0.52 · Graphics, art style, and animation
Positive “pleasant graphics with amusing animations” · 40 reviews
Negative “player character animation terrible, runs awkwardly” · 11 reviews

Audio 3%

Playing with others, the community and servers

Not enough data — only 9% of reviews mention this.

Playing together +0.70 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals

Community 1% · Servers & Connection 4%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 11% of reviews · Bottom 50% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing -0.17 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Negative “initial price is steep for early access with little playtesting” · 11 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Balance 1% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 76% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

Stability -1.15 · Crashes, freezes, save loss, and game-breaking bugs
Negative “bugs present but expected for V0.1 early access state” · 98 reviews
Positive “bugs expected in early access, developer deserves support” · 8 reviews

Performance 29% · Developer support 41%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

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