1. Space Engineers 2
  2. News

Space Engineers 2 News

Space Engineers 2 Dev Diary: December 11, 2025


Hello, Engineers!

We wonder – how many of you were caught off guard by this moment?

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
This week we brought you a series of hotfixes and several new options to help you tweak your worlds to your liking. You can now switch existing saves between Creative and Survival (in World Settings on the save-file list), the classic Creative scenario has been updated to include planets and the full Almagest system, and we’ve added a new Vallation Station Start scenario for those who want pure survival sandbox without story or tutorial contracts.

We’ve also made our internal debug menu easier to access with CTRL+F12. Please treat this as a power tool: it’s developer-level access that can bypass limits (like PCUs) and can easily break or permanently modify your world. For this reason, sessions and worlds touched by the debug menu are automatically tagged and excluded from our crash reports, and if such a world is shared, other players may see a warning that it was created or modified using debug tools.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Releasing the full debug menu is a bit of a controversial area for me. On one hand, it gives you more freedom to experiment and poke at the insides of the game you bought. On the other hand, we will probably lose some valuable crash and bug reports when players use these tools instead of playing normal gameplay. And there is always the risk of players not understanding that we cannot guarantee game stability when debug tools are active.

[h3]VS2.2[/h3]
Works on VS2.2 are already in full swing. Here you can see a rocket launcher model evolution.


And the finished Rifle model


And some first concepts of SE2 gatling turret


We are introducing new helpful internal tools to VRAGE3 – player heatmap – mainly for tuning out our LODing systems.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]VS3 – Byblos[/h3]

Let me reveal the design and first shots of the water planet Byblos, coming to the Almagest system in VS3. A “just water” planet would be pretty boring. Yes, Byblos will be a water planet – but under the surface there will be an entire water world, with deep crags and canyons, underwater travertine cave systems and small volcanic islands rising above the waves.


With the coming of water, the underwater layout of planet Verdure will be improved as well. We already know that water will be such a monumental change for the game that you will need to start a new world when VS3 arrives. We try to minimize situations like this, but during the alpha stage of development they are sometimes unavoidable.

That is why we started to keep previous versions of the game available after major updates. So you can return to an earlier version at any time and, for example, save your blueprints or creations. You can find these builds in the Steam Beta tab.


And here are some first WIP screenshots. You can probably tell that seeing Byblos at this stage is a bit like digging through the old planet files from VS1 – barren terrain, temporary textures everywhere, testing materials, and very early water visuals. It is all still rough, but this is exactly what real development looks like.

Not many studios share raw production screenshots like these, and players are not always used to seeing such an unfiltered snapshot of the process. But for me, showing you our real progress and the way we work is a core part of Early Access. That is the whole point of these dev diaries – open development, without hiding the messy parts.


[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Full Blog Post: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2025/12/mareks-dev-diary-december-11-2025/




Please join us tomorrow for the Space Engineers 2 Music Competition Livestream!




🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/




https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953782814 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953782536 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953781991

Space Engineers 2: VS2 Community Feedback Update


Hello, Engineers!

Since the release of VS2, we've been listening closely to your feedback. This update brings several improvements and new features based directly on what you’ve asked for.

The Creative Scenario has been updated to include the full Almagest System, we’ve introduced a new Vallation Station Start (a sandbox scenario without tutorial or story), and added a switch between Creative and Survival modes in World Settings.

We’ve also enabled access to the Debug Menu for advanced users. Please treat this as a power tool: it’s developer-level access that can bypass limits and can easily break or permanently modify your world. For this reason, sessions and worlds touched by the debug menu are automatically tagged as compromised by Debug Menu and excluded from our crash reports.

Your feedback is invaluable. Please keep it coming by submitting bug reports and suggestions through our Support Portal.
This is the best way to help us shape the future of Space Engineers 2.


