What Is No Man’s Sky? Everything You Need to Know

What is No Man’s Sky?

No Man’s Sky is finally about to release on PlayStation 4 and PC this week. While the game has been in development for years and many players have been hotly anticipating the sci-fi adventure from Hello Games, exactly what players can expect to be doing in it has remained largely unknown. With copies of the game now out in the wild, bits of information are slowly leaking, revealing mechanics and cool features previously unknown. While this is all interesting stuff, reading it means you run the risk of spoilers.

With that in mind, we’ve pulled all of the official information you need to know about No Man’s Sky, without giving you any of the spoilers that you could come across from having a click around on the internet yourself.

Story

For the most part, the game’s story has been left under wraps to avoid spoiling exactly why you’re going about this huge world. What we do know, however, is that players are tasked with reaching the center of the universe. That may sound simple enough, but considering there are over 18 quintillion planets that you’re free to explore at your leisure on your way to the center, there’s plenty of gameplay to keep you distracted from your main objective.

No Man’s Sky also has three distinct paths for players to follow from the beginning of their adventure. While no details have been revealed on exactly what these are, we do know that choices made by the player will have a significant impact on what you see later in the game, and will also affect your overall experience.

Gameplay

No Man’s Sky’s gameplay revolves almost solely around exploring the huge universe that awaits you. While there are times when you’ll have to pull out a gun or fire up your ship cannons, these are few and far between. The bulk of the time you spend with No Man’s Sky will instead focus on you checking out planets, searching for resources, talking with aliens, and upgrading your equipment to help you on your way to the center of the galaxy.

It should be noted, however, that many of these features aren’t as straightforward as they may initially seem. For example, upgrading your equipment requires you to not only find the resources while defending yourself from any nearby Sentinels intent on protecting the universe, but to find the necessary blueprint too. This in itself can mean a quest to a distant planet in order to pick it up. The same can be said for speaking with aliens. Hello Games has added an extra level of depth into interacting with different sentient species by requiring you to learn words of their language from relics found dotted across the universe. The more words you learn, the more you’ll understand of your interactions. As you can see, even the simplest task can lead to an epic adventure across the galaxy.

Day One Patch Changes Everything

No Man’s Sky managed to find its way into the wild late last week. Due to this, a number of the game’s details and extra features began to surface on the internet. Since then, Hello Games has been hard at work and plans to release a day one patch for the game that switches a ton of features up.

Alongside the previously mentioned three paths for players to choose from, the team added more diversity for creatures, an altered universe algorithm that has reshuffled the existing setting, and significant depth to the trading system. There are a bunch of other changes and additions that will come as part of the update, including a handy improvement to the way your inventory works. You can check out the update notes here.

Limited and Collector’s Editions

Alongside the standard edition of the game, an ‘Explorer’s Edition’ is also available for those who want to show their love for No Man’s Sky. The Explorer’s Edition is available on both PlayStation 4 and PC and includes an exclusive traveler pin, a backdrop with a diorama for the ship’s display, an Atlas Traveler’s Log and Fisher Space Pen, and most importantly, a hand-painted cast metal ship replica. It even comes with some decals so you can customize it to your liking.

The Explorer’s Edition is a limited edition of 10,000 and will set you back $150; you can grab it from here. Unfortunately, it looks like the PS4 version may be a little difficult to get hold of, but keep an eye out as some may surface just after launch.

There’s also a limited edition which includes a steelbook case, 48-page art book, exclusive comic, some in-game content, and a dynamic PS4 theme. If you want to get your hands on this one, you’re looking at about $79.99, but stocks are running low.

Release Date

No Man’s Sky is coming to PlayStation 4 and PC but the release dates vary depending on where you live and what platform you own. For PlayStation 4 players, those in North America will be able to get their hands on it on August 9, while those in the UK and Europe will have to wait until August 10.

For PC players, the wait to get your hands on the ambitious space game is a little longer, with the game releasing on August 12 worldwide. If you need any more help with No Man’s Sky, check out our robust wiki full of guides and tips.