The day has come - Space Engineers 2 Alpha has officially launched on Steam Early Access!
After months of anticipation and hard work, we’re excited to take this first step together. The thrilling journey of Space Engineers 2 starts now, and we invite you all to be part of it. The release of the Alpha and Vertical Slice1: Creative Mode is just the beginning - there’s so much more ahead!
We’re taking a unique approach to developing Space Engineers 2 with our Vertical Slice strategy. A Vertical Slice is a fully playable portion of the game that showcases specific core features and improvements implemented at production quality. It serves as a milestone in the game’s development, allowing us to focus on delivering polished gameplay in stages while more features are added in subsequent slices.
You have now access to VS1: Creative Mode. Additional Vertical Slices will follow in the months after, each expanding the game's features and content. This development process will continue over the next few years until we achieve our full vision for Space Engineers 2.
Forging the Future Together
But first let’s talk openly and honestly about the Space Engineers 2 Alpha - the word “Alpha” is really important. Releasing Space Engineers 2 in such an early stage of development isn’t just a milestone for us; it’s a deliberate choice. It reflects our commitment to transparency, collaboration, and building something incredible together with our players.
We’re just as excited about Space Engineers 2 as you are. We couldn’t wait for you to get your hands on it and see what amazing creations you’ll dream up within this new chapter of the Space Engineers universe. Your creativity inspires us, and we know the game will truly shine as you begin to explore, experiment, and push its boundaries.
We’ve seen firsthand the power of a great symbiosis with our community. Space Engineers 1 was shaped, refined, and elevated by your ideas, feedback, and passion. You push us to try harder, aim higher, and get further. Without your voices, Space Engineers would have been a much different game. That same spirit is what drives us today.
An early release like this brings enormous advantages - not just for us, but for you. We get the opportunity to test ideas, uncover hidden challenges, and innovate beyond our limits. You get to experience and shape the development firsthand, influence its direction, and witness the evolution of the game from the ground up.
That said, let’s be honest. If you’re not ready for an unpolished experience, this may not be the right time to jump in. If you prefer to “plug in and play,” we encourage you towishlist, sign up for our newsletter, follow the development, and wait for future updates when the game becomes more feature-complete. As a reminder, here’s the Roadmap, so you can see where we’re headed and decide the best time to hop on this journey.
However, if you’re excited about shaping the future of Space Engineers 2 with us - visit our Store, our Support Portal and get involved!
How to share your feedback?
The best way to provide your feedback is through our Support Portal. You can always find a direct link to the support portal from within the game - just press F1 to access the help screen!
This platform is your direct line to the developers and the Space Engineers community. Here, you can:
Pioneer Edition Bundle includes the base game, soundtrack, and exclusive behind-the-scenes development materials (from 2022 to 2024). As development continues, we will keep adding new content and updates.
For Space Engineers 2's soundtrack and in-game music, we wanted to capture the story of people who carried their ancestral heritage across 10,000 light-years to The Amalgest System. We drew inspiration from various ethnic styles: the soul-stirring melodies of Eastern Europe, the mystical sounds of Arabia, the intricate patterns of Indian music, and the primal rhythms of Northern European tribes.
To bring this vision to life, we turned to Karel Antonin, who has been composing and leading music production for our games for almost 15 years, from Miner Wars through Space Engineers and Medieval Engineers. Under Karel's direction, each piece of music became a bridge between Earth's ancient cultures and humanity's far future, blending traditional instruments with modern synthesizers to show how our musical heritage might evolve across millennia.
Working with talented musicians and a full orchestra, Karel composed music that feels both ancient and futuristic, where you might hear folk melodies transformed through electronic textures while still maintaining their emotional core. This vision continues the musical journey we began together all those years ago, growing and evolving with each game we create.
Soundtrack Recording
What happens when you put together over 80 amazing players and record the score live? It was an amazing day from start to finish, filled with "hard fun", notes & liters of coffee. Check it out:
Our favorite pastime is browsing through the workshop - we are in love with all the creations our players are constantly sharing. 💫
We can't wait every month to spotlight mods and blueprints that catch our eye and have the potential to make your time in Space Engineers more interesting and unique.
Here is our spotlight for the month of December! 🤩
We proudly present you the ultimate reconnaissance tool for all types of environments: The Targeting Pod!
This script uses rotors and hinges to control a camera and make it look at a set of positions. It supports gravity stabilization and real time control.
A distillery for producing moonshine. Unlike those hap-hazard designs back home, half of this jerry-rigged contraption was taken off an industrial coffee maker, so you can enjoy your fresh liquor straight from the tap!
Veyran Class Heavy Frigate, Allegiance class Battleship, a lost IRW Colony and more!
Daily Spotlights
Do you want to see more amazing Space Engineers ships, fighters, tanks, mechs, planets, rovers, bases, scripts, mods, encounters, scenarios, minigames, videos, and other creations?
