Space Engineers

About

Space Engineers is a single player and multiplayer open world shooter game with warfare and science fiction themes. It was developed by Keen Software House and was released on February 27, 2019. It received positive reviews from players.

Space Engineers is a sandbox game set in space, where players build, design, and maintain various types of space vessels and stations. It features both creative and survival modes, allowing players to either freely build and explore or survive in a hostile environment. The game also includes physics-based engineering and destruction, adding a layer of realism and challenge to space engineering.

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 85,786 reviews

gameplay1.3k positive mentions

optimization585 negative mentions

The humor and chaotic physics create entertaining moments, especially during multiplayer sessions, leading to laughter and memorable experiences.
The game offers deep and complex building mechanics, allowing for creative freedom in constructing intricate ships and structures.
The extensive modding community and sandbox elements provide exceptional replayability, keeping players engaged with endless possibilities.

The game suffers from persistent bugs, glitches, and performance issues, particularly in multiplayer, which can detract from the overall experience.
Resource gathering and survival mechanics are often described as excessively tedious and grindy, leading to a frustrating gameplay loop.
The monetization strategy has drawn criticism for being overly aggressive, with many players feeling that it prioritizes profit over meaningful content.

gameplay
4,636 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
66%
7%
The gameplay of Space Engineers is characterized by its deep and complex building mechanics, allowing players to create intricate ships and structures in a sandbox environment. While the game offers a rich creative experience, many players find the survival mechanics to be lacking and the overall gameplay loop repetitive, often requiring extensive time investment to learn the mechanics. Additionally, the game suffers from bugs and performance issues, particularly in multiplayer, which can detract from the overall experience, though the active modding community provides opportunities to enhance gameplay.
- “Addicting creative gameplay for bringing various ships and vehicles or bases to life in a nicely immersive game.”
- “I love the mechanics for building and the planets can look nice even with graphics set to low, and there are a large number of options or modifications to change the game to your liking.”
- “The gameplay is great, especially after the most recent update.”
- “All these years and all you have done is add paid decorative blocks and some really really bad food, hunger, and plant mechanics.”
- “The help system is barren; the only 'tutorial' is a bunch of links to outdated YouTube videos where a guy is trying to explain mechanics of survival mode while playing creative mode where said mechanics do not exist.”
- “The game leaves me frustrated, angry, and exhausted, fighting against known unfixed bugs and awful and unexplained controls, physics, and mechanics.”
graphics
3,055 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
57%
5%
The graphics of *Space Engineers* have received mixed feedback from players. While many appreciate the game's immersive visuals and detailed environments, noting that they can be stunning on higher settings, others criticize the graphics as outdated and demanding on hardware, leading to performance issues even on capable systems. Overall, the game is often described as "Minecraft in space" with better graphics, but it requires a decent graphics card to run smoothly, and some players have experienced significant lag and graphical glitches.
- “The graphics may not be state of the art, but they still look immersive to a degree, and on the max settings can look straight-up beautiful.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and the game runs without any issues on my 5-year-old HP standard desktop PC.”
- “The graphics are stunning, with beautiful space vistas and highly detailed ship models.”
- “The graphics are okay, but they are outdated, which is expected for a 2013 video game.”
- “There are graphical glitches that pop up with clear tears in the ground now and then; not too often, but they can and may pop up from time to time on a planet even with things turned down.”
- “The graphics were of below average quality when compared with other games I've played through this service.”
optimization
2,548 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
63%
23%
The optimization of "Space Engineers" has been a significant point of contention among players, with many expressing frustration over persistent performance issues, particularly in multiplayer settings and with large builds. While some users note improvements over time, particularly with recent updates aimed at enhancing performance, the game still struggles with lag, stuttering, and crashes, especially on lower-end systems. Overall, while the game offers a rich sandbox experience, its optimization remains a critical area needing further attention from the developers.
- “If they implemented some better culling and other optimizations to make this game run correctly, it would be one of the best games ever.”
- “Optimization has improved significantly over the years, but very large or detailed creations can still cause frame drops.”
- “The game is really awesome and has some optimization issues, but it is a full-fledged ship builder and very fun.”
- “Optimization feels like it was outright ignored to the detriment of the game.”
- “The game's performance will tank most systems, simply for how much is going on in it.”
- “I loved this game, until the apex survival update, that without warning changed too much about the game, including the respawn pod, and it's made the game poorly optimized too.”
stability
2,117 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
1%
96%
The stability of the game has been a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent crashes, freezes, and various graphical glitches. While some players find the bugs amusing and part of the game's charm, others express frustration over the persistent issues, particularly in multiplayer mode, which is often described as unplayable due to lag and desynchronization. Overall, despite its potential and engaging gameplay, the game remains a buggy experience that can detract from enjoyment, especially for those seeking a polished product.
