Space Engineers

Space Engineers: Prosperity Update & Pack Release launched on July 27, 2026, adding the Factorum Global Encounter and new Prototech technology. The update cycle also delivered a major combat expansion centered on the Prototech Microwave Emitter, guided missiles, heavy torpedoes, countermeasure flares, and jump-destination detection.

• Prosperity Update & Pack: Added the Factorum Global Encounter, strange signals, and valuable Prototech equipment. It also improved Economy Systems, the Projector, Contracts, and the Services Terminal.
• Combat systems: Expanded long-range and defensive options with four major additions:
  • Prototech Microwave Emitter: Temporarily disabled grids within range through EMP effects.
  • Guided Missiles and Heavy Torpedoes: Added predictive guidance, new ammunition types, and new reloading mechanics.
  • Countermeasure Flares: Distracted incoming missiles and torpedoes.
  • Jump Detection System: Revealed where large grids emerged after using a Jump Drive, enabling interception.
• Building and station content: Added new construction options and more life around neutral hubs:
  • Structural Block Set: Delivered seven free large-profile blocks for creative builds and Trade Stations.
  • Animated Characters for Trading Stations: Populated stations with pathfinding and AI behaviors.
  • Fighter Cockpit Type II: Added a next-generation cockpit designed for fighter control.
• Gameplay corrections: Reverted the Wheel Propulsion Override change to restore consistent behavior for constructs with or without a control block. The Subgrid Offset Issue affecting stations after attachment or world reload was fixed, and NPC pathfinding stopped causing crashes.

Apex Survival Update was the biggest addition, launching food, farming, environmental hazards, survival buffs, and 30 new space encounters on September 8, 2025. Core Systems Update followed with new decorative blocks and variants, while Fieldwork Update expanded exploration, construction, and cargo-ship encounters.

• Apex Survival Update: Food became a core survival mechanic through the food HUD, Meal Packs, the Food Processor, Algae Farms, and Farm Plots. Radiation, damaging weather, revised meteor storms, reduced post-respawn stats, foraging, hunting, and death-reset survival buffs added configurable pressure to survival worlds.
• Fieldwork Update: The update added the Prototech Fusion Reactor, Small Oxygen Tank, Large Grid Small Connector, Refill Station, and secret-bunker and research-outpost blocks. Cargo Ships and Unknown Signals received major encounter overhauls, including modernized AI, new grids, revised loot, and reinforcement calls based on reputation.
• Core Systems Update: Core Systems Pack added decorative blocks and block variants, alongside Jump Drive Type II, Landing Gear Type 2, and the Core Systems Mech. The update also introduced generic joystick support, expanded Set Value actions, improved projector marking, and streamlined inventory and production management.
• Contracts and economy: Hauling Contracts, PvE Bounty Contracts, Salvage Contracts, and Recovery Contracts added time-limited deliveries, pirate and mercenary fights, disaster-site recovery, and space searches. Services Terminal, Grid Storage, and revamped Economy Ships modernized station services, vessel storage, and NPC ship sales.
• Survival modes and settings: Advanced Survival Mode added deeper, configurable survival options, while new PvE and Hardcore Survival Servers supported more demanding playstyles. Wheel Suspension Propulsion, thruster overrides, and dynamic light-color actions also expanded vehicle and grid control.

Space Engineers’ Contact Update delivered the year’s biggest vanilla addition, introducing Prototech technology, Factorum encounters, and new planetary threats. The Signal Update also expanded starting scenarios and building options, while community projects continued to broaden combat, exploration, and role-play possibilities.

• Contact Update: Added Global Encounters, which placed “Unidentified Signal” locations in space, alongside planetary research outposts and pirate strongholds. The Factorum faction supplied recoverable Prototech technology, including a jump drive, thruster, gyroscope, drill, refinery, assembler, and other end-game blocks.
• Signal Update: Added the Red Ship Starting Scenario, a Quick Start option, the Broadcast Controller, Action Relay, Compact Antenna, and additional round armor panels. It also improved Cargo Ship flight paths, rebalanced the Reputation System, expanded loot-container options, and added nine jukebox tracks.
• Building and ownership tools: The Large Grid Small Connector enabled small-to-large-grid docking, while the Contact Update added ownership transfers through a dedicated transfer screen. The update also introduced new toolbar actions for pistons, rotors, and hinges, plus improved NPC loot tables.
• Community combat projects: WeaponCore 2.4 delivered a major rewrite of the modded combat system, while Defense Shields v2.2 added a new shield HUD. Other notable additions included the Tyranids: Hive-Fleet Grendel fleet, Q-Tech Weapons, 40K Manufactorum, and Consty’s Expanded Cannons.
• Community worlds and scenarios: Solar System Pack Part 1 added Mercury, Venus, Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Ceres; Theed recreated its Star Wars Battlefront II map; and PvE Wave Defence - REBF Endless Atmospheric supplied a repeatable base-defense scenario.

