One day before launch, Sand delayed and shifted to Early Access

Sand: Raiders of Sophie has been delayed a day before its planned launch and will now arrive in Early Access on June 22. Yesterday global launch times and regional pricing were posted in the game's Discord, suggesting the launch was on track, but a new announcement this morning pushed the date back.

This is not the first postponement: Steam previously listed a March 2026 release window until the developer admitted late in March that the game wasn't ready.

The title featured at Summer Games Fest and a recent Server Slam drew tens of thousands of new players, producing extensive feedback on balancing and features. The team said that input showed the need to involve the community more closely through an Early Access period.

Server capacity also proved an issue, with over half of players experiencing connectivity problems at higher populations. A sanity-check playtest is planned around June 15, and the team says it has a plan to stabilise servers but needs extra time before the June 22 launch.

sand raiders, early access, launch delay, steam, server slam, server capacity, connectivity issues, playtest, community feedback, summer games