Space Engineers

Space Engineers is an open building and engineering sandbox from Keen Software House. Instead of a fixed storyline, the focus is on machines you design yourself: from a small scouting vehicle to an orbital shipyard, everything is built from functional blocks. The game world includes asteroids, moons and planets, whose terrain can be mined and altered.

Players who want to build freely can use creative mode. In survival mode, components must be made, raw materials gathered, and power and breathable air provided. Solo players, co-op groups and server communities can pursue different goals, without the game prescribing a single path to victory.

The first public PC access began on Oct 23, 2013 as a Steam Early Access title. The finished PC version was released on Feb 28, 2019. The Xbox One version followed on Apr 15, 2020. For PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, Keen first opened a beta on May 11, 2023. The studio announced the full PlayStation release on Jul 20, 2023.

The original Space Engineers continues to be supported with free system updates and additional design packs. Space Engineers 2 is a separate sequel and does not replace the existing installation or automatically include its content.

Space Engineers has been released for Windows PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The PlayStation Store explicitly lists PS4 and PS5 as two versions with cross-buy. The separate native PlayStation versions cannot be equated with mere PS4 backward compatibility. The Xbox One version can be played on newer Xbox hardware, but that alone does not make it a standalone native Xbox Series release.

The core idea is the same on all four platforms, but there are differences in maximum world complexity, local multiplayer lobbies and scripts. According to the developer, a locally hosted PlayStation 4 session allows four players and a PS5 session eight. A crossplay server can bring more platforms together, but it does not replace these platform-specific limits for locally hosted sessions.

A build is made of interconnected blocks that only become a usable machine once drives, controls, power supply and suitable lines are added. Ships fly with thrusters, ground vehicles need a chassis and drive, and space stations must supply their systems. In survival mode, materials are mined, refined and installed or recovered with a welder and grinder.

Designs can be saved as Blueprints and rebuilt in other worlds. Anyone testing a machine has to account for inertia, mass, collisions and damaged parts. If a maneuver fails, not just the vehicle but the whole build can break apart block by block.

Space Engineers received large free feature updates over the years, including systems for drones, automation, PvE encounters and economy. In parallel, Keen releases paid packs with alternative block looks, decorations and design variants. According to the developer, these cosmetic packs give no gameplay advantage, while the new mechanics are in the base updates.

The Complete Edition sold in the store bundles many of these add-ons, but it is not a separate sequel. Buyers should distinguish a specific add-on version and its respective platform store. Buying DLC on one platform is no proof that the corresponding license automatically transfers to other consoles.

For the Windows version, Steam lists at least an Intel i5 processor at 3.0 GHz or a comparable AMD model, 8 GB RAM and a GeForce 750 or Radeon R9 270X. Free storage space is listed as 35 GB. The recommended setup lists 16 GB RAM and a GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX Vega 56.

An internet connection is not required for single-player sessions according to Steam, but it is for multiplayer. The PC interface is available in German, among other languages. The Steam hardware list cannot be applied to the PS4, PS5 and Xbox One versions.

Ships and stations are not treated as rigid decoration. Individual blocks have mass and can be damaged, removed or reattached. Drills permanently alter planet and asteroid terrain, while joints, pistons and rotors enable moving mechanisms. This makes the assembly itself part of the game's challenge.

The size and number of objects affect the simulation. On consoles especially, the PCU system limits how complex a world can be. Keen gives lower standard and experimental limits for PS4 and PS4 Pro than for PS5. A large workshop blueprint therefore doesn't automatically work under the same conditions on every hardware.

In survival mode, a simple landing capsule gradually becomes a working outpost. Ore deposits supply material for refineries and production plants. Power grids, batteries, generators, oxygen and hydrogen determine how long machines and astronauts stay operational far from base.

The game world also contains computer-controlled contacts and dangers. Later free system updates reworked encounters, spacecraft and signals. This creates goals beyond pure building, without turning Space Engineers into a linear campaign.

Logic blocks connect machines into sequences that work without constant input. The Event Controller reacts to state changes in other building blocks, such as docking or operating doors. The free AI blocks from the Automatons expansion enable preset flight routes, patrols and tasks for self-built drones.

On PC, players can add their own C# logic via programmable blocks and the modding API. Consoles have stricter rules. Scripts cannot simply be run in locally hosted worlds there; on appropriately set up dedicated servers, server-side script functions may be available. A mechanical blueprint and a script-driven system are therefore not all transferable everywhere.

Space Engineers can be played alone, together or competitively. For long-term projects there are dedicated servers with persistent worlds. Cross-platform play between Steam PC, Xbox and PlayStation runs through appropriately set up Epic Online Services servers. A normal local PC lobby is not automatically reachable for console players.

Server settings decide who can join, which mods run and how strongly combat, resource scarcity or survival rules take center stage. Shared server rules matter for crossplay. In particular, client-side PC scripts cannot be transferred unchanged to consoles.

The PC version supports the Steam Workshop for worlds, ships, scenarios and mods. Blueprints and custom textures or models can also be shared. The modding API and programmable blocks allow deeper technical changes there, up to automatic controls.

Xbox and PlayStation players mainly use mod.io for user-generated content. On consoles, mods with client-side program code are restricted. If you want to play cross-platform, check for compatible content and the server configuration rather than assuming a shared mod list.

Since January 2024 the Windows version of Space Engineers has also been available on the Microsoft Store. At the launch of this PC version, Keen Software House confirmed that buyers of the Xbox version receive the Microsoft Store version without buying again. This adds a Windows distribution route to the existing Xbox license.

This commitment explicitly covers the Xbox and Microsoft Store environment. It does not mean a Steam or PlayStation license is granted automatically. The store where a version was bought stays relevant for downloadable add-ons and managing your own game library.