Choose Space Engineers
Choose Space Engineers if you want an Action, Strategy, and Indie game with Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP. On Steam, it's currently about 71% cheaper on the Steam Store. 67,178 Steam reviews back the pick.
Space Engineers vs Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Space Engineers and Hardspace: Shipbreaker both land in Simulation 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 are Simulation games on Steam. Space Engineers (2019) is 3 years older than Hardspace: Shipbreaker (2022). Both sit near 90% positive on Steam (Space Engineers: 67,178 reviews, Hardspace: Shipbreaker: 15,871). 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 Hardspace: Shipbreaker
Choose Hardspace: Shipbreaker if it's the newer release (2022) and ships with the modern feature baseline. 15,871 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Space Engineers and Hardspace: Shipbreaker sit in Simulation on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (89.9% vs 89.9% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Space Engineers |  Hardspace: Shipbreaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 34.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 89.9% positive (67,178 reviews) | 89.9% positive (15,871 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Keen Software House | Blackbird Interactive |
Side by side
- Both are Simulation games on Steam.
- Space Engineers (2019) is 3 years older than Hardspace: Shipbreaker (2022).
- Both sit near 90% positive on Steam (Space Engineers: 67,178 reviews, Hardspace: Shipbreaker: 15,871).
- Space Engineers is currently ~71% cheaper on Steam than Hardspace: Shipbreaker (9.99 USD vs. 34.99 USD).
- Space Engineers has co-op; Hardspace: Shipbreaker does not.
- Steam Deck: Space Engineers is Deck Unsupported, Hardspace: Shipbreaker is Deck Verified.
Space Engineers vs Hardspace: Shipbreaker — FAQ
- Which is better, Space Engineers or Hardspace: Shipbreaker?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Space Engineers sits at 89.9% positive (67,178 reviews), Hardspace: Shipbreaker at 89.9% (15,871). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Space Engineers or Hardspace: Shipbreaker first?
- If you want chronology, Space Engineers (2019) came out before Hardspace: Shipbreaker (2022). 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 Hardspace: Shipbreaker similar?
- They overlap on Simulation 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 Hardspace: Shipbreaker have multiplayer like Space Engineers?
- No. Space Engineers supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op), while Hardspace: Shipbreaker is listed as single-player only.