Launched in 2020, the crafting, base-building, and mining sandbox game Hydroneer has become a notable indie triumph, selling over 500,000 copies by 2022. Now, it unveils its latest expansion, Journey to Volcalidus, offering a vast new environment for players to explore and profit from: the island of Volcalidus, which is “over 6 times the size of the original island” and includes a town to rebuild.

This expansion introduces a substantial new crane truck, a variety of deep-underground resources to extract, and lava-powered machinery that utilizes the island’s volcano to streamline tasks. Additionally, players can now enhance their tools and machines for greater efficiency while crafting.

Accompanying the expansion is a significant patch of free quality-of-life updates and fixes for Hydroneer owners. The most prominent features include building snapping and a lighting overhaul, alongside improvements to vehicle handling and various performance optimizations.

Hydroneer initially caught the attention due to its unconventional lack of an inventory system, which turned out to be well-received by players.
Since then, the game has achieved substantial success and reached a polished modern state, receiving updates such as power and logic systems, local multiplayer, and vehicles in a major 2.0 update in 2022.

Hydroneer and its expansion, Journey to Volcalidus, are available on Steam. Currently, Hydroneer is offered at a 50% discount—$7.50—until April 12.