AI Blocks and Event Controller update expanded Space Engineers’ engineering toolkit with AI Flight, AI Basic, AI Recorder, AI Defensive, AI Offensive, and Event Controller blocks, alongside new conveyor caps and other construction pieces. Microsoft Store release brought the game to Microsoft Store users and connected Windows Store and Xbox lobbies through EOS.

• AI construction and automation: The new AI blocks enabled flight, basic behavior, recording, defensive behavior, and offensive behavior, while Event Controller added programmable reactions to grid conditions.
• Microsoft Store and Xbox connectivity: Space Engineers launched on the Microsoft Store, and Xbox lobby networking moved from XIM to EOS, allowing Windows Store and Xbox players to connect more reliably.
• Workshop scenarios and worlds: Community creations broadened the available survival, combat, and exploration options.
  • Making Planetfall added an open-ended, lore-driven building scenario.
  • Close To Home continued the Far From Home scenario series with a narrative twist.
  • BattleBots Arena provided automated arenas and premade combat bots.
  • Planet Limitar introduced a dangerous gas giant with an icy core and turbulent weather.
  • Anteros Mining Colony offered a self-sufficient deep-space colony on the planet Anteros.
• Combat systems: Combat Improvements and Target Lock Enhancements made turrets automatically engage locked targets within range and line of sight, increased target-lock distance by 500 meters, and added a manual turret-control overlay showing the selected subsystem. The Flare/Fireworks projectile change also reduced their damage against characters.
• Anniversary and seasonal content: Sounds of Space Engineers - 10 Year Anniversary Competition invited community music submissions, while Space Engineers Advent Collection 2023 delivered the year’s Advent Calendar content.

Automatons Beta released with AI Blocks and the Event Controller, giving builders new ways to automate grids and react to changing block states. The Workshop also gained major projects such as SWSE-Rebirth and Planet Chimera & Moon Zira, alongside a broad selection of new ships, systems, and environments.

• Automatons Beta: Added AI Blocks and the Event Controller, which monitored block states and triggered actions automatically.
• Large Workshop additions:
  • SWSE-Rebirth - Star Wars Space Engineers Mod added more than 500 blocks, 30 resources, 60 components, 10 planets, and 32 fighters.
  • Planet Chimera & Moon Zira introduced a lush planet and a mountainous, rocky moon.
  • Subutai - Pirate Battleship Mod added a 13,000-block pirate warship with heavy weapons and drone support.
  • WARSHIP ROCINANTE - THE EXPANSE Mod added a detailed, planet-landing-friendly version of the Rocinante.
  • Alkurah Star System provided an alternative system built around modded planets.
• Gameplay and automation systems:
  • Realistic Progress System made survival progression depend on researching technologies through required devices.
  • Steam Power Systems added geothermal, concentrated-solar, and nuclear power generation.
  • Populated Worlds Creatures AI gave vanilla NPCs AI behaviors and a threat system.
  • Nautili - The Walking Drill Mod added an autonomous, scriptless tunnel-boring machine.
  • Vanilla Homing Missiles gave vanilla 200mm missiles homing capability.
• Build tools, vehicles, and presentation:
  • KRadar Mod displayed enemy-grid positions and velocities on LCD panels, while Refill Station Mod replenished oxygen, hydrogen, and energy.
  • A.I. TS-90 Starlifter Support Mod added a dropship that carried vehicles or infantry.
  • Programmable Holo LCD, Connector Passageway Mod, and Lifted Wheel Suspension expanded compact displays, docking, and rover construction.
  • Realistic Skybox and Environment Mod and Realistic Atmospheres overhauled the sky, lighting, shadows, and atmospheric variety.

Warfare 2 Broadside Pack was the biggest release, adding combat-focused blocks, skins, weapons, and the Asteroid Armory custom start map. Railgun, Artillery, and Assault Cannons arrived alongside target locking, gravity-driven projectile drop, and a weapon-and-armor rebalance that reshaped ship combat.

