š TL;DR
- 45 free updates since launch, zero paid DLC. Hello Games never charged a cent.
- Exploration: Gas giants, water worlds, volcanic planets, giant creatures, completely overhauled terrain and weather
- Building: Unlimited base building anywhere, freighter interiors/exteriors, manage up to 4 alien settlements
- Ships: 7+ ship classes including buildable corvettes with walkable interiors and multi-crew
- Combat: Overhauled ground and space combat, mech suits, squadron wingmen, derelict freighter raids
- Multiplayer: Cross-platform, 32 players, social hub, VR, available on every platform including Switch and Mac
- Community consensus: Start a new save to experience everything fresh
No Manās Sky has received 45 free No Manās Sky updates since its rocky launch in August 2016. If you havenāt played in five years or more, the game you left behind doesnāt exist anymore. Hello Games, a studio of roughly 26 people, rebuilt it from the ground up without ever charging for DLC, going from āOverwhelmingly Negativeā on Steam to āVery Positiveā across 177,000+ reviews. This guide breaks down what changed, organized by what returning players care about most.
š In This Guide
Exploration: A Different Universe
If you left during the āevery planet looks the sameā era, this is where the biggest shock hits. The universe has been regenerated multiple times, most recently with the Worlds Part I (July 2024) and Worlds Part II (January 2025) updates, which overhauled the planetary generation engine from scratch.
Whatās new on the ground:
- Gas giants that are 10x larger than normal planets, with swirling atmospheres you can fly through
- Water worlds with kilometers-deep oceans and deep-sea exploration gameplay
- Volcanic, swamp, and marsh planets with active lava flows and extreme weather
- Corrupted Sentinel worlds with hostile robotic environments and corrupted technology
- Relic worlds with ancient ruins to explore
- Giant creatures the size of buildings, flying sandworms (Dune-style), and millions of new fauna/flora combinations
- Real weather systems: lightning storms, tornadoes, meteor showers, fire storms
- Binary and ternary star systems visible in the sky
- Purple-class star systems (added in Worlds Part II) with billions of new systems to discover
The visual upgrades compound this. The Prisms update (2021) added screen-space reflections, volumetric lighting, creature fur rendering, and DLSS support. Worlds Part I rebuilt how water and clouds render entirely. If you have a PS5 or a decent GPU, the game looks nothing like what you remember.
Building and Settlements
Base building was rudimentary when it launched in the Foundation update (2016). Now itās one of the deepest building systems in any survival game.
Base building now includes: unlimited building on any planet, hundreds of building parts, electricity and logic gate systems (wire up automated farms, switches, doors), underwater bases, and full interior decoration. The build limit has been expanded multiple times and is effectively a non-issue for most projects.
Freighter bases got a massive overhaul in the Endurance update (2022). Your capital ship is now a mobile home base. Build interior rooms, exterior platforms with catwalks, observation decks, and walkable exteriors. You can literally stand on top of your freighter in space. Organic frigates (living ships for your fleet) were also added, along with deep fleet management systems.
Settlements arrived with the Frontiers update (2021) and were expanded in the Beacon update (2025). You discover procedurally generated alien towns and become their Overseer. Make decisions that affect growth, happiness, and productivity. Defend them from Sentinel attacks. Construct specialized buildings like jukebox bars, fishing ponds, and merchant shops. As of 2025, you can manage up to 4 settlements at once, including Autophage robot townships.
No Manās Sky Updates to Ships and Space
Ships went from āfind a random one and hope itās goodā to a deep system with 7+ distinct classes:
| Ship Class | Added In | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| Normal ships | Launch | Fighters, haulers, explorers, shuttles, exotics |
| Living Ship | 2020 | Biological ship you grow from an egg through a multi-day quest |
| Solar Sail | 2022 (Outlaws) | Solar-powered ship with deployable sails, found in pirate systems |
| Interceptor | 2023 | Corrupted Sentinel ship you steal from hostile worlds |
| Corvette | 2025 (Voyagers) | Modular ship you build piece by piece with walkable interiors |
| Freighter | 2016 (Foundation) | Capital ship with buildable interior/exterior, fleet command |
The Corvette class (Voyagers update, August 2025) is the standout. You assemble these ships from hulls, wings, engines, corridors, bunk beds, and weapon modules. They have walkable interiors you can move around in during flight. Friends can ride with you in multi-crew mode. You can exit your ship into zero-gravity spacewalking and salvage wrecked corvettes in deep space.
The Orbital update (2024) also overhauled space stations entirely. Every station is now procedurally generated with unique layouts, and you can customize starships by salvaging parts from other ships.
Combat
Combat used to be an afterthought. Two updates changed that completely.
The Sentinel update (February 2022) rebuilt ground combat from scratch. New weapon types (Neutron Cannon, Scatter Blaster, Pulse Spitter), new enemy types including giant Hardframe mech Sentinels, a cloaking device, and reworked weapon handling that actually feels good. You can even adopt defeated Sentinel drones as AI companions.
