Choose Space Engineers
Choose Space Engineers if you want an Action and Strategy game with Online PvP, PvP, and Co-op. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 89.9% positive across 67,178 reviews.
Space Engineers vs MachineCraft
Space Engineers and MachineCraft both land in Indie, 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 share Indie, Simulation on Steam. MachineCraft (2016) is 3 years older than Space Engineers (2019). Space Engineers scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than MachineCraft (77% 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 MachineCraft
Choose MachineCraft if you want a Free To Play and Early Access experience. On Steam, it's free to play, so the barrier to trying it is zero. MachineCraft launched in 2016.
Both Space Engineers and MachineCraft sit in Indie and Simulation on Steam and both list Multi-player, 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 |  MachineCraft | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2016 |
| Genres | Action, Strategy, Indie, Simulation | Indie, Simulation, Free To Play, Early Access |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Unrated |
| Price | 19.99 USD | Free to play |
| Steam reviews | 89.9% positive (67,178 reviews) | 77% positive (522 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Co-op | Multi-player |
| Developers | Keen Software House | G2CREW |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Simulation on Steam.
- MachineCraft (2016) is 3 years older than Space Engineers (2019).
- Space Engineers scores higher on Steam reviews (89.9% positive) than MachineCraft (77% positive).
- MachineCraft is free; Space Engineers is paid (19.99 USD).
- Space Engineers has co-op; MachineCraft does not.
- Space Engineers is Deck Unsupported on Steam Deck; MachineCraft has no Deck rating yet.
Space Engineers vs MachineCraft — FAQ
- Which is better, Space Engineers or MachineCraft?
- On Steam reviews Space Engineers scores higher (89.9% positive) than MachineCraft (77% 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 MachineCraft first?
- If you want chronology, MachineCraft (2016) came out before Space Engineers (2019). 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 MachineCraft similar?
- They overlap on Indie, 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.
- Is MachineCraft free?
- Yes — MachineCraft is a free-to-play Steam title. Space Engineers is paid (19.99 USD).