Scavenging for materials and crafting to stay alive is the heart of Abiotic Factor, a first-person survival crafting game from Deep Field Games. You play a scientist trapped in the GATE Cascade Research Facility, an underground complex beneath the Western Australian outback in 1993, after a containment failure lets creatures from other dimensions pour in. You can play solo or in co-op with up to five friends, and crossplay works across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
A typical session is a cycle of gathering, crafting, and staying alive. You pick a PhD and traits at the start, which set your skills, then search empty offices and labs for materials, because everything you make depends on what you find. Hunger and thirst rise over time, and fatigue builds when you go too long without rest, so food, water, and sleep become part of every trip out. At 9 PM the power and lights shut off until 6 AM, and on some nights portal storms send enemies after your base, so you need stored power and a place to rest before dark.
Your goal is to escape to the surface. The story moves through the facility one sector at a time, and each new sector opens once you craft the specialized tech it needs. Along the way you also travel through portals into other worlds for materials, and the story comes through audio logs, emails, and voiced characters.
- Developer
- Deep Field Games
- Publisher
- Playstack
- Release
- Steam Early Access: 2024-05-02 · Global full release: 2025-07-22
- Platforms
- Windows PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
Game data
Weapons and Ammo
Weapons and ammo cover everything you use to fight in Abiotic Factor, from melee weapons and shields to guns, throwables and the bolts, discs and rounds that feed them. Melee weapons level up Blunt Melee or Sharp Melee, heavy weapons depend on Strength, and ranged guns need matching ammo or battery charge. Weapons and shields wear down with use, so repair materials and the Repair and Salvage Station keep your arsenal working.
Armor and Gear
Armor and gear are the items your character wears in Abiotic Factor, including head, chest, arm and leg armor, full-body suits, backpacks, wristwatches, headlamps and trinkets. Armor protects you from harm, while suits and certain pieces guard against cold and heat. Backpacks add storage and reduce the weight of what you carry, and watches, headlamps and trinkets offer tools or effects. Many pieces can be crafted, upgraded and repaired as they wear down.
Sectors
The GATE Cascade Research Facility is split into the Office Sector, Manufacturing West, Cascade Laboratories, Security Sector, Hydroplant, Reactors and Residence Sector. Each one has its own job, and you open them as the story moves on, with trams, elevators and tunnels linking many of them together. Together they cover the facility from its industrial floors to its labs and living quarters.
Abiotic Factor Controls
| Action | Desktop |
|---|---|
| Move | W, A, S, D |
| Sprint | Left Shift |
| Crafting and research menu | C |
| Dismantle objects | Hold F |
Abiotic Factor gameplay tips
- Plan your trips to end before 9 PM. Power and lights shut off at 9 PM and stay off until 6 AM, and crafting and cooking stations go dark with them.
- Build a Crafting Bench and plug it into power. Most items need one, and it becomes the heart of your base. On portal storm nights, enemies go for the nearest Crafting Bench, so defend it.
- Store power for the night. Batteries charge during the day and keep your powered devices running through the blackout, so build them before you rely on lights or traps overnight.
- Pick your PhD and traits with care. They can't be changed mid-game. If you're unsure, Lab Assistant and Summer Intern start with the most trait points, and Hobbyist Chef (2 points) doubles Cooking progress, which is slow to build otherwise.
- Eat, drink and rest before the bars run low. Hunger, thirst, and fatigue all wear you down, and waiting until a bar is almost empty means you start fights already weakened.
- Keep food and tools on your hotbar. Items on your hotbar stay with you if you die, so a bad fight won't leave you empty-handed. Other items drop where you died, so you can go back for them.