Space Engineers 2 News

Space Engineers 2 Dev Diary: February 26, 2026

It’s time to give you a clear overview of what you can expect in upcoming VS2.2. This update is a big step forward for Space Engineers 2 - not just in terms of content, but in terms of systems coming online. We’re expanding the Almagest system, introducing new gameplay foundations, and deepening several core mechanics that VS2 laid the groundwork for.

[h3]New in Almagest System / Almagest System Exploration[/h3]
VS2.2 expands the Almagest System with new locations to discover and explore. From new moons to asteroid rings and dangerous sectors, the system is starting to feel larger, more varied, and more alive. Here’s what’s waiting for you out there.

Moon Palatine (Verdure)
Moon Caligo (Kemik)
Asteroid Rings & Clusters
- The Viridian Halo (Verdure)
- The Cryon Ring (Kemik)
- 3 types of Asteroid Fields: Feroid, Ice, Radiant Drift
Delfos Killing Field
Nadirae Sector with 4 New Contracts

[h3]Features - New System Foundations[/h3]
VS2.2 is where we begin laying the cornerstones for several major gameplay systems. These are foundational implementations - weapons and combat basics, economy, survival mechanics, planetary events, mechanical blocks - built to establish the core logic and structure they will grow from. The goal here is not to deliver their final form, but to create a solid baseline we can expand, refine, and build upon in future updates.

Weapons & Combat Basics
Mechanical Foundations
Planetary Events
- Weather - Rainstorm
- Weather - Sandstorm
- Meteor Showers
New Survival Mechanics: Suit Oxygen
Economy Foundations: Trading & Credits
Cargo Ships
Ship Action Toolbar Basics
- Automatic Block Recovery
Customizable Controls Basics
Datapads

[h3]Features - System Expansions[/h3]
We’re not just creating new pillars in VS2.2 - we’re also deepening existing mechanics. These expansions make the core gameplay loop smoother, clearer, and more flexible, while building on the foundations we established in VS2.

Area welding, grinding & ship tools
Production Lines
GPS Screen Enhancements
Volume Slider just for tools (because you asked for it!)
Contract Rewards & Loot System
GUI & Hud Improvements
- Production screen
- Contracts UI
- Warfare HUD
- Player HUD enhancements
Character Animations additions and improvements
Added tons of new sounds and audio improvements

[h3]New Weapons & Tools[/h3]

Character Tool: Area Welder
Character Weapon: Assault Rifle
Character Weapon: Rocket Launcher
Grid Weapon: Gatling Cannon
Grid Weapon: Gatling Turret

[h3]New Blocks[/h3]

Welder Blocks
Grinder Blocks
Large & Small Rotor
Large & Small Piston
Trading Block
Deck Panel

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h3]Game Localizations[/h3]
We’re continuing to improve localization quality and coverage so more engineers can experience the game comfortably in their native language.

Brazilian Portuguese
Czech
French
German
Italian
Polish
Slovak
Spanish
Turkish

Russian, Ukrainian and Simplified Chinese localizations are planned – just not for VS2.2.

Q: No Wheels in VS2.2? A: We were prototyping wheels for VS2.2, but they need more time to cook. They’re coming – just not in this update.

Q: What is the Economy/Trading Scope? A: Trading in VS2.2 focuses on base resources and economy systems, not grid-to-grid trading yet. That layer will come later as we expand the system.

Q: What is Suit Oxygen feature? A: VS2.2 introduces Suit O2 as another survival element. Pressurization and environmental oxygen systems are not included yet.

Q: Will we get support for Blueprint Projections with Subgrids? A: Copy/pasting projections of blueprints with subgrids is not fully supported YET. You can build on pistons and rotors individually in VS2.2, but when you paste a grid that includes connectors, rotors, or pistons, only the main grid will be projected for now. We are definitely planning proper support for subgrid projections in a future update.

Q: Will we get Production Load Sharing? A: Production lines are coming in VS2.2 – however, load sharing between multiple production blocks is not implemented yet. If you queue 500 components in one assembler, that single block will process the entire order. Splitting production across multiple blocks is a planned future feature.

Q: Will a New Save be Required to get the new features? A: Some features introduced in VS2.2 require starting a new game to be visible/present: Credits & Trading, Cargo Ships, New Loot System, Asteroid Rings and Clusters, Moons.

Q: When can we expect the release? A: One thing I don’t talk about enough is how an update is actually created. Every release goes through the same structured stages:

Design – This is where we define the scope. What systems are we building? What problems are we solving? What is realistic for this slice? We write specifications and break features into tasks.
Programming and Art Asset Creation – This is the heavy production phase. Engineers implement systems, mechanics, and backend tools. Artists create models, materials, animations, UI, effects, and audio.
Feature Freeze – At this point, we stop adding new features to the internal build for the closing update. Even if someone has a great idea, it waits. The focus shifts from expansion to stabilization. Finishing, integrating, and making sure systems work together.
Code Freeze – No more risky changes. Only bug fixes, performance improvements, and crash fixes. This phase is about removing instability before release.
Release – When the build is stable enough, we ship. And then the hotfix cycle begins.

