Players are apparently spending 'tens of hours' building factories in Arknights: Endfield as dev says the 'sandbox' mechanics set the game apart

• Arknights: Endfield is proving popular with players, according to developer Hypergryph
• Its apparently down to its unique factory building mechanics
• The studio says players spent more time playing Arknights: Endfield on average than "other similar games" thanks to them

Arknights: Endfield might look similar to countless anime-inspired free-to-play gacha games, but its unique blend of base-building factory management and action role-playing game (RPG) combat is quite unlike anything else on the market.

It's basically Factorio meets Genshin Impact, and this distinct formula has won over plenty of players, according to developer Hypergryph. Speaking with GamesRadar+, lead developer Ryan argued that in other titles, "players cannot influence the world," whereas in Arknights: Endfield, "the factory building part introduced some of the experience from the sandbox games, which makes players feel different."

He added that players spent more time in Arknights: Endfield on average than "other similar games" and that it's "because of the sandbox." They are putting "a lot more time in the game than we expected," he continued, with some spending "tens of hours in the system" building virtual supply chains.

"We still think that players are expecting something new," he summarized. "For some open-world RPG gacha games, for some titles, they are so similar that players go into the game for one hour and they know what will happen in the next 20 hours."

Arknights: Endfield reached more than 35 million pre-registrations before it was released back in January 2026 and is available now for PlayStation 5, PC, and mobile phones. A spin-off title set in the popular Arknights universe, it's clearly managed to attract a decent audience in a very competitive space.

The best gaming consoles

➡️ Read our full guide to the best gaming consoles
1. Best overall:
PlayStation 5 Slim
2. Best budget:
Xbox Series S
3. Best handheld:
Nintendo Switch 2
4. Most powerful:
PlayStation 5 Pro

Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.