- “Now at the 1.0+, it's optimized and nearly bug free (I haven't seen any bugs at all).”
- “Fantastic game, bought this game way back when and even then it was basically bug free (i.e., playable). Ever since, the developers have been pumping out updates like a well-oiled machine and listening to community feedback and taking action to whatever was requested (as long as it's doable).”
- “For an early access game, it has a lot to do and the single player experience is bug free thus far.”
- “After all these years, this game still has random crashes at startup, and the menu will have random freezes in the settings.”
- “It's a buggy mess; I had a ship explode right next to me when I was working on another one, despite being parked, gears locked, and all systems off. This is on single player on an absurdly overpowered computer.”
- “The game is a buggy mess that will destroy everything you've built for no reason and ruin all your work.”
story
1,822 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
77%
13%
The story aspect of the game is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting that it primarily functions as a sandbox without a compelling narrative. While there are a few scripted missions and scenarios, they are often seen as inadequate tutorials rather than meaningful storylines, leaving players to create their own experiences. Overall, those seeking a structured plot or character-driven narrative may find the game disappointing, as it emphasizes creativity and player-driven storytelling over traditional storytelling elements.
- “The game offers a story mode (scenarios), where one follows a loosely guided storyline, and a solo/multiplayer sandbox mode.”
- “The continuing mission to explore strange new worlds and mine the resources available is a core aspect of the game.”
- “The scenarios in general were all good story-driven fun, providing a structured experience that enhances the gameplay.”
- “There is no real story--at least none that I have discovered.”
- “The lack of any serious challenge in the universe, the lack of any real story or hostile NPCs tarnishes the challenge and achievements you make.”
- “If you are looking for a game that has a complete storyline, it's not for you.”
grinding
1,011 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
90%
The grinding aspect of the game is frequently described as excessively tedious and time-consuming, particularly in survival mode, where players often feel overwhelmed by the resource-gathering requirements. Many reviews suggest that while the initial grind can be frustrating, it may lead to rewarding experiences once players progress and learn to automate tasks. However, the consensus is that the game is best enjoyed with friends to alleviate the monotony of grinding, as solo play can feel isolating and laborious.
- “The resource gathering isn't too grindy considering you use them to make gathering easier, through device/ship creation, which is what makes this game fun.”
- “A fantastic sandbox game where survival is challenging but not too grindy.”
- “Its a big game, but it's just too big; I hope the sequel isn't as grindy and hard as this one.”
- “It takes a huge amount of resources and crafting to do anything basic, and the gathering of those resources is absurdly tedious.”
- “Survival is very underbaked and tedious; while the idea is there, the execution is just a grindfest at a snail's pace to accomplish a few goals with no finish line.”
- “The game is just a grind for the sake of grinding more.”
atmosphere
535 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
56%
2%
The atmosphere in "Space Engineers" is a mixed bag, with players appreciating the immersive space environment and the challenges of building ships capable of atmospheric flight. While the game offers a visually appealing backdrop and ambient soundtrack, many users criticize the lack of realistic atmospheric physics, such as drag and lift, which can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences. Overall, the game excels in providing a sandbox atmosphere for creativity and engineering, but it falls short in delivering a fully realized atmospheric simulation.
- “The atmosphere in this game is excellent and I think it captures the feeling of being in space extremely well.”
- “I love the atmosphere of this game.”
- “The graphics are great and the music adds atmosphere to it.”
- “The planets without any mods at all are completely empty, not even NPCs go into the atmosphere; the only planets that NPCs can get close to are the ones without gravity.”
- “Spent 4+ hours on a rocket to leave the atmosphere only for its nuclear reactors to explode on me after lift off.”
- “The recent planets addon was mostly fluff; it adds almost no added content other than the fact that they're large asteroids with native gravity and possibly an atmosphere.”
humor
490 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in "Space Engineers" is a standout feature, with players frequently highlighting the game's chaotic physics and the amusing mishaps that arise from building and piloting spacecraft. Many reviews emphasize the hilarity of unexpected failures, such as ships crashing or exploding, often leading to laughter among friends during multiplayer sessions. While some players find the bugs and glitches frustrating, they often describe these moments as part of the game's charm, contributing to a fun and entertaining experience overall.
- “The physics engine, lovingly dubbed 'clang' by players, can be an endless source of entertainment and while it can be a source of ridiculously funny exploits, it adds quite a character to the game.”
- “It's hard to get bored when you're laughing maniacally destroying your friends' ships and stations.”
- “Making janky vehicles, ships, and mining stations that can just barely handle their basic functions without flipping or exploding is just great and you'll either extend this to space with hilarious creations or spend your time learning the finer side of ship building.”
- “There is a saying that the user experience is like a joke and it is not funny when you have to explain it.”
- “This game was fun when it launched, but it's been 3 years and they cannot find a way to finish the game, and it's not funny anymore to me.”
- “Selling this game in exchange for money is a very unfunny joke on the consumer; I hope you don't fall for it.”
music
374 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
58%
