Kerbal Space Program 2 Blasts Off Into Early Access February 2023

Kerbal Space Program 2 is finally releasing into early access February 24 next year, after experiencing numerous delays.

The sequel to the 2015 space flight simulator was meant to launch in early 2021, but was delayed, then delayed again to 2022, and finally a third time to 2023. But a specific date is now locked in, with players able to dig into the game on PC via Steam or the Epic Games Store early next year.

Developer Intercept Games released a 14-minute-long video going into some more detail about the game, announcing the early access release, and explaining why it's decided to take this route. "I cannot overstate how important it is for me to hear what people think about this thing we're creating," explained creative director Nate Simpson. "We've been working in a vacuum for quite a while, this is a rare opportunity to actually find out how we've been doing."

Kerbal Space Program 2 has been built from the ground up and will have over "350 new and improved parts to build with, including engines, fuel tanks, procedural part systems, and much more," at launch. The sequel will "also introduce the ability to customize and paint vehicles, leading to deeper personalization and expression in every build."

On top of that, there have been big user-experience improvements like an enhanced map and an all-new flight HUD. There will be better contextual information too so players can better understand how to respond to unexpected vehicle failures.

The sequel is adding in multiplayer, so players can work together to build spacecrafts and explore space, and it will also be a lot more mod-friendly compared to the first game.

When Kerbal Space Program 2 launches in early access, it will only do so on PC, with the PS5 and Xbox X|S versions coming at a later date, after the early access period.