Restoring plant community composition and structure to a "near-climax" state is a primary goal in the rehabilitation of degraded arid grasslands. This process is strongly influenced by habitat conditions, yet the underlying soil-driven mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated three habitat types and their naturally restored communities in the desert steppe of northern China: native habitat (H1), native habitat with sandification of the 0-40 cm soil layer (H2), and native habitat with sandification of the 0-60 cm soil layer (H3). The H1 community was used as a reference for the near-climax state. Based on species composition and functional groups, we assessed habitat-dependent restoration patterns and their key soil-related drivers. As habitats transitioned from H1 to H2 and H3, near-climax components-such as perennial Poaceae forage (Stipa breviflora, Cleistogenes squarrosa)-declined significantly by 34.07-50.18 %, while poisonous perennial Leguminosae (Sophora alopecuroides) and annual Chenopodiaceae weeds (Corispermum mongolicum) increased by 12.30-32.92 %. Notably, perennial Poaceae forage exhibited strong habitat dependence, whereas perennial Leguminosae forage remained relatively stable across habitat types. These shifts were concentrated in dominant and common plant groups, with soil variables explaining 49.46 and 32.49 % of their variation, respectively (P = 0.001). The silt-clay to sand ratio (S/C), soil organic carbon at 10 cm (SOC_10 cm), and available phosphorus at 5 cm (SAP_5 cm) each accounted for 8.8-15.8 % of the explained variation. S/C and SOC_10 cm were positively associated with near-climax species recovery, while SAP_5 cm promoted the expansion of poisonous weed groups. These findings underscore the critical role of soil texture and nutrients in shaping community recovery trajectories in arid grasslands.