I want to share with you exactly what will be included in the VS2 update for Space Engineers 2. This milestone, VS2: Planets and Survival Foundations, introduces the first full implementation of planets and lays down the core systems for survival, colonization, and progression.
I’ve seen how positively you’ve been reacting to these dev diaries, and it really means a lot. We’re trying to stay as open and honest as possible about how Space Engineers 2 is being built – what’s done, what’s still changing, and what’s coming next.
Let’s take a closer look at the main features coming with this update.
VS2 Features & What’s Next
Here is the list of all main VS2 features:
- Almagest Star System
- A fully traversable star system with planets and asteroid fields. At its center lies Delfos, while beyond its borders shines Almagest - the system’s main star and source of light.
- Brown Dwarf Delfos
- Planet Verdure
- Planet Kemik
- Planetary Features
- Flora, overhangs, caves
- Destructible trees and rocks
- Volumetric Clouds
- Multiple different biomes
- Voxel Decals
- Natural Wonders
- Dynamic Voxel Hardness (different behavior while crashing into snow/sand vs rock)
- Colonization
- Star System & First 2 playable Sectors
- Colonization Progression
- Storyline Introduction (intro cutscene, voice-over during the onboarding phase - Miro and Ivan)
- Base Contract Systems
- Interactive Star System Map
- Fast Travel (Station Points)
- Basis for GPS system (without custom GPS points for now)
- Basis for Safe Zone System (non-placable for now)
- Survival Mode
- Backpack Building (crafting Simple Components from natural resources)
- Projection Building
- Modular Blueprint Building
- Mirroring
- Copy/Paste
- Undo/Redo
- Basic Production Systems, Manufacturing
- Grid Power System & Swappable Batteries
- Block Construction Stages
- Consumables (Hydrogen, Energy, Health)
- Jetpack H2 usage for Boost, Energy for non-boost movement
- HUD Additions & Changes
- New UI Screens (initial implementation of Production Screen, Grid & Player Inventory Screen, Respawn Screen)
- G-screen Improvements
- Ore Detection (Drill + Ore Detector blocks)
- Random Encounters (non-dynamic, non-AI, non-NPC for now)
- Optimizations
- Rendering Improvements
- Destruction LODs & Performance Improvements
- Tons of new Animations added (welding, grinding, drilling, character movement, and more!)
- Inverse Kinematics
- New Particle Effects
- New In-game and UI sounds
Hand Tools
- Welders Tier 1-4
- Grinders Tier 1-4
- Drills Tier 1-4
New Blocks
- Survival Kit
- Fabricator
- Gearforge
- Smelter
- Batteries
- Contract Block
- Atmospheric Thrusters
- Hydrogen Tanks
- Largest Hydrogen Thruster
- Large Drill
- Barrel (non-connected cargo container)
Blocks with added functionality
- Added Inventories to all blocks (Crates, Lockers, Cargo Containers)
- Reactor
- Medical Bay
- Ore Detector
- Solar Panels
- Connector - limited functionality, ejector/connector functionality planned
- Conveyor System
- Large O2/H2 Generator (Just H2)
- Small O2/H2 Generator (Just H2)
- Antenna
- Animation added to existing blocks (assembler, refinery)
Q: Wait, wait, wait – where is feature/block “X” (Wheels, Weapons, Mechanical Blocks, Oxygen & Airtightness etc.)?
A: I would love to have them in VS2 too! Some features need more time and testing to reach the quality we aim for. You can check our updated roadmap for an overview of what’s coming next and when you can expect your favorite features to arrive.
What’s Next After VS2?
You can expect regular expansions of Contracts and new Sectors through smaller updates after VS2 release, following the same steady approach as our previous block update releases (but probably not on a weekly basis).
The next large milestone will be VS2.2: Survival Extensions, which focuses on expanding the survival and colonization experience. This update will bring mechanical blocks & subgrids, functional block tools, weapons, area welding, block wrappers, the Delfos killing field, full GPS System, new contract types, and much more. Since these features build directly on the systems introduced in VS2, we’ll be able to deliver them at a bit faster pace.
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 will be 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.
VS2 Last Touches
We’re getting very close to the VS2 release, and right now my main focus is finishing the remaining tasks - bugs, polish, small fixes, everything that needs to be done before we can call it stable.
On Wednesday (yesterday), we had around 185 open tickets, but as you can see from this chart, we’re closing about 50 per day. That’s possible thanks to our large team of roughly 70 people, where work can be nicely parallelized.
The art team managed to squeeze in even more snow and mountain biome improvements for this update. Verdure will have much nicer snowy mountains now and I love that!
Verdure will also feature caves - including stalactites!
When playing on a planet at night, I realized we actually need more darkness. The SE2 skybox is magnificent, but the night still looked a bit too bright and almost comics-like.
We’re now tuning the lighting and atmosphere to make nights feel deeper and more realistic - so that when you turn on your suit light, it really matters.
Art Team Spotlight
Do you want to see “how the sausage is made”? Or to be specific - how one of our characters is made? 🙂
Alice is refining the character and adding extra details to the high poly version, while listening to the Space Engineers 2 soundtrack by Karel Antonin 🎶
Full Dev Diary: https://blog.marekrosa.org/2025/11/mareks-dev-diary-november-13-2025/
Question to you: What do you think about the updated Space Engineers 2 Roadmap? Anything you’re most excited for?
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