Factorio effectively created a genre with its lovable blend of base building, management, and survival, and it's been a Steam icon ever since it first hit early access way back in 2016. Even after a 1.0 release, a 2.0 update, and a major DLC expansion the devs have made good on their promise to never put the game on sale, and now we're here at yet another milestone with Factorio 2.1.
After months in testing, the 2.1 update has now been officially released, offering "a big collection of quality of life, small features, polish, and the things we wanted to do for 2.0 but didn't have time for," according to the announcement on Steam.
The full patch notes are stuffed with catnip for hardcore fans – "rockets can now carry multiple different items in one launch," "elevated rails can now be built over cargo bays," and "land mines can be used as tripwires and enemy detectors," for example – but arguably the most notable part is that this is likely to be the game's final milestone. The devs at Wube Software previously described it as the "last major update" they plan to create.
It's possible a few more minor patches for Factorio may land to clean up bugs and the like, but this update marks the end of an era. Factorio has been a staple on Steam, one that's earned over 234,000 positive Steam reviews, resulting in a 98% overwhelmingly positive rating. According to Steam250, that makes it the 35th best game on Valve's platform, just one step behind Elden Ring.
The game's sterling reputation and masses of players come despite the fact that, unlike pretty much every other game on Valve's platform, the devs resolutely refuse to put Factorio on sale. In fact, they actually raised the game's price in 2023 "to account for inflation."
"It isn't about visibility or sales," the devs said of their zero sale stance back in 2016, "it's about respecting the players who have already purchased the game. We don't want to reward the people who hold off on buying the game, the game is a price we find reasonable, and this is the deal. If you think it is priced too high, then it is your choice to not purchase, and we hope that with enough time, and extra development, we will be able to convince you of its value."
Clearly, a whole lot of people have been convinced of that value over the years, including a new console audience thanks to the game's releases on Switch and Switch 2. Back in 2025, the devs said they were already "laying some groundwork for what our next project could look like," and if it's anything like Factorio, it could be the stuff of indie gaming legends.
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