Space Engineers 2 Launch Failure Investigation Report

Issue SummaryAfter downloading Space Engineers 2, the game fails to launch. When pressing Play in Steam, the game appears to begin loading but immediately closes without reaching the main menu.

The issue was investigated through multiple troubleshooting steps, log analysis, and crash report examination. Initial symptoms suggested a launch initialization problem, but further investigation revealed evidence pointing toward an internal game engine issue.

System and Launch Details

• Game: Space Engineers 2 (Early Access)
• Game Version: 2.3.0.2791 / 2.3.0.2793
• Launch Platform: Steam
• Launch Method: Directly through Steam Library
• Runtime Framework: .NET 9.0.17
• Build Configuration: Release

Initial Troubleshooting PerformedSeveral common launch fixes were investigated:

Game File Verification

• Verified integrity of game files through Steam.
• Considered reinstalling the game to restore potentially corrupted files.

Driver and Software Checks

• Recommended updating GPU drivers.
• Considered reinstalling graphics drivers if necessary.
• Checked compatibility requirements due to Space Engineers 2 being more demanding than the original game.

Steam and Launch IssuesThe first major error identified was:

SteamAPI.InitEx failed with result k_ESteamAPIInitResult_FailedGeneric

No appID found. Either launch the game from Steam, or put the file steam_appid.txt containing the correct appID in your game folder.

However, this was ruled out as the main cause because:

• The game was already being launched directly through Steam.
• Steam was confirmed to be running normally.

Potential Steam-related causes considered:

• Corrupted steam_api64.dll
• Steam client issues
• Background Steam processes interfering
• Antivirus/firewall blocking Steam communication

Additional InvestigationFurther crash logs revealed that the problem was not limited to Steam initialization.

Multiple crash signatures appeared, including:

• Stack overflow-type failures
• Dictionary duplicate-key exceptions
• Fatal access violations

All crashes pointed to the same internal game subsystem:

TypeNameMigrationsIndexer / VersionBranchIndexer

Specifically, failures occurred while processing:

GetProjects

during project version migration metadata loading.

FindingsThe repeated failures in the same internal subsystem strongly indicate that the issue is caused by a Space Engineers 2 engine bug, rather than a hardware, Steam, or user configuration problem.

Evidence supporting this conclusion:

• Multiple different crash types occurred in the same code area.
• The crashes occurred before reaching the main menu.
• Reinstalling and resetting user data did not resolve the problem.
• Hardware resources, RAM, CPU, storage, and .NET runtime issues were considered and ruled out.
• Mods and workshop content were not identified as the cause.

Final DiagnosisThe launch failure is most likely caused by a bug in the Space Engineers 2 early-access build, specifically within the game's version migration/indexing system.

The affected subsystem appears to fail while loading internal project migration data, causing the game process to terminate before startup completes.

Recommended Next Steps1. Submit a Bug Report to Keen Software HouseProvide:

• Game versions affected:2.3.0.27912.3.0.2793
• Crash dump:
  C:\Users\Nikol\AppData\Local\Temp\SpaceEngineers2\ProcessFailureDump.dmp
  
• Relevant crash logs showing:TypeNameMigrationsIndexer failuresVersionBranchIndexer failuresGetProjects errors

2. Include Troubleshooting Already CompletedMention that the following were attempted:

• Steam file verification
• Reinstallation
• AppData reset
• Steam launch verification
• Hardware checks
• .NET runtime checks
• Workshop/mod checks

ConclusionThe investigation indicates that the failure is not caused by user error or local system configuration. The repeated crashes occurring inside the same Space Engineers 2 engine subsystem strongly suggest an early-access software defect that requires a developer-side fix from Keen Software House.