Space Engineers is a block-based sandbox game created and published by Keen Software House, a company from the Czech Republic. In 2013, the first version of the game joined the Steam Early Access program. Over the next several years, the game sold more than one million copies. By 2024, it had sold over five million copies. In May 2015, for about 18 months, the game's source code was shared and updated by Keen Software House to help the modding community. On December 15, 2016, the game moved to a Beta version and was officially released on February 28, 2019.
Gameplay
Space Engineers is a 3D game that can be played alone or with others. It does not have a set goal, so players (called "Space Engineers – Astronauts") create their own goals and work to achieve them using engineering skills in space or on planets, asteroids, or moons. Players use blocks, game rules, and systems to build things step by step. For example, they might build a spaceship that can travel into space. If players want a specific goal, the game includes built-in interactions with non-player characters (NPCs) and pre-made story scenarios. Players can also use custom scenarios created by others. The game allows players to use custom scripts or mods to improve or expand the game’s features. Players can share their creations using blueprints. The game has two modes: survival, where players gather resources and face challenges, and creative, where players have unlimited resources and can build instantly. Unlike other games in its genre, players can fully interact with their creations without major limits.
When starting the game, players choose or join a world with customizable settings. These settings decide features like the number of asteroids, whether planets are included, and what tools players start with. Advanced options let players change how the game works, such as tool efficiency, inventory size, and whether the world is randomly generated—creating an endless universe.
Once in the game, players control a customizable astronaut called a "Space Engineer." They use tools like a drill, welder, and grinder (if enabled). The game focuses on building and managing structures made of small blocks. Players start by placing basic blocks to create grids, which form the basis of ships, stations, or other structures.
Each block has a specific purpose, such as structural support, power generation, or decoration. For example, armor blocks are used for protection and can be damaged by collisions or weapons. Blocks like assemblers and refineries need power, which can come from solar panels or reactors.
Players can build three types of structures:
– Small Grids: Used for small ships, rovers, or details, requiring fewer resources.
– Large Grids: Used for big ships, rovers, or stations, allowing more complex designs.
– Static Grids / Stations: Fixed structures attached to terrain, which can become ships if disconnected.
Grids are classified as small or large based on their size. If a block touches terrain, it becomes a station. A large grid ship can be converted into a station through its interface. Functional connections often use conveyors to move resources and power. Grids can connect using blocks like connectors or landing gear.
All placeable objects can be colored before placing them using a color slider. Players can adjust hue, saturation, and brightness, with 14 color slots saved for future use in the same world.
Ships can move and rotate if they have power, a gyroscope, a thruster system, and a cockpit or remote control block. For smooth movement, thrusters must be placed in all six directions, and inertia dampeners can help stop motion. Gyroscopes control rotation, and extra thrusters improve movement.
Astronauts can move freely using a jetpack, which allows motion in six directions. In gravity, movement is limited to horizontal planes when the jetpack is off. "Mag-boots" let players walk on surfaces without gravity but stop working when jumping.
The environment includes editable terrain like asteroids, planets, and moons, which have resources players can mine. Asteroids lack gravity, while planets and moons have natural gravity. Artificial gravity can be created using gravity generator blocks.
Asteroids and planets are made of terrain voxels, which are different from blocks. Players can destroy voxels but cannot create them unless in creative mode. Celestial objects like planets and asteroids stay fixed in space, but mined materials react to gravity. Asteroids can have shapes like spheres, donuts, or rods.
Planets have resources, but extracting them is difficult due to gravity and inefficient engines. Players must build ground-based tools to collect materials. Atmospheric flight is possible even on planets without oxygen. To leave a planet, players need hydrogen engines with fuel or a hybrid spacecraft with atmospheric and ion engines.
Planets in Space Engineers were added on November 12, 2015, after development since February 2015. Planets are themed after Earth, the Moon, Mars, Titan, Europa, and an alien planet. Each has space stations where players can trade for grids, materials, or gases. Alien planets have hostile NPCs called Sabiroids, and Earth-like planets have wolves.
In creative mode, players can use unlimited resources, build instantly, and are invincible. Tools like symmetry mode and copying ships are only available here. Players can shape asteroids or planets using "Voxel Hands." Resources are optional, and grids can be copied, pasted, or saved as blueprints. Creative mode was the original game mode and removes survival challenges.
In survival mode, players must mine, collect, and refine materials from asteroids and planets to craft tools, blocks, and generate electricity. Resources can be mined manually or with ships. Components can be made from raw materials or salvaged from ships. Players must monitor health, energy, and oxygen to avoid death. Damage can come from collisions, weapons, thrusters, meteor showers, or low suit energy. Gravity generators can increase fall damage risk.
Development
Space Engineers was created and released by Keen Software House, an independent game company from the Czech Republic. The game is a voxel-based sandbox game set in a space environment filled with asteroids. It uses the company’s own game engine called VRAGE 2. A key feature of the game is that the environment is built in three dimensions. Structures in the game are made up of block-like pieces that fit together in a grid and are the same size as the player. These structures act like real objects, having weight, movement, and speed. Each block has space inside it for storage and can be put together, taken apart, changed, or fixed or broken.
The first version of the game, called an alpha build, was released on October 23, 2013, on Steam. This version only had a single-player "creative" mode. On February 24, 2014, the company said the game had sold more than 250,000 copies in four months. On March 24, 2014, Keen Software House announced that the game had reached two major development goals: a survival mode and multiplayer support. The company regularly releases updates and fixes for the game every week. On October 20, 2014, the company reported that the game had sold over 1,000,000 copies. On January 13, 2015, the studio announced a second game called Medieval Engineers, which is a sandbox game focused on building and maintaining structures and machines using medieval technology.
On May 14, 2015, the game’s source code was given to the public for free on GitHub, making it easier for players to change or add to the game. In February 2016, more parts of the code were shared. Updates to the public code were stopped at the end of 2016.
Space Engineers officially left early access and was fully released on February 28, 2019, with the Survival Overhaul Update. After the full release, Keen Software House has continued to update the game. Most updates include two parts: one that adds new mechanics (which is free) and one that improves the game’s appearance (such as new block designs, textures, outfits, and animations), which is sold as a downloadable content (DLC) package. This approach helps the company earn money while avoiding unfair advantages for players who pay for extra features.
Reception
In 2013, the game Space Engineers was named the 4th best indie game by IndieDB. In 2014, it received an honorable mention in the "Indie of the Year" category. In 2015, it won first place in the "Indie of the Year" competition.