Choose Space Engineers
Choose Space Engineers if you want the Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89.9% positive across 67,178 reviews.
Space Engineers vs Space Engineers 2
Space Engineers and Space Engineers 2 both land in Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam. Space Engineers (2019) is 6 years older than Space Engineers 2 (2025). Space Engineers scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than Space Engineers 2 (74.4% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Space Engineers 2
Choose Space Engineers 2 if you want an Early Access experience. On Steam, it's the newer release (2025) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 2,785 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Space Engineers and Space Engineers 2 sit in Action, Strategy, and Indie on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Space Engineers |  Space Engineers 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Playable |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 23.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.9% positive (67,178 reviews) | 74.4% positive (2,785 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Keen Software House | Keen Software House |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam.
- Space Engineers (2019) is 6 years older than Space Engineers 2 (2025).
- Space Engineers scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than Space Engineers 2 (74.4% positive).
- Space Engineers is currently ~58% cheaper on Steam than Space Engineers 2 (9.99 USD vs. 23.99 USD).
- Space Engineers has co-op; Space Engineers 2 does not.
- Steam Deck: Space Engineers is Deck Unsupported, Space Engineers 2 is Deck Playable.
Space Engineers vs Space Engineers 2 — FAQ
- Which is better, Space Engineers or Space Engineers 2?
- On Steam reviews Space Engineers scores higher (89.9% positive) than Space Engineers 2 (74.4% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Space Engineers is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Space Engineers or Space Engineers 2 first?
- If you want chronology, Space Engineers (2019) came out before Space Engineers 2 (2025). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Space Engineers and Space Engineers 2 similar?
- They overlap on Action, Strategy, Indie on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does Space Engineers 2 have multiplayer like Space Engineers?
- No. Space Engineers supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op), while Space Engineers 2 is listed as single-player only.