The Outlaws update (April 2022) did the same for space. Dogfighting got tighter controls and better feel. You can recruit NPC pilot squadrons who fly alongside you as wingmen. Outlaw star systems introduced smuggling, black market trading, and pirate-controlled space.
On top of those: derelict freighters (Desolation, 2020) are procedurally generated abandoned ships you explore on foot with horror-survival gameplay. Fog, alien creatures, traps, and salvageable upgrade modules. The Echoes update (2023) added capital ship battles in space. And the new Remnant update (February 2026) gave you a gravity gun that lets you grab, fling, and carry large objects, including using them as projectile weapons.
Multiplayer and Platforms
Remember when you couldnāt even see other players? Thatās ancient history.
- Full multiplayer with up to 32 players in a session (added in Beyond, 2019)
- Cross-platform play across PS4/PS5, Xbox, PC, Switch, and Mac (2020)
- Cross-save so you can move your save between platforms (2024)
- The Space Anomaly Nexus is a social hub where you see other players, pick up multiplayer missions, and trade
- Expeditions are time-limited seasonal events where everyone starts fresh with shared goals and exclusive rewards. 21 expeditions have run so far, including crossovers like the Mass Effect SSV Normandy.
- Full VR support on PSVR, PSVR2, and PC VR headsets. Not a separate mode. The entire game in VR.
- Voice chat with auto-transcription and auto-translation between languages
The game now runs on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S (and Game Pass), PC (Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 (announced), macOS, and every major VR platform. Itās everywhere.
Everything Else You Missed
Thereās genuinely too much to cover in one section, but here are the highlights that donāt fit neatly into the categories above:
- Creature companions: Adopt alien creatures, genetically modify them, breed them. Ride sandworms. Trade creature eggs with other players. (Companions, 2021)
- Autophage: An entire new robotic alien race with its own language, rituals, and settlements. The first new alien race added since launch. (Echoes, 2023)
- Fishing: Full fishing mechanic with an Exo-Skiff watercraft, seafood crafting, and waterside base building. (Aquarius, 2024)
- Paleontology: Excavate alien bones on fossil worlds, assemble skeletons, build museum exhibits. Stone Golem enemies guard dig sites. (Relics, 2025)
- Cooking: Nutrient processor system for crafting food items from alien ingredients. (Beyond, 2019)
- Music creation: The Bytebeat system lets you compose and play music in-game. (Beyond, 2019)
- Gravity gun: The Gravitino Coil attachment lets you grab and fling objects. (Remnant, February 2026)
- Custom difficulty: Adjustable sliders for combat, survival, economy, and more. A Relaxed mode for pure exploration. (Waypoint, 2022)
- Complete inventory overhaul: Simplified, expanded, and way less frustrating. (Waypoint, 2022)
Should You Start Over or Load Your Old Save?
The community consensus is clear: start a new save, but keep your old one.
Hereās why. The universe has been regenerated several times. Planets you had bases on may have changed biomes, and some bases have ended up partially underwater or on completely different terrain. The opening hours have been reworked and are much better. Quest chains have been revamped multiple times with new lore. A new save naturally introduces you to all the new systems, while an old save drops you into a game you donāt recognize with no context.
If you want a guided reintroduction, try an Expedition first. Everyone starts fresh with shared milestones and goals, and your expedition save converts to a normal save afterward. Itās the best on-ramp for returning players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is No Manās Sky still getting updates in 2026?
Yes. The Remnant update dropped February 11, 2026, and Hello Games has maintained a pace of 3-4 major updates per year since 2019. Every update has been completely free. Thereās no indication theyāre slowing down, and a Nintendo Switch 2 edition has been announced.
Do I have to pay for any of the No Manās Sky updates?
No. All 45 named updates are free. No paid DLC, no season passes, no microtransactions. You buy the game once and get everything. This is one of the most remarkable post-launch support stories in gaming.
How is VR in No Manās Sky?
Itās the full game, not a separate mode. PSVR2 support includes haptic feedback and eye tracking. PC VR works with SteamVR and Meta Quest via Link. The entire experience, including multiplayer, is playable in VR.
Whatās the endgame in No Manās Sky?
Thereās no traditional gear treadmill. The story has an ending (reaching the center of the galaxy), but most players set their own goals: hunting rare S-class ships, building elaborate bases, completing expeditions for exclusive rewards, growing settlements, filling out the creature catalogue, or building the perfect corvette. Itās a sandbox.
Is No Manās Sky worth full price in 2026?
With 45 free updates worth of content, yes. It goes on sale frequently (often 50% off), but even at full price thereās an absurd amount of game here compared to what launched in 2016.
No Manās Sky in 2026 is not the same game that launched in 2016. Itās not even close. 45 free updates turned a bare-bones exploration tech demo into a genuinely massive space game. If you bounced off it years ago, nowās the time to start a fresh save and see what Hello Games built while you were gone. And if youāre starting fresh, check out our guide to the best custom difficulty settings to dial in your experience from day one.