Space Engineers ▶ Trailer
Space Engineers screenshot 1Space Engineers screenshot 2
ActionIndieSimulationStrategySandboxBuildingSpaceSurvivalPhysics

1,963 playing

Peak in the last 24 hours: 3,681

Peak in the last 7 days: 4,592

Space Engineers Steam store

Game description

Space Engineers is a sandbox engineering game where you design and build ships, stations, and planetary bases in a fully destructible environment. Explore planets and space, mine resources, survive hazards, and engage in combat alone or with friends in Creative or Survival modes.

Basic info

DeveloperKeen Software House
PublisherKeen Software House
PlatformsWindows
Steam DeckUnsupported
Release dateFeb 28, 2019
Price

Prices by IsThereAnyDeal

Minimum specs

OSMicrosoft Windows 10 (latest SP) 64-bit
ProcessorIntel i5 @ 3.0 GHz or higher (or AMD equivalent)
Memory8 GB
GraphicsGeforce 750/Radeon R9 270X or higher
Storage35 GB
steamyze

Review Analysis Score

Based on 438 reviews from the past 1 year

81.4/ 100
Top 50%

Steam rating: Very Positive (89%)

Review analysis summary (Reviewed Oct 22, 2026)

Engineering ships, rovers and bases block by block, this space sandbox scores 81.4 across 134,651 Steam reviews.

👍 Strengths

126 reviews praise the creative freedom to build almost anything, and some add that mods widen the sandbox further. Gameplay ranks 293rd of 1396. 104 find the core loop fun, rewarding time spent once the systems click. 24 enjoy the depth of its building systems, from pistons and rotors to deep physics that allow creative engineering solutions. Multiplayer ranks 148th of 642, and Content Volume ranks 265th of 1351.

👎 Where it falls short

91 reviews say it is hard to learn, with no real tutorial and many mechanics that new players must look up outside the game. 46 complain about DLC pricing, saying many blocks and decorations sit behind small paid packs and show up greyed out in the base game. 25 report bugs and unstable physics, such as vehicles that explode without warning or collisions that wreck hours of work. Pricing & Fairness ranks 934th of 1399, and Tech & Support appears in 33% of analyzed reviews and ranks 522nd of 1399.

Representative reviews Original reviews ↗

“freedom to build and create your own designs” · 126 reviews
“core gameplay is fantastic” · 104 reviews
“playing with friend for 15 hours straight, having fun” · 18 reviews

How it holds up

−50+5

Controls, difficulty, progression and depth
Mentioned in 74% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Freedom +4.15 · Room to explore, build, and play your own way
Positive “freedom to build and create your own designs” · 126 reviews
Negative “game ends after ship building, needs external server structure” · 3 reviews

Progression 13% · Difficulty 8% · Onboarding 32% · Strategy 25% · Controls & feel 8%

Plot, characters and the world
Mentioned in 11% of reviews · Bottom 20% of the games we've analyzed

World +1.58 · Lore, atmosphere, and how immersive the setting is
Positive “graphics immerse in atmosphere of exploration and travel” · 5 reviews
Negative “game becomes very lonely after certain point” · 8 reviews

Story 2% · Characters 0%

How much there is to do, variety and replay value
Mentioned in 25% of reviews · Top 20% of the games we've analyzed

Volume +3.03 · How much there is to play, including endgame, for the price
Positive “mature game with solid survival sandbox and regular updates” · 7 reviews
Negative “Nothing to do, most mods require DLCs, lacks actual content” · 8 reviews

Variety 8% · Replayability 4%

Graphics, art style, music and sound

Not enough data — only 5% of reviews mention this.

Visuals +2.11 · Graphics, art style, and animation

Audio 1%

Playing with others, the community and servers
Mentioned in 25% of reviews · Top 30% of the games we've analyzed

Playing together +2.74 · Fun of playing with friends, teammates, or rivals
Positive “playing with friend for 15 hours straight, having fun” · 18 reviews
Negative “cross-platform play only through public servers, defeating purpose” · 4 reviews

Community 11% · Servers & Connection 1%

Pricing, cheaters, balance and matchmaking
Mentioned in 19% of reviews · Bottom 40% of the games we've analyzed

Pricing -0.29 · Whether the price, DLC and microtransactions are reasonable, and how much paying gives you an edge
Negative “DLC blocks locked in base game ships, scummy monetization forcing purchases” · 46 reviews
Positive “cosmetics only, no pay-to-win” · 4 reviews

Anti-cheat 0% · Balance 2% · Matchmaking 0%

Bugs, performance and developer support
Mentioned in 33% of reviews · Top 40% of the games we've analyzed

Developer support +0.16 · Updates, patches, and how devs respond to players
Positive “still receiving DLC and updates after 6 years” · 14 reviews
Negative “slow updates, SE2 barely moving, focus on DLC over development” · 11 reviews

Stability 11% · Performance 11%

Grey means too few reviews mention it to trust. — means almost no reviews mention it.

Was this analysis useful? Sign in with Steam to vote

🎲 Fans of this game often get the title Skilled Guildmaster. Which one is yours?