• Warfare 2 Broadside Pack: The February release substantially expanded shipbuilding and combat.
  • Railgun, Artillery, and Assault Cannons broadened the weapons arsenal with dedicated ammunition.
  • Warfare Ion Thruster and Warfare Reactor added new functional blocks, while additional skins expanded the pack’s visual options.
  • Asteroid Armory provided a new custom starting map built around the Warfare content.
• Combat systems: Reimagined Combat and New Combat Mechanics made fighting more deliberate and tactical.
  • Target Locking added a new way to track opponents, while gravity-influenced projectile drop affected shot placement.
  • Weapon Damage and Armor Rebalance retuned the relationship between offensive and defensive blocks.
  • New Weapons Arsenal added a separate set of free weapons, and Rockets Now Win Against Dummies corrected rocket-versus-target behavior.
• Workshop additions: Mod support gained several substantial gameplay experiments.
  • Kinetic Devastation Mod enabled high-velocity impacts against grids, asteroids, and planets.
  • Life'Tech-Algaetechnology Mod added algae-based hydrogen and oxygen farms plus food production.
  • Radio Spectrometry Mod enabled remote asteroid composition scans, while Planet Overvent Mod added a ringed gas giant.
  • Star Trek Mod Pack, Babylon 5 Shadow Aliens NPCs Mod, and Tire Wear Mod added themed content and more physical vehicle wear.
• Beacon and camera improvements: Increased Beacon Range extended beacons to 200 km and let Jump Drives use them as jump targets. First-Person Camera Improvement added automatic look return, while Optimized Performance for Large Inventories improved handling of heavily stocked inventories.

PC–Xbox crossplay arrived alongside a broader Epic Online Services and mod.io rollout, changing how players joined servers and shared content. Sparks of the Future shipped on June 24, 2020, while the Automated Weather System and new construction blocks expanded the sandbox.

• Sparks of the Future: The cosmetic DLC added purchasable items, while Small Grid Doors, Hinge Blocks, and 3D Letter Blocks expanded building options.
  • Automated Weather System introduced automated weather behavior.
  • Small Grid Doors added new door options for compact builds.
  • Hinge Blocks enabled more flexible mechanical constructions.
  • 3D Letter Blocks added decorative lettering.
• Crossplay and mod support: PC–Xbox crossplay connected the two platforms, with Epic Online Services added as a server-browser category and Mod.io support reaching Xbox, PC clients, and dedicated servers.
  • Mod support on Xbox arrived with platform restrictions.
  • Mod.io support reached PC clients and dedicated servers.
  • Vanilla crossplay remained available after modded crossplay was temporarily disabled, while Mod.io was temporarily removed from the Steam version.
• Building and control systems: Full gamepad support, a new small tank block, and a Visual Scripting Tool overhaul improved controller play and creation workflows. The Piston Head also became available as a separate block, and experimental mode allowed Campaign and Scenario settings to be edited.
• Physics and technical changes: Block Collision Changes substantially altered collision behavior, and Server Performance Improvements targeted server responsiveness. Hydrogen tanks no longer caused high network load, while the missing-grids “Thanos bug” and several platform-specific crashes were fixed.
• Sounds of Space Engineers Competition: The music competition opened submissions for player-created tracks that could be featured in-game.

Space Engineers officially left Early Access on February 28, 2019, ending more than five years of development. Its biggest follow-up additions were Player-to-Player Trading, NPC Trading Stations, and Build Planner, alongside new community-built stations, construction blocks, and creative tools.

• Economy and trading: The economy rollout introduced Player-to-Player Trading, Store, Contracts, and Safe Zone blocks, plus NPC Trading Stations, space credits, Datapads, Zone Chips, consumables, and expanded economy administration tools.
• Building and creative tools: Build Planner automated the transfer of required blocks and components between inventories, while Replay Tool and Update 1.190 supported animated scenes and video creation. Customizable cockpit LCDs, new random encounters, and the Small Grid Cryo Pod also expanded construction and survival options.
• Community stations: The Stations Design Competition brought three winning designs into the official game: Aephir Space Station, Planetary Trade Station, and IO-HEX Spaceport: Professor Holtex’s Workshop.
• Blocks and customization: Decorative Pack added new decorative blocks, the Style Pack added skins and emotes, and the Large Open Cockpit, Small Control Seat, 20 small-window variants, and additional Deco Pack 2 catwalks expanded ship and station design. The DLC Blocks Usability Update also let non-owners interact with DLC blocks, while placement remained restricted to owners.
• Gameplay and seasonal content: Survival spawning mechanics changed to prevent easy exploitation, and Hauling Contracts, Acquisition Contracts, and Search Contracts received economy tuning. The Blood Moon Event added a Halloween atmosphere from October 25 through November 1, 2019.