Updated
Updated · IGN · Aug 10
No Man's Sky Players Explored Under 1% of 18 Quintillion Planets in 10 Years
Updated
Updated · IGN · Aug 10

No Man's Sky Players Explored Under 1% of 18 Quintillion Planets in 10 Years

2 articles · Updated · IGN · Aug 10

Summary

  • Less than 1% of No Man’s Sky’s 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 planets have been explored 10 years after launch, Hello Games said in its anniversary update.
  • Sean Murray paired that milestone with a teaser for the next update, Cosmos, signaling support will continue beyond the game’s 10-year mark.
  • The anniversary note also said 2026 has delivered No Man’s Sky’s highest player numbers since launch, underscoring a long-term revival.
  • That turnaround follows one of gaming’s starkest reputational recoveries: the 2016 release sank to 'overwhelmingly negative' on Steam before years of updates lifted it to 'very positive.'

Insights

Could the ambitious continued expansion of No Man's Sky ultimately sabotage the development of the studio's highly anticipated next game?
With 99 percent of its 18 quintillion planets untouched, what hidden algorithmic secrets will the teased Cosmos update finally reveal?
After a decade of free updates and a legendary comeback, how is this studio secretly funding a massive infinite universe?