Survive and Extract
How to Extract
Extraction is the most attention-heavy moment in SAND — your whole crew is watching the green smoke and the orbital pickup window. Miss it and everything you carried stays on the dunes.
Step-by-Step Extraction
- Reach an Evacuation Zone. It shows on the map as a white door icon. In Voyage all evacuation zones are visible from the start.
- Drive your Trampler into the zone. The zone is marked by a radio tower with a white door symbol; you get a HUD prompt within ~200m.
- Power down. Cut the main power so the chimney stops smoking — a running, moving Trampler will cancel the pickup.
- Climb the central tower and interact with the radio. This starts the countdown.
- Wait for the green smoke. The green-smoke signal is the game's main broadcast to the server and every player — you can't hide it, so use it to set up a defense.
- Hold until the dropship arrives and lowers its cable. Step off the vehicle as the ship lifts; items not on the Trampler can be carried up a single box at a time via the cable.
Countdown conflict — verify in-game: sources disagree on the timer — the official getting-started guide states a 90-second countdown, while some community write-ups describe ~60 seconds. Treat the exact number as unconfirmed and confirm it in your own run; either way, enemy fire or a moving Trampler cancels the extraction.
Voyage vs Storm Dive
Voyage
Persistent open world with no sandstorm timer. All evacuation points are open from the start — extract at your own pace. The safe place to learn (your first 10–15 hours).
Storm Dive
Battle-royale style: the sandstorm closes on the center under a time limit, with higher-value loot. You must survive at least two storm contractions before extraction unlocks. The shrinking circle makes late extractions far more dangerous.
Solo vs Squad
- A 2–4 person crew splits roles — pilot, deck gunner, on-foot looter, rear guard — and extracts far more reliably.
- Solo servers exist, but one person must drive, fight, loot and extract alone. Expect a harder time.
- Locked crates do not count as loot — before you leave, confirm you are carrying what is actually worth taking.
Related: keep your Trampler alive to reach the zone with the anti-boarding defense tips, and don't over-commit resources early — see the beginner guide.
Content note: SAND is in Early Access — Storm Dive contraction rules and extraction timings can change with patches. This reflects the EA launch window; re-check after major updates and verify in-game.