4%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its atmospheric and immersive qualities that enhance the space exploration experience. While some find the soundtrack beautiful and fitting, others criticize it for being repetitive and overly dramatic at times, leading to a desire for more variety. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's ambiance, but players often resort to their own playlists for a more enjoyable experience.
- “The music is great, and the sounds are well designed and implemented; my only real gripe is that, in order to listen to music, you have to have a music player.”
- “The soundtrack fits the sci-fi space exploration theme of the game quite nicely and really does help hype up situations and gets you in the mood to continue playing the game.”
- “The music is wonderful and fits perfectly with the space theme, it helps add to the immersion significantly.”
- “The music is awful and totally unbalanced with the voices, meaning you have to practically turn the music off to even hear what they're saying.”
- “The audio design is also unimpressive, with generic sound effects and uninspired music that quickly become repetitive and grating.”
- “The music gets very old after a while, but if you turn it off the game gets more boring!”
replayability
254 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
51%
3%
The game boasts exceptional replayability, primarily driven by its extensive modding community and sandbox elements, allowing players to create custom scenarios and engage in multiplayer experiences. While some users note that the base game may lack long-term replay value without mods, the nearly infinite possibilities for creativity and exploration keep players returning for more. Overall, the game's depth and active community contribute to a highly engaging and replayable experience.
- “It has infinite replayability with mods - from its active modding community.”
- “The continuous updates and releases from both Keen and the game community in the form of mods, scripting, and even collaboration makes this an infinitely replayable title that should be in everyone's Steam library.”
- “The game features block-based construction of just about anything functional—ship, station, rover, or other machine—that the player could possibly imagine, and with infinite worlds, entire procedurally generated planets, large multiplayer servers, and more, the game features endless possibility and replayability.”
- “Minimal AI presence or factions reduce long-term replayability unless you engage in modding.”
- “The in-game scenarios are a good place to start if you are new to the game, but they don't add much replay value overall.”
- “I might play it off and on when I am bored, but this game is missing some key ingredients for it to be a vastly replayable game.”
monetization
217 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
35%
63%
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism from users, who describe it as overly aggressive and reminiscent of a cash grab. Many players express frustration with the abundance of DLCs, frequent in-game advertisements, and the introduction of microtransactions for cosmetic items, which they feel detracts from the core gameplay experience. While some acknowledge that the DLCs are reasonably priced and mostly cosmetic, the overall sentiment is that the game's monetization practices prioritize profit over meaningful content and development.
- “The steam workshop integration is seamless, the blueprint system (for saving designs) works extremely well, and the DLC policy of the devs sets the gold standard of ethical monetization.”
- “Good guy devs, no shady hidden microtransactions, most DLCs are only cosmetic so get it after you figure out if you enjoy the core gameplay.”
- “To wrap up, the game does offer cosmetic DLC which is inexpensive and inoffensive, but does not offer microtransactions despite having in-game items.”
- “I don't like that it has so many DLCs, that it has to connect to the internet if I want to play offline, or that it shows ads on the home screen.”
- “The monetization of this game has taken a sharp downturn since I last touched it.”
- “This game feels like the devs abandoned it and then released some DLC for a quick cash grab; it had a lot of potential that was never realized.”
emotional
91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional responses to the game are highly polarized, with players expressing feelings of frustration, heartbreak, and anger due to numerous bugs and technical issues, often leading to a sense of loss over their creations. Conversely, many players also report moments of joy, pride, and nostalgia, particularly when playing with friends or engaging with the game's creative aspects, highlighting a complex emotional rollercoaster that can be both rewarding and disheartening. Overall, while the game has the potential to evoke strong emotional connections, its technical shortcomings often overshadow these positive experiences.
- “Made me feel anger and rage I've never felt before - would very much recommend, especially with friends.”
- “Unfortunately, these heavier blocks require a lot more materials to be able to build, and when my ship took a hell of a lot of damage in a battle with another friend, I cried myself to sleep because I had nowhere near the required amount of steel to repair even the tiniest part of my beloved ship.”
- “It is also an emotional rollercoaster as you accidentally crash into an asteroid going Mach 3 with your brand new fighter as you change between laughing and crying.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game is primarily focused on engineering and sandbox gameplay, lacking significant character development or narrative depth. Players should not expect a rich world or character arcs, as the emphasis is on task completion and physics-based challenges rather than storytelling. Overall, character design is rated moderately at 7.2/10, but it does not contribute to character growth or development.
- “Character design 7.2/10”
- “It's a pretty solid game where the only goal is pretty much to engineer something to accomplish tasks, like moving around a bumpy area, making a drone that doesn't crash, digging a tunnel, managing a station, flying to orbit, landing on another planet, fighting space pirates... do not expect character development or a world full of life; this is one of the most sandbox experiences out there, despite having a survival mode.”
- “If you make a game and your one thing is your physics engine, there's no narrative, core gameplay loop, character development, or unified objective... at least make sure that one thing works properly.”