We’re hard at work on the next Space Engineers update!
Alongside the NPC Cargo Ship overhauls we shared with you last month, there are a number of very exciting blocks and features headed your way. This month we’ll be showcasing one of the more unique items on the list, coming as part of the free portion of the 1.206 update - a large grid variant of the Small Inset Connector.
This block serves as an adapter which allows small grids equipped with the Small Connector to directly connect to large grids, vastly improving the docking experience for grids which utilize them.
Engineers, prepare for liftoff! Today marks a monumental leap in the Space Engineers saga.
We are thrilled to announce Space Engineers 2, the revolutionary next chapter in space simulation gaming. This isn't just an update—it's a complete reimagining of the space engineering experience, built on new foundations to push the boundaries of what's possible in a sandbox universe.
Mark your calendars: The Space Engineers 2 alpha will launch on January 27, 2025. But you don't have to wait until then to join our journey, pre-orders are available now on our website.
You can pre-order either the Base Game or the Pioneer Edition, which includes the game's soundtrack and behind-the-scenes development materials.
On January 27, you'll have access to VS1: Creative Mode, our first vertical slice, featuring:
new 25cm unified grid system (no more small vs. large grids!)
new blueprint building (snap to grid, partial copy/paste, assign to toolbar)
grid undo/redo
enhanced creative mode with powerful building tools (new voxel hand, symmetry tools, line/plane building)
grid speeds up to ~300 m/s
safe speed system preventing damage under 20 m/s
new magboots with camera stabilization
new physics and dynamic fractures and debris for more realistic destruction
visual revolution thanks to ray tracing, global illumination, tessellated terrain, parallax mapping, sleek armor edges, and enhanced lighting
New VRAGE3 engine brings better performance and future optimization potential
Additional Vertical Slices will follow in the months after, each expanding the game's features and content. This development process will continue over the next few years until we achieve our full vision for Space Engineers 2.
We're taking a unique approach with our Vertical Slice strategy, allowing us to perfect core features before moving to the next set. By sharing early access and development insights, we can incorporate valuable community feedback along the way. We're committed to delivering a polished and playable experience with each Vertical Slice, unlocking new possibilities as we progress. Our focus is on providing you with meaningful content, not unfinished prototypes.
For full information/blog post, continue here: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/space-engineers-2-alpha-revealed/[/url]
[url=https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2#current][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/5134093/b721f1c19046d034174b773f215804fb201797e0.png[/img][/url]
[h1]Commitment to Space Engineers 1[/h1]
Our dedication to Space Engineers 1 remains as strong as ever.
For over 11 years, we've consistently delivered free updates, enhancing the game experience for our community. We're continuing active development - while the 1.205 Contact Update has just been released, the design team is already hard at work on the next update.
In 1.206, we're planning to introduce more PvE content and refresh some of the existing Cargo Ships.
[previewyoutube=J6qJHR8OJhQ;full][/previewyoutube]
Alongside the NPC Cargo Ship overhauls, there are a number of very exciting blocks and features headed your way. This month we showcased one of the more unique items on the list, coming as part of the free portion of the 1.206 update - a large grid variant of the Small Inset Connector.
This block serves as an adapter which allows small grids equipped with the Small Connector to directly connect to large grids, vastly improving the docking experience for grids which utilize them.
[img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/5134093/ca935fad2cb1a8a8d3897c4cff88f41dad7d93b5.gif[/img]
[b]Space Engineers 1 and Space Engineers 2 will coexist, each offering unique experiences for players.[/b]
Commitment to Space Engineers 1
Our dedication to Space Engineers 1 remains as strong as ever.
For over 11 years, we've consistently delivered free updates, enhancing the game experience for our community. We're continuing active development - while the 1.205 Contact Update has just been released, the design team is already hard at work on the next update.
In 1.206, we're planning to introduce more PvE content and refresh some of the existing Cargo Ships.
Alongside the NPC Cargo Ship overhauls, there are a number of very exciting blocks and features headed your way. This month we showcased one of the more unique items on the list, coming as part of the free portion of the 1.206 update - a large grid variant of the Small Inset Connector.
This block serves as an adapter which allows small grids equipped with the Small Connector to directly connect to large grids, vastly improving the docking experience for grids which utilize them.
Space Engineers 1 and Space Engineers 2 will coexist, each offering unique experiences for players.
Medieval Engineers: Community Edition Update 0.7.4 has been released! The update contains bug fixes, server and inventory improvements, and better modding support.
Head to your Steam Library and right-click on Medieval Engineers.
Select "Properties"
From the menu popup, select "BETAS"
You should now see the option to "Select the beta you would like to opt into:"
From this menu, select Community Edition.
Q: How do I get updates? A: Once you have opted into the Community Edition build, Medieval Engineers will continue to update normally, just like any game in your Steam Library.