Space Engineers 2 just added real planets and survival — but is it enough?

Space Engineers 2’s VS2 update actually changes the game – and not just cosmetically

This caught my attention because Keen Software House just pushed Space Engineers 2 out of the “tech demo” sandbox and into something you can legitimately call a survival experience – with two full planets, a playable colonization loop, the first layer of survival systems, and the opening note of an actual storyline. For a studio whose original Space Engineers spent years living in players’ modded imaginations, this is the clearest signal yet that SE2 aims to be more than a next-gen voxel engine showcase.

Key takeaways

• Two fully explorable planets (Verdure and Kemik) in the new Almagest system – real biomes, caves, landmarks, and volumetric clouds.
• Survival foundations: projection-based building, backpack auto-processing, modular Power Cells and Power Modules, and early colonization progression via contracts.
• Storyline kickoff featuring Miro Sokol and contract-driven progression, plus first random encounters and fast travel mechanics.
• Important caveats: this is still Alpha — multiplayer, full NPCs, water, and large-scale multiplayer are roadmap items for future VS versions.

Breaking down the update — what actually landed

VS2 introduces the Almagest system anchored by a brown dwarf and two purposefully different planets. Verdure is the temptress: Earth-like, dense biomes, handcrafted caves and natural landmarks that invite base-building and exploration. Kemik is the test of patience — a Mars-style engineering gauntlet with craters, calderas and conditions designed to punish sloppy design choices. Both planets have dynamic voxel hardness now (snow, sand, rock behave differently), and volumetric clouds that reshape flight paths and atmosphere-based encounters.

But the gameplay changes are more consequential than pretty vistas. Projection building brings an animated, creative-mode style construction into survival: mirrored builds, copy/paste, auto-supports and an undo stack. That alone flips early survival from tedious block scavenging into something fun and deliberate. Backpack manufacturing means you can convert raw ore into Simple Components on the go — a recognition from the devs that players need a practical way to bootstrap without a sprawling factory from minute one.

The new modular grid power system with Power Cells and Power Modules is a sensible early architecture for energy flow. They charge in about twenty minutes under ideal conditions — manageable, but we need to see how this plays when base networks and ships get complex.

Why this matters now

Keen shipped a strong tech foundation when SE2 first appeared, but the community has been waiting for gameplay. VS2 is the first serious bridge from “impressive tech” to “I can survive, build, and have objectives.” The contract system and the first storyline beats give players a reason to explore beyond griefing physics and building pretty ships. It’s also a practical move: by delivering bite-sized progression and random encounters now, the devs can iterate on balance and pacing while the core engine continues to evolve.

What gamers need to know — the good, the meh, and the warning flags

• Good: Planetary scale and environmental variety actually feel meaningful — terrain hardness and volumetric weather matter for landings and mining.
• Good: Projection building and backpack manufacturing lower the early grind barrier; survival is finally approachable without a factory obsession.
• Meh: Story and contracts are in very early form. They give direction but won’t replace emergent player goals yet.
• Warning: This is Alpha. Performance, edge-case voxel bugs, and balance around power systems and crafting are still evolving. Full multiplayer and NPC systems are planned, not present.
• Questionable: The merch push (plushies) and a time-limited discount are normal, but don’t confuse those with the pace of core content updates.

Looking ahead — what to watch for in the roadmap

Keen’s roadmap teases the logical next steps: VS2.2 will deepen survival with mechanical blocks, tools and weapons; VS3 brings planetary water systems (a technical beast) and a new water world; VS4 introduces NPCs and cooperative multiplayer, and VS5 promises full multiplayer. If they hit those marks, SE2 will graduate into a full multiplayer survival-sci‑fi ecosystem. The big caveat is timescales — Keens has historically worked iteratively, and that patience is a strength, but players hoping for full multiplayer or sophisticated NPCs this year should temper expectations.

TL;DR

VS2 is the first Alpha update that feels like a real playable survival game rather than a tech toy. Two explorable planets, projection building, backpack crafting and a nascent storyline give players reasons to stick around — but major multiplayer and full-feature systems are still on the roadmap. If you loved the original Space Engineers’ sandbox and want to see it evolve into a survival game, VS2 is promising. If you expect a complete experience with polished multiplayer and NPCs right now, this is still early days.