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Restricted Areas
October 18, 2026 at 05:45 PM
Initial version (2026-10-18)
Restricted Areas are instanced locations in SpaceCraft, separate from the open world, where you explore mysterious structures, solve puzzles and uncover what happened there. They have been in the game since the Early Access launch, and Major Update #1 on October 8, 2026 overhauled all of them and added 11 more. See Exploration and FTL Travel for the open galaxy around them.
The developer's October 1, 2026 preview counted 8 Restricted Areas already in the game. Major Update #1 added 11 new ones, including two new types. The developer gives the two figures separately rather than stating a combined total.
Type | Setting | Added |
|---|---|---|
Abandoned Ships | Pitch-black areas set in a cosmic horror setting. | Major Update #1, October 8, 2026 |
Processing Plant | The Company's processing plants, where you enable a Low Gravity mode to reach new heights. The press release calls it a low-gravity variant. | Major Update #1, October 8, 2026 |
Two other location names appear only in fix lists. A September 18, 2026 hotfix fixed a soft-lock involving the Company Warehouse and the Local Intelligence Center, and Major Update #1 lists numerous level design fixes in Warehouses and Intelligence Centers. The patch notes do not describe either location further.
Reward | Detail |
|---|---|
Experience | Completing a Restricted Area grants experience points since Major Update #1. The amount has not been published. |
Blueprint | Each area guarantees a blueprint on first completion. See Blueprints. |
Secret chests | Always contain either a blueprint or a patch. |
Loot quality | Improved for areas found in high-level sectors. |
Chest contents | Chests no longer reroll their loot on every visit. |
Data Disks | Each area rewards a unique Data Disk, according to the developer's preview. |
The developer's preview says each area rewards a unique Data Disk holding discoveries that help you progress, and that earlier areas were updated with practical tips, such as where to find vanadium or how to grow seedlings on your farm. Since Major Update #1, Data Disks must be turned in to the new UCG Agent at the Mining Bureau, and delivering one unlocks its Encyclopedia entry, which offers useful tips for new players. The preview adds that you can still sell Data Disks if you choose to; the patch note does not restate that.
Major Update #1 overhauled every existing Restricted Area, and players who had already completed them can play each area one more time. The October 13, 2026 patch note repeated the point, saying that areas completed before Major Update #1 can be completed again and that this had been possible since the update but was missing from its notes.
Containers inside instances can be emptied at once with the take-all key, R, added in Community Update #1 on September 16, 2026. Nothing published describes Restricted Areas as combat encounters, and as of October 18, 2026 the game has no combat system. See Combat.
Date | Fix |
|---|---|
June 23, 2026 | Fixed Restricted Area vents that, in some cases, stopped players progressing through the instance. |
September 18, 2026 | Fixed a soft-lock involving the Company Warehouse and the Local Intelligence Center. |
October 8, 2026 | Chests stopped rerolling their loot on every visit, and Warehouses and Intelligence Centers received numerous level design fixes. |
October 9, 2026 | Fixed a hardlock that prevented players from playing, and improved performance in several areas. |
October 13, 2026 | Fixed several collision and out-of-bounds issues. |
See Progression: Permits and Experience for how experience feeds your paths and Updates and Patch Notes for the full patch history.