Sandcrown is a free browser real-time strategy game set on the desert world Ashar. Harvest glimmer, build on rock, and train an army across four missions. Your harvesters need access to the dunes, where a sandmaw can swallow exposed units.
Key Takeaways
- Sandcrown is a Dune II-style RTS in pixel art: harvesters, refineries, power, a factory and a giant worm under the sand.
- You command the Imperial Guard on the desert world Ashar against the Black Guard, still loyal to the old Tox Emperor.
- Structures can only stand on rock and must touch your base, so the shape of the plateau decides how your base grows.
- The sandmaw swallows anything that moves across the open sand, and harvesters are its favorite prey.
- Four missions build up from a first camp to storming the Crown, the Black Guard's fortress above the richest glimmer field on Ashar.
A desert RTS in the Dune II tradition
Ashar is the desert world where the Imperial Guard trains its recruits. The Black Guard, soldiers still loyal to the old Tox Emperor, want it for themselves, and they want the glimmer buried in its sand. Warden Ben Gunts briefs you before every mission, and then it's up to you.
You begin with a construction yard and limited funds. Build a working economy before committing everything to units, while leaving enough defense to protect the harvesters and refinery. The mission briefing tells you whether the objective is gathering resources or destroying a target.
Glimmer: the economy that drives everything
Glimmer pays for everything. Harvesters drive out onto the glimmer fields, scoop up the crystals and haul them back to a refinery. Every refinery comes with a free harvester that finds the nearest field on its own.
Structures and units are paid for while they are being built, so your money drains as the progress bar fills. When you run out, production simply pauses until more glimmer arrives. More harvesters and a second refinery near a big field mean a faster income, giving you more resources for production and repairs. You still need to protect the route and use the resulting army well.
Power matters too. Solar plants supply it, and the power bar at the top of the map shows how much you use against how much you make. When it turns red, everything builds at half speed and turrets fire slower.
Build on rock, fight on sand
Structures can only stand on rock, on ground you have already explored, and right next to one of your other buildings. The footprint turns green where a building fits. On some maps the rock plateau is generous. On others you have to grow your base along a narrow ridge, and that shape decides where your defenses go.
The open sand belongs to the sandmaw. It travels under the dunes, surfaces under whatever moves across the sand and swallows it whole, then dives and rests before it hunts again. It never comes onto rock. When the warning SANDMAW SIGN appears, keep your units on solid ground. Harvesters attract it the most, so it pays to keep a spare one ready.
Units: troopers, lancers, raiders and tanks
The barracks trains infantry and the factory builds vehicles:
- Troopers carry rifles. They are cheap and good against enemy infantry.
- Lancers fire rockets that crack armor and structures.
- Raiders are fast scouts for finding the enemy and harassing harvesters.
- Tanks are tough and hit hard, and they can drive straight over enemy soldiers.
- Rocket launchers hit from long range and are deadly against vehicles and buildings.
Turrets guard your base. Each side can field up to 40 units at once, so choose a mix that can handle the targets you expect. Damaged structures can be repaired for glimmer and unwanted ones sold for half their worth.
Four missions on Ashar
- First camp. Set up your base and harvest 2,500 glimmer while Black Guard raiders and lancers ambush your harvesters.
- The beacon. Destroy the beacon the Black Guard needs to bring in its armies by fleet catapult.
- The cliff base. Break into a fortress walled in by cliffs.
- The Crown. Storm the Black Guard's stronghold on a plateau above the richest glimmer field on Ashar.
The Black Guard harvests, rebuilds and sends attack waves that grow over time. If the enemy still has a construction yard it rebuilds whatever you destroy, so hitting the yard early pays off.
How to play Sandcrown
- Select a unit with a click, drag a box to select several, or double-click to select every unit of that kind on screen.
- Move by clicking the ground. A plain move ignores enemies on the way, which is how you retreat.
- Attack-move by clicking the same spot twice. Your units fight whatever they meet.
- Attack by clicking an enemy.
- Build from the panel: click a structure, wait until it says READY, then click on the rock to place it.
- Q selects your whole army, X stops, Space centers the view, P pauses and M toggles sound.
On a phone, the map sits above the command panel. Tap to select and command, drag to scroll, tap the minimap to jump, and tap twice on the map to place a building.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sandcrown like Dune II?
Yes, it follows the same idea as the classic desert real-time strategy games: harvest a crystal resource from the sand, build a base on rock, train an army and watch out for a giant worm. Its missions follow the Imperial Guard and Black Guard on Ashar.
Is Sandcrown free to play?
Yes. Sandcrown is a free RTS in your browser with no download. Sign in for supported leaderboard results, achievements, and mission unlocks. Unlocking a mission is different from saving an active battle; check the game's continue options before leaving.
Why can't I place a building?
Buildings can only stand on rock, on explored ground, and right next to one of your other structures. They also can't block the unloading pad in front of a refinery. The footprint turns green where the building fits.
How is the score calculated?
Every enemy unit and structure you destroy is worth points, and so is the glimmer you harvest. Each cleared mission adds a large bonus that grows with the mission number, plus extra points for finishing under the par time.
Can I play Sandcrown on my phone?
Yes. In portrait mode the map sits above the command panel. Tap to select and command units, drag to scroll and tap twice to place a finished structure.
Take Ashar back
Start Sandcrown with the first camp mission and learn the glimmer route before expanding the base. For other strategy and combat games, try Titan Siege or the maze-building defense in Crystal Maze TD.