It’s also important to understand that not everyone is working on VS2.2 or standing around waiting for release day because their part was done.

Game development is parallel by nature. While part of the programming team is finishing and stabilizing features for VS2.2, designers are already working on VS3 and VS4. The art team is creating assets for upcoming systems. Some engineers have shifted to future features, while others remain focused on polishing and fixing the current slice. QA is waist-deep in testing VS2.2 builds, reproducing bugs, verifying fixes, and stress-testing systems.

Software development is a complex discipline. Entertainment software development – where you are not just implementing known solutions, but trying to invent new systems like planetary-scale volumetric water – is even more demanding. There are unknowns, iteration loops, technical surprises, and constant refinement. Internally, it’s a structured, disciplined process moving forward on multiple fronts at the same time.

Here you can see our release dashboard for VS2.2. Currently, we are at code-freeze stage. We started the final push last week. We’re completing roughly 30 to 40 tickets per day. The number dropped from around 1400 to about 300 - but that first big drop was not magic productivity. That was us cleaning up Jira, closing outdated tickets, merging duplicates. The real grind starts around 500 tickets, and from there you can see the steady daily progress.

As of this moment (Tuesday), 341 tickets remain. We’re getting close

[h3]Updated Roadmap – VS2.3[/h3]
The next major milestone after this update will be VS2.3 – you can expect Wheels, Hinges, Warheads, the Timer Block, Sensor Block, LCDs, Wind Turbines, the Event Controller, further combat improvements, and additional features expanding on the foundations established in our previous updates.

After that comes VS3: Water. Planetary-scale volumetric water, along with all the water gameplay systems and blocks. This update will also add a new water planet, Byblos, to the Almagest system.

Following closely will be VS4: NPCs + Cooperative Multiplayer, adding 4-player gameplay and the first iteration of interactive non-player characters. VS5: Full Multiplayer will complete the foundation for large-scale multiplayer sessions.

Two development teams are working in parallel on VS3 and VS4, so the final release order may depend on which reaches completion first. Either way, we’re pushing forward on all fronts to bring you new features and deeper gameplay as quickly as possible!

Many of the features and improvements planned for the future have been requested and shaped by the suggestions and ideas shared through our Support Portal. Your feedback is incredibly valuable, and we appreciate every suggestion you submit.

Check out our full Roadmap.

Full Blog Post: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2026/02/mareks-dev-diary-february-26-2026/

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Space Engineers 2: Planetary Events, Weather Preview

With VS2.2, we’re introducing the Planetary Events system, starting with weather as its first concrete event type. It’s a systemic layer meant to give planets more life and variation over time.
For now, weather is meant to shape how planets feel and behave, rather than acting as a constant obstacle.

All events are biome-driven and planet-specific. Planetary Event types coming in VS2.2 are:

Weather: Sandstorms
Weather: Rain
Meteor Showers

The first weather events include Sandstorms and Rain. Sandstorms appear in desert biomes and across all of Kemik, while rain occurs on Verdure, mainly in water-rich regions. These events affect visibility and reduce solar panel output while they’re active. Weather visuals will be visible from orbit and will transition in and out smoothly. When you’re inside grids or caves, the effects are reduced or hidden, but you can still see what’s happening outside through windows and openings. Wind will be visual-only element for now - helping sell motion and atmosphere, without applying physical force to grids yet.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Alongside weather, Meteor Showers are also part of the Planetary Events system, handled as a separate event type. Meteor showers can damage characters and grids, but not voxel terrain, and can occur on Verdure (primarily wasteland biomes), Palatine, Caligo, and Kemik. These events run at low frequency by default and are truly random - they do not target players or their grids.

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Space Engineers 2 Dev Diary: February 19, 2026

It’s honestly very cool that our VRAGE3 engine is at a point where you can create real, live optical illusions directly inside the game. No tricks, no fake overlays – the illusion exists in the world and holds up as you move around it.

That kind of thing still makes me smile.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Our next update for SE2, VS2.2, has entered the feature freeze phase, which means we have finished all features, are not adding more, and are just polishing and fixing what is in game. This means we need to do a lot of testing, reviews, and improvements.

Some highlights:

Rifle gun and rocket launcher are already in the game, animations and particle effects are working. This is just the first version, and we will definitely polish them more in future updates.
Welder and grinder blocks are in, and so survival actually became more interesting, because you can drill ore, use production blocks to convert them to components, and then use your ship to weld. Together with projection building, it becomes much easier than before – you just weld the projection. Currently we are tweaking the constants – so that the HP, weight, and welding speed are well balanced.
The combat experience is in, but a few things are not working well yet – for example projectile trails were missing yesterday, or at least not rendered at larger distances. The team is investigating it, and I am sure we will fix it during the polish phase. It is very important that shooting gives you visual feedback – where your projectile is going, if it hits something (sparkles), and eventually destruction or explosion of the block you hit. But in general, it feels good to me -> the visuals in SE2 are really amazing. The detailed blocks, damage, destruction, explosion particles, lighting and everything visual, and flying there with a ship that I built, and can damage block-by-block my enemies – this is my dream-come-true again. Of course, there’s still a lot of work ahead of us to turn the combat experience into something great. We have to decide if we want quick combats or long-lasting combats, how to solve rock-paper-scissors situations, how to prevent the frustration where you spend hours building your ship but lose it in the first 5 seconds of a fight, etc. This will not be fully solved in VS2.2, but later yes. PS: we already discussed this in July 2025

