What happens when a sandbox game keeps growing for six years?

The result is a game shaped by constant updates that evolved into a deeper, more system-driven experience. The team at Foulball Hangover brings Hydroneer to Xbox on May 8th, making it available to console players worldwide.

A port of the full game, along with the Journey to Volcalidus DLC, is coming to Xbox Series X|S. It brings years of mining, engineering, and system-building together into a definitive experience, with couch co-op support and the sum of all its updates.

Exploration Meets Engineering

In Hydroneer, your journey starts small. You dig up resources, process them, refine, and sell what you produce to expand your operation. As new tools and machinery are purchased, the loop of handling the manual labor yourself evolves into something more complex. You get access to conveyor belts that move materials, pipes that keep systems running, and drills that automate resource gathering.

Even with its focus on systems, Hydroneer remains hands-on from the very beginning. You start by digging and processing resources yourself, gradually building toward setups that can take over the work for you. As you play on, the goal shifts from doing everything yourself manually to designing systems that can run on their own, allowing you to focus on expansion or even exploration.

New dig sites open up opportunities to expand across multiple locations, while trade hubs and quests give you work direction. Vehicles like the Hydro Truck and the powerful Hydro Mole make it easier to manage large-scale operations. At the same time, systems like farming and fishing offer additional ways to unplug, unwind, and enjoy the world.

As your Operation Grows, So Does the World Around it

For those looking to approach their factories in a different way, the Journey to Volcalidus expansion introduces a new region with its own interesting progression systems. With a world bigger than the original, it brings in new challenges like frozen terrain that requires specialized tools, along with lava-powered machinery that adds a new layer to how players power and build their new operations.

Beyond that, players can take part in more advanced crafting systems, using the forge hidden deep within a settlement known as Icehelm, creating masterwork tools and experimenting with different materials and modifiers to fine-tune how you can play. It gives players more control over how their systems perform, whether that’s improving basic output or adapting builds to fit the more demanding environment of the Volcalidus DLC.

That depth extends into the economy as well, prompting players to craft higher-value goods like weapons and jewelry to sell, turning operations into something more than just resource gathering. Combined with new tools, new quests, and huge spaces to build in, Volcalidus feels like a natural next step for players who want to push the challenge up a level.

For the team at Foulball Hangover, Hydroneer’s journey to Xbox reflects years of iteration and collaboration with its community. The devs have worked closely with players as the game has grown, shaping systems and features over time.

Now, with its console release coming up May 8, they’re excited to see what Xbox players create and what places they will enjoy as they dig in Hydroneer.

Hydroneer

Foulball Hangover

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

*We are aware of a bug on the Xbox store page which lists the game as playable on Xbox One. Hydroneer will only be playable on Series X and S.

Hydroneer is a mining sandbox game where you dig for gold and other resources to build massive mining machines and a base of operation. Use primitive tools, hydro-powered machines, and player-built structures to dig and evolve your operation in this tycoon-style progression system.

Dig Deep!
Using a state-of-the-art voxel based terrain system, you can create cave networks, quarry pits, or even mud mountains. Discover relics of the past in the depths of Hydroneer, with better rewards the deeper you dig.

Forge, Build, and Create!
Hydroneer features a dynamic modular system for building structures and hydro powered machinery. Create the base of operations from your own design to optimise your work. Create networks of hydro pipes, control pressure. Craft resources, weaponry, jewellery, grow vegetables, and cook soup for villagers.

Hydro Powered Vehicles
Large hydro powered machines used for a variety of uses, from digging resources and finding ore veins, to transporting goods.

Explore the World of Hydroneer
Various parcels of land await you in the world of Hydroneer, each with their own advantages. Deeper pits, attractive scenery, and closer stores. You decide where to build your base of operations.