The original reveal of No Man's Sky is a mixed memory for many people. It promised something fantastic, an almost limitless universe of endlessly unique planets, all procedurally generated. Following its launch, people realised the game wasn't quite what it was marketed as, being truly without a strict goal. Just endless space.
In the years following, however, No Man's Sky has achieved one of the greatest turnarounds in gaming, continuing with updates over six years past its initial launch. As a result, the game is a drastically different beast from where it started, and maybe from even when you last picked it up.
Updated on July 8, 2023: We've updated this article to include the video version too, so you can both read and listen to all the reasons why you might want to buy No Man's sky, especially as the years go on!
Review
Though we have no dedicated review for No Man's Sky, many of our editors have shared their opinions on the game over the years. In 2022, our Lead Features Editor Jade King remarked on her feelings on how the game had changed since launch. Despite acknowledging how incredible and genuinely great the game has become, she states that there's a layer of intentional loneliness in the initial launch that no longer exists in No Man's Sky.
We are a single meaningless being in a sea of endless stars, hoping that our discoveries might one day be stumbled upon.
Elsewhere, Features Editor Andy Kelly talks about how the various updates have made the game something he wants it to be, even if it isn't how most play the game. For them, the post-launch Creative Mode is what made the game enjoyable. The gameplay loop of constantly mining and recharging your ship was a distraction from what they enjoyed most: seeing funky planets and their alien inhabitants.
Another major aspect of No Man's Sky that was also launch post-launch is its VR mode, and most recently its updated PSVR2 mode. Mike Drucker, in a wonderfully wordy way, says that No Man's Sky in VR is what made the game for him. The smallest little things made the vastness of its space seem real, and the ways you had to traverse made it a dramatically different experience when it paralleled your own movements.
At their best, motion controls remove layers of abstraction to make what you’re physically doing feel consistent with what you’re pretending to do - and damned if No Man’s Sky isn’t a completely different game when that happens.
Across that plethora of opinions, it's clear to see that No Man's Sky, after years of updates, has a little bit of something for everyone and is pretty free-form in how you approach it. It's a game that will at times demand tedium of you and makes no promises of success, though in reality that's all part of the game.
Time Expenditure
No Man's Sky is not a game with an endpoint. You're given the primary goal of reaching the centre of the universe though, without spoiling it directly, this becomes a recurring goal. Even reaching the centre for the first time has no guaranteed route. Every planet will give you its own challenges when it comes to refuelling your ships and life support systems and the experience will be unique to each player due to the procedural nature of the game. That said, it could potentially take 100s of hours to reach it.
The game also has plenty of side stories in the game, with plenty more added with each update. These all vary wildly, typically centred around the update they come with. Some are short, requiring you to jump from planet to planet and can be done within a few hours. Others will ask you to wait days to advance to the next stage, and some may have random triggers. In many ways, the game is more intended to be played as a hobby, with a short few hours or whatever time you have spare to put in.
The one exception to this would be Expeditions. Expeditions operate as a separate game mode with their own save, and offer a more curated experience. These put players at a specific point in the universe and give them tasks to complete as a community. They're limited-time events, so they require you to invest your time while they're active. The tasks can vary wildly. If it's simply exploring a planet, it may take you an hour or two. If it's travelling across the galaxy, it could take hours or days.
Cost
Since its launch in 2016, No Man's Sky has stayed at typically the same price of $59.99 across all platforms. At launch, this was a hard purchase for many due to the game being relatively light on features. At present, however, the price is much more justifiable. The game is also frequently on sale at a 50 percent discount if you'd rather wait for that, which is a common occurrence. It can also at times be found on various services, like Xbox Game Pass, saving you the upfront cost entirely.
The game also explicitly does not feature microtransactions of any kind, with Hello Games promising to never add any to the game. No paid DLC exists for the game in any form either. As a result, this means that whatever price you pay for the game is the only price you'll likely ever pay for it.
The only other quirk to keep in mind is the necessity of PS Plus, Xbox Live Gold, or Nintendo Switch Online to play online. Without it, you cannot see other players in shared spaces though you can still encounter any planets they've discovered or bases they've built.
What Players Are Saying
A Space Odyssey For The Lonely Traveller - Hilton Webster
I played No Man's Sky on day one. I was enamoured with that game. An entire galaxy of nothing but stars and planets and my own exploratory desire. You'll have heard plenty of people say it was 'lonely', and it was. But it was a loneliness that encapsulated how tiny you were in the grand scheme of things. The best part of No Man's Sky is that even after all these years and all these updates that have transformed it into an entirely different game, is that most of them are optional. You can be a pirate, dedicate your life to mastering the economy, ignore it all and just build bases and outposts with infinite supplies. Or you can travel the galaxy at your own pace like it's a grand road trip and never encounter another soul. You can engage with the systems of the game as much or as little as you like.
The Slowest Sci-Fi Burn - Branden Lizardi
Do you like the old school school Fi aesthetic? Sharp polygons against technicolor landscapes that blend the familiar and the bizarre? No Man's Sky has that in absolute spades. But you won't get it all at once. Seeing it all will take literal weeks, and a majority of the meantime will be low-intensity traveling and exploration. If you're looking for some solid vibes to tune out the world with, this is perfect. For those more high-action oriented, you might find yourself bored after not too long.
There’s Something For Everyone - Matthew McKeown
Space is unbelievably, mind-numbingly big, but No Man’s Sky manages to cram so much to do in that star-filled void. There’s something for everyone whether that’s fighting, farming, or finishing off daily missions. The game was rough for a while, but it’s in a really great place now.
A Game To Always Go Back To - Sam Hallahan
No Man's Sky is now much bigger than the original promises Hello Games made, and no one could have expected it to become what it is. It might feel overwhelming to dive in at this point, but the game takes it a step at a time, while allowing you the freedom to pursue what you wish: base building, exploration, a pirate squad - it's up to you! With so much to discover, and new content still coming, No Man's Sky is the perfect comfort game you can always return to, never worrying about how much you're doing, how you're doing it, or how much you have left.