  • Added Debug Menu - Warning: the game can become unstable; use at your own risk
    • To activate the Debug Menu for the first time, press Ctrl+F12
    • After the first activation, the Debug Menu opens with just F12 (Ctrl is no longer needed)
  • Updated the Creative Scenario to include the full Almagest System
  • Added new scenario: Vallation Station Start - a sandbox scenario without tutorial or story
  • Added a switch between Creative and Survival modes in World Settings


Stability
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when the game tried to sync work between the CPU and GPU, causing the game to close unexpectedly.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash when moving on a planet surface.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash when playing longer music or sound effects.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when the game was closed while it was switching to the main menu.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when starting a new Survival game on some AMD RX 5700 XT graphics cards.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash during the intro cutscene in Survival scenario on AMD graphics cards.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when connectors were trying to connect to each other and one of them was removed or destroyed.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur during autosave when the game was checking which entities should be saved in the world session.
UI
  • Fixed spelling mistakes in the “Engineering – Asteroid Expedition” contract text.
  • Fixed an issue where the tutorial tooltips could appear blurry for a moment when they first pops up.




Please keep in mind that VS2 is still an Early Access and Alpha version of Space Engineers 2. We are planning daily hotfixes after the initial release.
  • Starting with this release, we will always keep previous versions of the game available after major updates. This means you can return to an earlier version at any time and, for example, save your blueprints or creations. You will find these builds in the Steam Beta tab.
  • We also want to be upfront about one important thing. We already know that water will be such a monumental change for the game that you will need to start a new save when VS3 arrives. We try to minimize situations like this, but during the alpha stage of development they are sometimes unavoidable.
  • Planet modding is not fully supported at this stage of development - we will bring you modding support for planets at later stages!
  • Customizable Controls are coming in VS2.2!
  • In rare cases, Procedural Voxel Generation may cause a Contract grid to spawn inside a voxel area. If this happens, you will need to start a new map. This is a top priority issue for our next hotfix.
  • We have disabled the Survival Intro video for some hardware setups; this should remedy multiple issues when starting a Survival play for now. We are working on a permanent fix for the intro video.
  • Tutorial Contracts can be broken by not following the task sequence; this will be reworked and mitigated in the future updates.
Thank you for helping us make the game better!




Please join us for Space Engineers 2 Music Competition Livestream!




🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/




https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953782536 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953781991 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953781654

Space Engineers 2: Hotfix 2.0.2.33


[h2]Hotfix 2.0.2.33 has been released![/h2]


Stability
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash while saving the world due to a file system error.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash when playing an in‑game video/cutscene due to a video player component error.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash during autosave due to an error while checking voxel entities in the world.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash while updating entity detection, improving overall game stability.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash with an “out of memory” error when handling audio/music.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash while generating planetary flora in the environment.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash due to an audio system error when stopping a sound.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could suddenly close during early loading on Windows 8 machines, and added a proper shutdown with a message instead.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash when returning to the main menu from a modded world due to missing audio files from unloaded mods.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash with an error when returning to the main menu.
  • Fixed an issue where corrupted planet data files could cause a crash, and improved error reporting so the game clearly warns players about corrupted or modified content and suggests validating game files.
  • Fixed an issue that could cause the game to crash during screen-space ambient occlusion (HBAO) rendering due to an invalid render target resize operation.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash when loading textures via DirectStorage on non‑standard Steam install locations.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash when unloading the world and returning to the main menu, due to some corrupted entities.
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when repairing fractured conveyor blocks (e.g. welding a connector and then grinding a nearby cargo container) which caused the conveyor system to get into an invalid state.
  • Fixed an issue where opening the Control Panel near a station safe zone could cause the game to crash.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could freeze or terminate unexpectedly when returning to the main menu.
  • Fixed an issue where using the ore detector could cause the game to crash during ore detection in voxels.
  • Fixed an issue where spawning encounters could sometimes cause the game to freeze and stop responding.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could freeze or terminate unexpectedly while loading, because of shaders.
  • Fixed an issue where loading a session with planets could trigger an internal error while generating the planet sky, which could lead to a crash
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash if you opened the medical room suit color selector while controlling the spectator camera.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash while loading back to the main menu if a client-side system failed to initialize correctly.
  • Fixed a crash that could happen right after the character died and the game tried to switch camera control during respawn.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash when trying to download preview images for Steam Workshop items.
  • Fixed a physics issue that could cause the game to crash.
Functional
  • Fixed an issue where stealing a ship from a contract encounter could cause the entire encounter to despawn and the stolen ship to disappear.
Performance
  • Fixed an issue where the ore detector HUD could cause excessive background activity that might impact game performance.




