Satisfactory Announces Its First Expansion, Core Values

Coffee Stain Studios has announced Core Values, the first major paid expansion for Satisfactory, revealed on September 29 during the digital showcase The Big Break. Players will gain access to a sprawling underground cave network beneath MASSAGE 2(A-B)b, featuring new biomes, resources, buildings, and a separate storyline. The underground opens once you reach Tier 3 of HUB research. Underground factories operate alongside your surface production and can be linked through transport networks. The developers estimate that the expansion will offer around 400 to 500 hours of new content.The underground is a much harsher environment, with natural rock formations placing physical limits on how far factories can expand. Breaking through the terrain will require heavy crushers, foundries, and industrial hammers. The caves are home to hostile creatures as well as a friendly-looking one-eyed feline, which Coffee Stain clearly included as a contrast to the darker atmosphere. To handle the more complex lighting and level streaming required by the underground environments, Satisfactory is also moving to Unreal Engine 5.6.Core Values will launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, but not in 2026. A specific release date has not been announced yet. Satisfactory reached version 1.0 in September 2024 and has received only free updates since then, making Core Values the first paid content in the game's history.