What's the research order?

Red (automation) → green (logistics) → gray (military) → blue (chemical) → yellow (utility) → purple (production) → white (space). Each tier adds more complex ingredients (green circuits, red circuits, blue circuits, plastic, batteries, and so on). Build out the production lines as you go.

What do I need to launch a rocket?

A rocket silo, a satellite, rocket fuel, low-density structures, and rocket control units. The volumes required are large, so your endgame factory needs a noticeable step up in scale. Nuclear power is also a comfortable safety net for that stage.

What's the Space Age expansion?

The official paid expansion that extends the game beyond the rocket launch to multiple planets. Each planet has unique materials and tech, and you move resources between them — a much larger logistics challenge. It's aimed at players who've cleared the base game.

How long to finish the base game?

Depends heavily on playstyle, but a first playthrough runs roughly 30 to 80 hours. Efficient runs land near 30, while building a beautiful, neat factory easily takes 100+. Post-clear, mods, Space Age, and challenge runs like Death World extend the game indefinitely.

Factorio Progression｜Red to White Science Order and Rocket Launch

The Big Picture — Seven Science Packs

Factorio's base campaign progresses through seven science pack colors. Each new color you produce and consume in your labs unlocks the next bracket of tech.

Color	Name	Key Ingredients
Red	Automation	Gears, copper plate
Green	Logistic	Belts, inserters
Gray	Military	Shells, gun barrels, grenades
Blue	Chemical	Green circuits, sulfur, engines
Yellow	Utility	Batteries, red circuits, low-density structures
Purple	Production	Productivity modules, electric engines
White	Space	Produced by rocket launches

Late-game research consumes all seven packs in parallel. Reaching that point means every ingredient chain has to be running steadily — which is when your factory starts looking like a real industrial complex.

What to Build at Each Stage

1

Red and green (early game)

Belts, assemblers, electric drills, steam power. Lock down basic parts automation.
2

Gray and blue (mid game)

Chemical plants, oil refining, plastic, sulfur. Mass green-circuit production is the bottleneck.
3

Yellow and purple (late game)

Red circuits, blue circuits, batteries, module factories. Many players bring nuclear power online here.
4

White (rocket launch)

Build the rocket silo and feed it rocket fuel, low-density structures, and rocket control units. Launch with a satellite onboard.

The jump from gray to blue is steep. Oil processing (refine → crack → convert) and fluid handling enter the picture, and many players stall here. Aggressively oversize your station counts and throughput targets to push through.

Rocket Launch and Beyond

Loading the silo with parts and a satellite and launching completes the base campaign and unlocks white science. From there you can expand forever, or jump into the Space Age expansion and take the factory across multiple planets.

There are many ways to enjoy post-clear Factorio — build a pretty factory, finish every research, take on Space Age, dive into mods. The lack of a real "end" is one of the game's biggest strengths.

Pair With Factory Design

To progress efficiently, the main bus layout is essential. The bus pattern is covered in Main Bus Design, and the foundational early game is in the Beginner Guide.

★Honest Take: That White Science Moment

Honestly, the first time a launched rocket starts producing white science back at your labs is special. Dozens of hours of factory building have reached their final stage, and the relief plus pride is unique to this game. Factorio is worth seeing through to the end — and if you push on into Space Age, an even bigger industrial saga awaits.