Please keep in mind that VS2 is still an Early Access and Alpha version of Space Engineers 2. We are planning daily hotfixes after the initial release.
  • Starting with this release, we will always keep previous versions of the game available after major updates. This means you can return to an earlier version at any time and, for example, save your blueprints or creations. You will find these builds in the Steam Beta tab.
  • We also want to be upfront about one important thing. We already know that water will be such a monumental change for the game that you will need to start a new save when VS3 arrives. We try to minimize situations like this, but during the alpha stage of development they are sometimes unavoidable.
  • Planet modding is not fully supported at this stage of development - we will bring you modding support for planets at later stages!
  • Customizable Controls are coming in VS2.2!
  • In rare cases, Procedural Voxel Generation may cause a Contract grid to spawn inside a voxel area. If this happens, you will need to start a new map. This is a top priority issue for our next hotfix.
  • We have disabled the Survival Intro video for some hardware setups; this should remedy multiple issues when starting a Survival play for now. We are working on a permanent fix for the intro video.
  • Tutorial Contracts can be broken by not following the task sequence; this will be reworked and mitigated in the future updates.
Thank you for helping us make the game better!

Image Credits: Verdure Clouds by Merser




Please join us for Space Engineers 2 Music Competition Livestream!




🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/




https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953781991 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953781654 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526486840058839841

Space Engineers 2: Dev Diary, Hotfix 2.0.2.29


[h2]Hotfix 2.0.2.29 has been released![/h2]


Stability
  • Fixed an issue that caused the game to freeze indefinitely during loading.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could crash during physics world migration, causing unexpected crashes while playing.
  • Fixed an issue with a startup check that should detect PCs below minimum requirements or using unsupported drives and show a clear error instead of crashing when loading Game Audio.
Audio
  • Fixed an issue with Intro Cutscene Audio playing at a wrong speed.
UI
  • Fixed an issue where VS2 would include non-English localizations that were not intended for this version.




Please keep in mind that VS2 is still an Early Access and Alpha version of Space Engineers 2. We are planning daily hotfixes after the initial release.
  • Starting with this release, we will always keep previous versions of the game available after major updates. This means you can return to an earlier version at any time and, for example, save your blueprints or creations. You will find these builds in the Steam Beta tab.
  • We also want to be upfront about one important thing. We already know that water will be such a monumental change for the game that you will need to start a new save when VS3 arrives. We try to minimize situations like this, but during the alpha stage of development they are sometimes unavoidable.
  • Planet modding is not fully supported at this stage of development - we will bring you modding support for planets at later stages!
  • Customizable Controls are coming in VS2.2!
  • In rare cases, Procedural Voxel Generation may cause a Contract grid to spawn inside a voxel area. If this happens, you will need to start a new map. This is a top priority issue for our next hotfix.
  • We have disabled the Survival Intro video for some hardware setups; this should remedy multiple issues when starting a Survival play for now. We are working on a permanent fix for the intro video.
  • Tutorial Contracts can be broken by not following the task sequence; this will be reworked and mitigated in the future updates.
Thank you for helping us make the game better!

Image Credits: DSI - Arinox by Pitohui




It is 3 days after we released the most important update since SE2 launched and we are still overwhelmed. Thank you for the warm welcome for Vertical Slice 2. Planets, Colonization and Survival Foundations is where Space Engineers 2 finally turned into a real survival game - planets, progression, story foundations, and the first version of core systems all working together.

And I have to thank both our SE1 and SE2 teams for their hard work. These past months were intense for everyone. VS2 touched almost every part of the game, so artists, programmers, designers, testers, audio, production, and support all had to push together. Watching both teams help each other, share ideas, solve blockers, and keep the whole project moving was inspiring. None of this would exist without their dedication.

Seeing SE2 through player videos, I am realizing how beautiful it actually is. I spend so much time deep in development that I mostly see the issues, the bugs, and all the unfinished parts. Watching players explore the planets, fly through the clouds, and build their first bases gives me a completely different perspective. It reminds me why we are making this game in the first place.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Players already discovered how to turn on water in Space Engineers 2 - unofficially, since water is planned for VS3 in 2026.

