Space Engineers is charging into May with a massive Economy 2 Update for the original game, while Space Engineers 2 quietly refines wheels, water, and biomes in the background. Here’s everything you need to know from the April 30 dev diary.
Economy 2: Trade Stations Worth Visiting
The Space Engineers: Economy 2 Update drops Monday, May 4th at 5 PM UTC, and it’s being called the biggest economy overhaul in the game’s history. Key features include:
- Services Terminal with Grid Storage, Repair, and Salvage
- Revamped economy systems: Economy Overview and Item Search
- New contracts and contract types
- Animated NPCs on stations
“Making Trade Stations places you’ll actually want to visit.”
Community previews are rolling out daily on YouTube and Twitch, so you can see the changes before they go live. For players, this means trading is no longer a chore—stations will feel alive, and your salvage operations finally have a dedicated home.
Space Engineers 2: Wheels, Water, and Worldbuilding
Work on VS2.3 continues, with wheel suspension construction and fractures now shown, though a full video preview isn’t ready yet. The team is also randomizing thruster flame effects so every ignition feels unique.
On the worldbuilding front, planets are getting more love:
- Snow automatically added to flora in snowy biomes for natural consistency
- Designers are building more planetary stations and Random Encounters
- A new Flight Seat and detailed Merge Block renders leaked from the Art Team
And for tree fans: poplar-like trees are coming, complete with ivy and mushroom growth for denser environments. This means exploring planets will feel less predictable and more rewarding.
Water Through a 25cm Hole
The biggest technical leap? VS3 water can now flow through a 25 cm hole—a massive improvement from the previous 2.5 m block limit. In internal builds, water streams cleanly through tiny openings, which promises far more realistic ship damage and drainage systems when it hits live.
For players, this signals a future where small leaks matter, and engineering for water-tightness becomes a genuine challenge. It’s a small detail that could redefine survival ship design.
Bottom line: Keen Software House is balancing a massive content drop for the original game with quiet, meaningful improvements for the sequel. If the water physics hold up, Space Engineers 2 could make flooding as terrifying as it should be.
