Sands of Salzaar on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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Bringing you to an exotic desert where you’ll recruit, train, and guide your troops into battle against rival cities and factions. Embark on an adventure that’s uniquely yours; Customizable characters, professions, and factions. The land is filled with a variety of hidden secrets.
Sands of Salzaar is a open world, rpg and strategy game
developed by 汉家松鼠Han-Squirrel Studio
and published by XD.
Released on December 15th 2021 is available only on Windows
in 2 languages: Simplified Chinese and English.
It has received 22,641 reviews of which 18,556 were positive and 4,085 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.0 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 12.49€ on Steam, but you can find it for less on Eneba.
The Steam community has classified Sands of Salzaar into these genres:
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 8 / Windows 10 64 bit
- Processor: 2.50GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: HD4400
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 4 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 1920x1080 屏幕分辨率
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Feels like a mix of Mount & Blade (armies roaming the maps, fighting, doing quests, recruiting more soldiers and training them up, and capturing towns) and Dynasty Warriors (you have both heroes and soldiers, and heroes with their powers and magic are a lot stronger than armies, but you do need both to do well). Full disclaimer: it is clear this game was not written in English, and had to be translated. Having said that, the translations are fairly good - there are a handful of buttons or text that are unclear, but for the most part, as an English speaker, I could follow along and the story made sense. I think in my entire 23 hours of playing, I only ran into one (very niche) dialog option where the character name did not translate correctly, which I think is quite impressive. There are a few graphical issues though (e.g. I could never see how many reinforcements are left for either side as the box at the top overflowed), but all in all, unlike most translated games, it never felt like too much of a hurdle. I did not go into this type of game expecting much from the story, and for the most part it's relatively filler. However, I did get quite capitvated with it towards the end, and stayed up until 3am finishing the last bits of the story xD So it was definitely a good inclusion. The game is definitely rough around the edges, and has some glaring issues: stuff like the pathfinding sucking at times. The auto walk usually works fine, but I have on quite a few occasions had other armies following me, only to get stuck on a nearby tree, and I had to run around and order them back and force trying to get them unstuck. This occurs both in the open world and in the combat. It works 90% of the time, but you'll definitely notice it when it fails. There is also some QOL I REALLY with the game would add, such as being able to change the equipment of your other leaders in your faction when you have your own faction. You can recruit them into your team, and change their gear that way, but needing to pull them into your team, change the gear, then go to the menu, find out what town they were from, and do the dialogs to send them back, is quite a bit of effort - especially when you have 30-40 people to do it for... This is mostly noticable as if they don't have mounts, they WILL fall behind when trying to follow you on the open map, leading to needless micromanaging. I REALLY wish this game allowed your other faction lords to pull gear from the towns, so I could just drop off my extra gear and mounts and they'd figure it out. Having said all of that, it took me around 23 hours to do my first easy playthrough of the campaign/story, and I I am very excited to try a different character, and the harder difficulties, and find all the stuff I missed (there is a lot of hidden challenges and things in this game), so definitely feel like I got my moneys worth, and the game scratched an itch that I've been struggling with for quite a while. I have not tried any of the DLCs so can't comment on them. I enjoyed playing it, and it feels like a good game, that is just still rough around the edges. Your mileage may very, but it was the type of game I was looking for, and I really enjoyed it!
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I have played this game for a bit, and I think its very solid all around. It is a Mount and Blade Clone (and I have thousands of hours on Mount and Blade). This game is similar to one of the better mods of Mount and Blade, like Perisno. It has magic and fantasy. It has some great elements like being able to marry a female hero of your choice, and have children (and raise the children into heroes). I would give this game a 9/10 or even a 10/10. I am shocked and confused how this game can only have 50% on steam. But then I think back to other amazing titles like Pathfinder Kingmaker, which also had 50% steam approval at one point. Sometimes steam review scores just really miss the mark.