What you can expect now are daily hotfixes over the next few weeks. The whole team is watching your reports closely, and your feedback is already helping us fix issues at a very fast pace. Thank you for every ticket, screenshot, and video you send us. Please continue using our Support Portal - it really makes a difference and helps us track everything properly.

After the new year, we will move to the next steps on our roadmap. This means new sectors, expanded contracts, and more varied and fun objectives as additional gameplay systems come alive. VS2 is only the beginning. If you take a look at the roadmap, you will see how the survival and colonization experience will grow piece by piece.


I think that now most of you have a much clearer understanding of why we released VS1 earlier this year. It gave us the chance to test and polish our new building systems with the unified 25 cm grid, blueprints, modding, and the Steam Workshop - all essential for survival projection building you can now enjoy.

We have a plan, and it is clear that many of you are excited about it. We feel very honored by your trust, and now it is on us to deliver. What you are testing in VS2 are just the cornerstones of the full features that will come later.

Let’s take one example - Area Welding - coming in VS2.2. The 25 cm unified grid system gives you much more freedom and detail for your creations, but it also means it would be far too tedious to weld every single block one by one. Area Welding is the natural next step. The new grid gives us the precision, and Area Welding will give you the tools to actually build with that precision in a practical way.


Full Dev Diary: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2025/12/mareks-dev-diary-december-4-2025/




Please join us for Space Engineers 2 Music Competition Livestream!




🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/




https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526487474953781654 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526486840058839841 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/626690914537963593

Space Engineers 2: Hotfix 2.0.2.26


[h2]Hotfix 2.0.2.26 has been released![/h2]


Stability
  • Fixed a crash when trying to use hand tools in safe zones while notifications were disabled
  • Fixed a crash when dropping items from the character inventory
  • Fixed a crash when closing the game with the Contracts screen open
  • Fixed a crash when switching quickly between tabs in the Workshop and then clicking on an item
  • Fixed a crash when attempting to load a different saved world while already in the game
  • Fixed various crashes related to particles
  • Fixed a crash when flying far away from an encounter with the connected Bullfrog ship
  • Fixed a crash in the cutscene
  • Fixed a crash related to using Nvidia GTX 10*0 GPUs with the High graphics preset
  • Fixed a crash in planet bitmaps
  • Fixed a crash in task cancellation handling
Functional
  • Fixed an issue where the "Inventory Full" notification appeared for every action performed
VRAGE3 Mod Editor - Stability
  • Fixed a crash when trying to change a layout in the editor
  • Fixed a crash in the context menu




Please keep in mind that VS2 is still an Early Access and Alpha version of Space Engineers 2. We are planning daily hotfixes after the initial release.
  • Starting with this release, we will always keep previous versions of the game available after major updates. This means you can return to an earlier version at any time and, for example, save your blueprints or creations. You will find these builds in the Steam Beta tab.
  • We also want to be upfront about one important thing. We already know that water will be such a monumental change for the game that you will need to start a new save when VS3 arrives. We try to minimize situations like this, but during the alpha stage of development they are sometimes unavoidable.
  • Planet modding is not fully supported at this stage of development - we will bring you modding support for planets at later stages!
  • Customizable Controls are coming in VS2.2!
  • In rare cases, Procedural Voxel Generation may cause a Contract grid to spawn inside a voxel area. If this happens, you will need to start a new map. This is a top priority issue for our next hotfix.
  • We have disabled the Survival Intro video for some hardware setups; this should remedy multiple issues when starting a Survival play for now. We are working on a permanent fix for the intro video.
  • Tutorial Contracts can be broken by not following the task sequence; this will be reworked and mitigated in the future updates.
Thank you for helping us make the game better!

Image Credits: Project Strident V6 by DriedRhino35087




Please join us for Space Engineers 2 Music Competition Livestream!




🛠️ Feedback & Support - https://support.keenswh.com/
🗺️ Roadmap: https://2.spaceengineersgame.com/roadmap-2/#current
🛰️ Discord: https://discord.gg/keenswh
📫 Newsletter: https://www.keenswh.com/newsletter
➡️ Connect and find us on your platform of choice: https://www.keenswh.com/connect/




https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/526486840058839841 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/626690914537963593 https://steamcommunity.com/games/1133870/announcements/detail/582781208710088786