Unofficial Steam game guide

Find the Needle

A mountain of hay. A tiny needle. Learn the opening loop, plan your first production line and turn the search into a factory.

Free demo available6 guides
Start the guideGet the free demo

Full game planned for Q4 2026

§ 01

What do you need help with?

GETTING STARTED01 / 03
From your first shovel to your first machine

Make sense of collecting, selling and choosing your next upgrade.

3 min→
AUTOMATION02 / 03
Connect belts and get the power running

Use sell-point snapping, check the grid and trace a stalled production line.

3 min→
DEMO & RELEASE03 / 03
Try the Steam demo

Install the demo, check your PC and make a copy of your save.

3 min→
§ 02

Machines, needles and demo updates

MACHINES & PRODUCTS01 / 03
Get to know the machines and products

Understand the equipment and the different ways hay can be processed.

3 min→
FINDING NEEDLES02 / 03
Missing a needle? Follow the hay products

Check the Silo, scanner bypasses and the reported 5/6 needle problem.

3 min→
DEMO UPDATES03 / 03
Follow the demo updates

Catch up on developer announcements and changes to the playable demo.

3 min→
§ 03

Machines, tools and hay products

Find equipment by its job, check how it connects and follow the hay into the next stage.

All guides →
A conveyor carries small hay clumps from a hay pile toward the SELL HAY stand.

10 records

Machines & logistics

Check conveyor connections, power, scanning paths and the equipment that keeps hay moving.

  1. 01Conveyor BeltBelts move hay between equipment. Demo V8 reworked snapping and added automatic pathfinding; F enables No Snap Mode when you need free placement.TransportDemo notes / discussion
  2. 02Hay Sell StandThe selling destination is marked SELL HAY. Demo V8 added snapping to its conveyor connection. A needle sold inside a hay product returns to the pile, according to the developer.SellingDemo notes / discussion
Browse Machines & logistics →
First-person pitchfork held in front of the hay pile.

3 records

Hand tools

Manual hay handling and needle detection before you expand the factory.

  1. 01Metal DetectorThe official store describes beginning the needle search by hand with a metal detector, before belts, scanners and robotic arms take over more of the work.Needle detectionFull-game store description
  2. 02PitchforkThe pitchfork is one of the manual hay tools named by the official store. The screenshots show it in first-person use beside the pile and a container.Hay handlingFull-game store description
Browse Hand tools →
Two strapped rectangular hay bales travel on branching conveyor belts beside green processing machines.

2 records

Hay products

Understand hay wads, hidden needles and the product families described for the full game.

  1. 01Hay WadA hay wad is packaged hay from a Silo. The developer confirms that it can contain a needle, so a packaged product is not automatically safe to sell without scanning.Packaged hayDemo notes / discussion
  2. 02Processed Hay ProductsThe full-game store describes hay pulp, compressed bales, eco bricks, hay paper and pellets. Use this overview to recognise the product families; it is not a list of everything unlocked in the demo.Processed productsFull-game store description
Browse Hay products →
§ 04

Get your production line working

LINE CHECK01 / 03
Trace a factory problem

Choose what you see and work through the next safe checks.

Interactive→
CHECKLIST02 / 03
Save your setup checklist

Check connections, power and scanning routes as you build.

Interactive→
CALCULATOR03 / 03
Compare production lines

Find bottlenecks and estimate payback from your observed rates.

Interactive→
About the game

The haystack is only the beginning

Find the Needle is a first-person hay-processing game by FindTheNeedleDev. Start with manual tools, earn money from hay and build machinery that takes over the work.

Conveyor belts, scanners and processing lines turn a simple search into a growing factory. This independent guide helps you get oriented without spoiling the mystery at the end.

View the game on Steam

At a glance

PlatformWindows · Steam
Available nowFree demo
Full game plannedQ4 2026