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
What is also good is that the team has split into sub-teams, and parallel development started. One team is continuing on the water – there are a few big challenges to overcome – like water visually leaking through submarine walls, and increasing the resolution from 1m to 25cm – so water can leak through our 25cm unified grid system. Also improving the performance so the water can run on multiple cores. And many other things. The other team started working on NPCs, which we will introduce in VS4, hopefully before the end of this year! This will be a big thing, because I think NPCs were always missing in SE. It’s a feature that will make the world feel more alive, but also more emergent, surprising, and interesting. I am really looking forward to seeing some progress here – even if it’s just an NPC patrolling around, spotting me, attacking me or running away, or intelligently deciding whether to use a jetpack or move on foot.

The art team got the Delfos Killing Field visuals into their hands and they are killing it too. You remember the WIP “programmer” art I shared before? Well – here is the effect when you get closer to Delfos.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
And if you see this, you’re probably not having a great time.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The Killing Field will not only burn you, but your ships and grids too (The visuals are still heavily work in progress). So be careful after VS2.2 releases!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We’ve been thinking about more ways to support decorative building, satisfy your urge to greeble – and make it super easy on top of everything!

We are thinking about modular deck panels and walls with built-in openings that you can actually do something with. We have early designs for panels with holes and cutouts, paired with interchangeable wall inserts. In the example below, you can see a vent insert, but that’s just the starting point.

Once this system exists, it opens the door to all kinds of details and uses – pipes, cables, maintenance access, visual noise, or just pure aesthetics. I really enjoy this kind of building freedom, where simple parts combine into something that feels custom and lived-in.

This is exactly the kind of detail work that doesn’t scream for attention, but quietly makes ships and stations feel more real.

And I love the progress from the art team on the passages block set:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
We’re also tweaking and testing different visuals for Palatine’s “atmosphere” and lighting. We’re testing how different lighting setups affect Palatine when viewed from a distance versus up close.

Question to you: Do decorative possibilities change how much time you spend refining your builds?

Full Blog Post: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2026/02/mareks-dev-diary-february-19-2026/

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Space Engineers 2 Dev Diary: February 12, 2026

Some of the results from our cloud experiments are honestly breathtaking. We’re testing multiple cloud layers, different textures, and atmospheric effects, and the combination is starting to create skies that feel deep, heavy, and alive.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
It’s fascinating to see how much presence a planet gains once the atmosphere stops feeling flat and starts behaving like a real volume.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The first pieces of our new weather systems are starting to take shape. We’re testing rain and sandstorms, each appearing in their respective biomes based on biome humidity and local conditions.

We’ve also laid the first foundations of a working Speed Particles system. This is important to me because without a strong sense of motion, traveling long distances can start to feel strangely static. When your reference points are far away – a planet, a star, an orbital landmark – it’s easy to lose the feeling that you’re actually moving.

Speed particles give you that missing feedback. They help communicate velocity and direction, making travel feel active and intentional instead of quiet and disconnected.

Here are Speed Particles in space:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
And on a planet:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
This is work-in-progress, before artists have polished it, so it doesn’t have final visuals. We’re also working on wind as part of the broader weather system. Wind is not pushing grids around yet, but the particles are already reacting to it, giving the environment a stronger sense of motion and direction.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
And to wrap this up, here’s a small sneak peek at a few blocks the art team sent my way recently – the Trade Terminal, Sound Block, Sensor and Neon Tubes.

Question to you: What kinds of weather events would you like to see in Space Engineers 2?

Full Blog Post: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2026/02/mareks-dev-diary-february-12-2026/

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Space Engineers 2: Helionis Sector Released!

Hello, Engineers!

The Helionis Sector is now open for exploration in Space Engineers 2.

This sector is an early but important step - a space designed to test navigation, contracts, pacing, and how the universe feels when you move through it. Two new contracts are now available, and more will follow as we expand the underlying systems.

Right now, Helionis is intentionally focused. No NPCs or combat yet - this phase is about space travel, structure, and laying solid foundations. Behind the scenes, we’re building new VRAGE3 tools that will unlock much richer contract design and gameplay in the next iterations.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Your feedback so far has been extremely valuable and is already shaping what we build next. If you notice friction, missing opportunities, or things that feel especially right or wrong, let us know via our support portal: https://support.keenswh.com/spaceengineers2/pc

Helionis is live now - explore it, stress it, and tell us what breaks or surprises you.

Thanks for being part of the journey. This is just the beginning!

Helionis Sector open for space travel
Added 2 new contracts in Helionis Sector

We’re deeply grateful for the passion and support of our players whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or just joined the journey.

To welcome new engineers and continue growing the community, we’re offering a 20% discount until February 17.

Jump in now and help shape the next chapter of Space Engineers 2!

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