The Short Answer
Space Engineers 2 is deep in its vertical-slice alpha, the most recent build was Vertical Slice 1.2, and the next major step, Vertical Slice 1.5, is headlined by modding support. Keen Software House is also targeting NPCs and co-op multiplayer for late 2026, and the studio has been clear that Space Engineers 2 will stay in Early Access through 2027 while the pieces come together. If you are waiting for the game to look like a full sequel to the original Space Engineers, the honest read is: not yet, but the foundation is being poured in public, slice by slice.
What "Vertical Slice" Actually Means Here
Space Engineers 2 is not being built as one big Early Access launch followed by patches. Keen is shipping it in vertical slices: builds that each take one part of the eventual game and make it deep and playable, rather than shipping everything shallow at once. The alpha reveal build was essentially a creative-mode sandbox showcasing the new engine, the new build system, and the visual and physics upgrades. Each subsequent slice expands the core mechanics, adds features, and moves toward a complete experience.
The payoff of this model is that the fundamentals get polished before the game scales up. The cost is patience: features like survival, NPCs, and multiplayer arrive later than players used to a normal 1.0 might expect. Space Engineers 2 is a project you buy into for the long build, not a finished product.
What Vertical Slice 1.2 Added
VS 1.2 was a meaningful step for anyone building ships, focused on making construction and control feel better:
| Change | What it does |
| Target-based ship controls | Point-and-fly control that makes piloting large builds far more intuitive |
| Undo and redo for the paint gun | Mistakes while painting a hull are no longer permanent |
| Improved partial copy and paste visuals | Clearer feedback when duplicating parts of a build |
| Reworked jetpack boost mode | A more usable boost for getting around while building |
None of these are flashy on a trailer, but they are exactly the kind of ergonomics that decide whether a building sandbox feels good over hundreds of hours. Target-based ship controls in particular address one of the oldest frustrations in the genre: wrangling a huge grid with controls designed for a small one.
What Vertical Slice 1.5 Brings
The team is now working on Vertical Slice 1.5, and the headline feature is modding support. For a Keen game, that is enormous. The original Space Engineers has one of the most prolific modding and workshop scenes in the entire sandbox space, and a huge share of its long-term value came from community creations. Bringing mod support to Space Engineers 2 early means the community can start building the tools, blocks, and scripts that will define the game's ecosystem long before the base game is content-complete.
Alongside modding, VS 1.5 is expected to bundle a batch of smaller features and refinements drawn directly from player feedback on the earlier slices. That feedback-first cadence is the whole point of the vertical-slice model.
The Bigger 2026 Picture: NPCs and Co-op
Looking past 1.5, the two systems that will most change how Space Engineers 2 feels are on the late-2026 horizon:
- NPCs, which give the empty, gorgeous sandbox something to react to and fight.
- Co-op multiplayer, the feature that turned the original Space Engineers into a group hobby of shared stations, salvage runs, and slowly-escalating megaprojects.
Both are the kind of foundational systems that a vertical-slice approach saves for when the core is stable, precisely because they stress every other system at once. With the studio guiding expectations toward Early Access through 2027, treat late 2026 as the moment Space Engineers 2 starts to resemble the multiplayer sandbox people remember, rather than the moment it finishes.
Should You Buy In Now?
Buy in now if you love build systems and want to shape a game as it forms. The engine, the physics, and the construction toolset are genuinely impressive, and each slice makes them better. Wait if you want survival, NPCs, or multiplayer on day one, because those are still ahead on the roadmap. Either way, the vertical-slice cadence means you can check back at each named build and see concrete, focused progress rather than a vague "it's still in Early Access."
If you are coming from the first game, our Space Engineers beginner's guide still covers the fundamentals of grids, power, and thrust that carry over conceptually to the sequel. For a broader look at why so many sandbox and survival games now live on experimental branches for years, read our take on the perpetual Early Access era.
FAQ
What is the latest Space Engineers 2 build? Vertical Slice 1.2, with Vertical Slice 1.5 in development.
What is in Vertical Slice 1.5? Modding support is the headline feature, plus smaller refinements based on player feedback.
When is co-op coming? NPCs and co-op multiplayer are targeted for late 2026.
How long will Space Engineers 2 be in Early Access? Keen has guided toward Early Access continuing through 2027.