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Sands of Salzaar is an ambitious open-world action RPG that blends elements of strategy, sandbox exploration, and light storytelling in a stylized fantasy desert setting. Set in a world left fractured after the fall of a great empire, the game drops you into the shoes of a wandering hero navigating political unrest, territorial conflict, and arcane mysteries. The tone is one of slow-burning discovery—players aren’t guided by rigid objectives but encouraged to chart their own course, making decisions that shape the landscape in subtle and sometimes dramatic ways. Right from the start, you’re given access to a large and interconnected map, with various regions controlled by different factions, each pursuing their own goals. It’s a world that reacts to your choices and movements, where a simple skirmish between bandits can ripple into a city changing hands if you're not paying attention. This dynamism is one of the game’s strongest suits, even when some systems feel undercooked or unrefined. Character creation is surprisingly robust, offering a variety of starting classes—from spell-slinging Ifrits to beastmasters, duelists, and elemental monks—each with their own unique skills and story hooks. Alternatively, you can start with a custom class, tailoring your ability tree for a personalized experience. The game doesn't rush you toward any goal, so whether you want to amass wealth through trading, lead armies into conquest, or focus on completing regional quests, it all depends on your playstyle. That freedom is where Sands of Salzaar shines brightest. The core loop involves exploring the world, building your army, completing quests for gold and items, and ultimately either supporting or undermining the dominant factions. You can even establish your own power base by capturing cities and defending them from rival claimants. While this creates a compelling rise-from-nothing arc, it’s also easy to get lost without a clear direction, especially early on. The game expects you to figure out its logic through trial and error, which can be frustrating for players used to more guided experiences. Combat is where the game falters for many. On the surface, it presents a real-time strategy-light system where you command troops and heroes across sprawling battlefields. In practice, however, fights often devolve into chaotic, unreadable brawls. Unit AI can be unreliable, and the lack of precise control makes larger battles feel more like number contests than tactical engagements. Your hero can use flashy abilities and dodge-roll mechanics to carve through enemies, but the responsiveness and feedback are inconsistent. While some players adapt and grow to enjoy the messiness, others find it tiresome. For all the effort put into troop progression—leveling units, promoting them into elite variants, and equipping your heroes—there's little tactical nuance. The spectacle of a large battle is impressive in scale, but it rarely demands much strategic thought beyond overwhelming force. The RPG elements are expansive, even if occasionally overwhelming. You’re constantly leveling up not only your main character but your recruited heroes, managing armies, trading goods between cities, and exploring dungeons for rare loot. Skill trees are deep and offer diverse builds, which encourages experimentation across multiple playthroughs. A legacy system lets you carry progress forward between runs, gradually unlocking better starting perks and gear. This long-term structure is ideal for players who enjoy investing in incremental growth and seeing their power snowball over time. However, the interface for managing these systems is clunky at times, and the game doesn’t always explain key mechanics well. There are moments when you’ll stare at menus or troop screens unsure of what a specific stat does or whether your choices are meaningful. Graphically, Sands of Salzaar operates on a budget, but its charm is undeniable. The character portraits are hand-drawn in a bold, expressive art style, and the overworld features painterly desert vistas, shifting sandstorms, and vibrant city hubs that evoke a strong atmosphere. Though the battlefield visuals are more functional than impressive, the game compensates with a stylized UI and some imaginative spell effects. The music is subtle but effective, evoking the exotic fantasy tone with Middle Eastern and Asian influences. However, one of the game’s persistent issues is its English localization, which remains rough even post-launch. Dialogues often read awkwardly, and many quest texts suffer from grammatical errors or unclear instructions. While the core narrative isn’t the centerpiece of the game, these translation problems break immersion and can make key story moments feel flat. Technically, the game is relatively stable on PC, though not without its quirks. Players have reported occasional crashes, inconsistent resolution scaling, and UI glitches, especially when changing settings mid-session. The mobile ports are less reliable, with reports of language settings reverting to Chinese and story modes becoming unstable after extended play. That said, the developers have demonstrated a commitment to updates, releasing balance patches and new content post-launch. Modding support is also present, which has allowed some players to tweak mechanics or fix annoyances. It’s clear that the developers had a strong vision—they simply lacked the resources to fully polish the experience. Despite its flaws, Sands of Salzaar is a compelling game for players who enjoy forging their own story in a reactive world. Its sandbox design, freedom of choice, and large-scale battles echo the spirit of games like Mount & Blade or Battle Brothers, while the RPG systems give it a progression depth that keeps you invested for dozens of hours. It’s not a game for everyone—those looking for tight combat mechanics, a strong central story, or polished presentation may find themselves frustrated. But for the patient and curious, it offers a vast playground where your choices matter and every run can unfold differently. It’s an impressive feat for an indie project, one that manages to be greater than the sum of its sometimes clunky parts. Rating: 7/10
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A Wild, Wacky Desert Romp Sands of Salzaar on Steam is a chaotic, gorgeous open-world RPG that hooked me from the start. I dove in blind, ignoring guides, and spent hours fumbling through its vibrant desert world, leading my ragtag army of wolves and mages into battles that felt like Dynasty Warriors on a 2D acid trip. The art is stunning, the freedom to conquer or befriend factions is thrilling, and the janky translation only adds to its quirky charm. I lost countless hours exploring, laughing when I accidentally pissed off a tribe, then won them over with a shiny rock. It’s not perfect—bugs and vague quests can frustrate—but the joy of discovering this sandbox gem solo makes every misstep worth it. If you love getting lost in a game, give this a spin. You’ll thank me later.
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The translations are worded like words spoken to me by a mental patient in such a way that you have to think about what they really mean.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Sands of Salzaar is currently priced at 12.49€ on Steam.
Sands of Salzaar is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 12.49€ on Steam.
Sands of Salzaar received 18,556 positive votes out of a total of 22,641 achieving a rating of 8.04.
😎
Sands of Salzaar was developed by 汉家松鼠Han-Squirrel Studio and published by XD.
Sands of Salzaar is playable and fully supported on Windows.
Sands of Salzaar is not playable on MacOS.
Sands of Salzaar is not playable on Linux.
Sands of Salzaar is a single-player game.
There are 5 DLCs available for Sands of Salzaar. Explore additional content available for Sands of Salzaar on Steam.
Sands of Salzaar is fully integrated with Steam Workshop. Visit Steam Workshop.
Sands of Salzaar does not support Steam Remote Play.
Sands of Salzaar is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Sands of Salzaar.
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Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 18 January 2026 00:33 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 28 January 2026 06:59 |
| Steam price | 28 January 2026 20:49 |
| Steam reviews | 28 January 2026 07:53 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Sands of Salzaar, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Sands of Salzaar
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Sands of Salzaar concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Sands of Salzaar compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
46
Developer
汉家松鼠Han-Squirrel Studio
Publisher
XD
Release
15 Dec 2021
Platforms
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