The development team behind Factorio has released the 2.1 experimental update, introducing a substantial overhaul of the circuit network system alongside numerous quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes. This release marks a significant step forward for the factory automation simulator, expanding player control over complex systems.
Circuit Network Expansion
The 2.1 update dramatically broadens the scope of circuit network connectivity. Pipes, pipes to ground, and storage tanks can now be connected to the circuit network, allowing players to read pipeline contents and fluid temperature. Boilers and heat exchangers gain similar connectivity, enabling precise temperature monitoring and control. Labs can now be integrated into the circuit network, reading contents, current research cost, and technology level, with the ability to set current research based on conditions. Land mines and heat pipes also receive circuit network support.
A new "universe" mode of operation for radar circuit connections facilitates transfer of cross-surface signals, a feature particularly valuable for players managing multiple planets in the Space Age expansion.
Space Age Enhancements
For players with the Space Age expansion, the update introduces several targeted improvements. Space platform hubs can now set requests from the circuit network, and orbital requests can be configured to import from any planet or from other space platforms. The system now batches small platform requests into single rockets and supports mixed rockets filled manually or with inserters for automated launches.
Fulgora oil sands receive new ruins and decoratives. Storage tank fluid volume and cargo wagon inventory size now scale with quality, while locomotive power and max speed also increase with higher quality tiers. Elevated rails can now be placed over cargo bays, blocking them from receiving cargo pods in this state. A new landing pad unloading bay has been added.
Quality-of-Life Improvements
Several features aim to streamline factory management. Pumpjacks and burner mining drills can now be flipped, and inserters can be flipped to make blueprint flipping more reliable. Circuit connectable entities with control GUIs now have settings grouped into "Input" and "Output" sections. Players can select which wires (red, green, or both) should be used by a circuit connectable entity for input and output separately.
Requester and buffer chests can now set requests and read contents simultaneously. Pumps can connect to fluid wagons on both ends, and flamethrower turrets now rotate in eight directions instead of four. Latency hiding has been added for remotely driven cars, and spidertrons gain patrol support. Fast transferring modules to entity ghosts adds them as module requests, and locomotives will auto-pull fuel from passengers if needed.
Interface and Usability
Factoriopedia receives a pin feature that keeps it open while working on other tasks, plus a button to hide unresearched content. Fluid mixing warnings now appear when attempting to connect two pipes with different fluids. An interface setting disables visualization of fluid pipelines when holding a fluid-related entity, and a checkbox with a hotkey (unbound by default) visualizes fluid pipelines that an entity belongs to.
A new shortcut toggles visibility of tall entities, making elevated rails translucent and unselectable. Right-clicking a pin with a spidertron remote sends spiders to the pin location. A hotkey toggles snap-to-grid on the currently held blueprint. Support for language IME on macOS and Linux, plus on-screen keyboards on Windows and Linux desktops, has been added. The "auto" Linux video driver setting prefers Wayland if the compositor implements fifo-v1, otherwise defaults to X11. Blueprint string drag-and-drop now works on Wayland. A "Time" mode for the selector combinator reads game tick, time of day, and day duration.
System Requirements and Migration
As part of graphics and audio system updates, the minimum Linux GLIBC requirement rises to 2.36 (released in 2022). The macOS minimum requirement increases to 10.13 (High Sierra). Headless and Steam versions are unaffected by the Linux change. Players should back up saves and blueprints before switching, as 2.1 saves cannot be downgraded to 2.0.
Bug Fixes
The update resolves a clipping issue on cargo pods attached to rockets and fixes a deadlock where inserters would stall if ammo spoiled while mid-swing toward a turret.
Experimental Access
Players can opt into the experimental release via clean download from the official site, website version update settings, or Steam properties. The team encourages bug reports and gameplay feedback through official forums and the Crowdin translation project.
