The next big update for Space Engineers 2 drops Monday, July 6. VS2.3 goes live at 5 PM UTC, and it’s a chunky one. The devs are calling it “Drive, Automate & Detonate,” and that’s pretty much what you’re getting.
Mechanical Blocks and Destruction
This update finishes the mechanical block lineup. You’ll get Wheels in six sizes (100, 150, 250, 500, 750, and 1250) plus Hinges. On the explosive side, they’re adding Warheads in small and large variants. O2H2 tanks, functional reactors, and ammo in inventories all tie into the new combat systems.
“We’re introducing new gameplay foundations, and deepening several core groundwork mechanics from our previous updates.”
Automation and Combat Tools
The core automation suite arrives with Timer, Sensor, and Event Controller blocks. You also get a Control Panel and Sound Block. For combat, there’s a Rocket Turret, Large Rocket Turret, and launchers in small and large sizes. Manual Turret Control and iron sights for character weapons (right mouse button) round out the offensive options.
Exploration and Survival Reworks
The Almagest System gets new content. Planetary stations appear on Verdure (Vallis Reach), Kemik (Dustspire Junction), and in orbit around Palatine and Caligo. They reworked ore distribution — now you’ll find gold, lead, and magnesium on Verdure, with ore nodes split into surface, medium, and deep categories. Rarer ores sit deeper, around 100 meters down. Volcanic areas hide rare resource spots.
Survival progression got a rework to match the current Almagest state. There’s a new Classic Survival Start option, a redesigned Game menu, and a fast travel sequence. The F1 screen also got an update.
Quality of Life and Performance
The Action Toolbar now supports groups (subgrid support is planned but not here yet), with mouse tooltips and drag-and-drop. They unified the Terminal and Cargo UI, added character skin basics through the Medical Bay, and improved voxel performance, GPU optimizations, and flora rendering. New sounds, animations, and poses fill out the polish pass.
The devs are streaming the update on Twitch and YouTube at launch.
