There's good news for No Man's Sky players still miffed at missing their chance to add Mass Effect's Normandy SR1 to their mighty frigate armada earlier this year; Hello Games is bringing back all four of the exploratory space sim's Expedition events starting tomorrow, 24th November, meaning players will have another opportunity to earn all their associated rewards.

Expeditions, if you're unfamiliar, are effectively No Man's Sky's stab at live-service-style seasonal content, offering limited-time, curated experiences that condense and reshuffle the game's ever-expanding systems into a series of progression-based challenges - with various cosmetic rewards served up as different milestones are reached.

No Man's Sky's first Expedition, Pioneers, launched in March and was followed by Beachhead, which concluded with that delightfully unexpected Normandy reveal. The really very excellent Cartographers was up next - providing a wonderful re-entry point for lapsed players - and the year's Expeditions concluded with Emergence, a deliciously dark adventure for those that can't get enough of No Man's Sky's giant sand worms, and would very much like one of their own.

Read more

Do you, like me, find yourself firing up No Man's Sky with giddy enthusiasm with every new update, eager to sample Hello Games' latest delights, only to become immediately overwhelmed, prod a few things hesitantly, then turn it off half an hour later clouded in an air of bewilderment? Then allow me to introduce you to No Man's Sky's latest Expedition: Cartographers.

Expeditions, in case you're out of the loop (or, equally likely, at the other end of the loop, still trying to figure out everything that got released in-between), are effectively No Man's Sky's stab at live-service-style seasonal content. They're limited-time, curated experiences that condense and reshuffle the game's sprawling tangle of systems into a series of progression-based milestone challenges that plop everyone on the same starting planet and reward fun cosmetic doo-hickeys to those that get to the end.

Previous Expeditions have sent players planet-hopping their way across the universe, but No Man's Sky's latest effort is something a bit different, taking place almost exclusively on a single planet as participants work through the steps required to get their incredibly broken ship airborne. Essentially, it's the main mode's opening ten minute tutorial expanded out into something considerably more involved as you try to restore the ludicrously extravagant technology inside your very, very fancy (but regrettably loan-only) starship.

Read more

Five years after its launch disaster, No Man's Sky has finally earned all-time positive user recognition on Steam.

The game's all-time Steam user review average has now ticked over into the "Mostly Positive" category, after starting at "Overwhelmingly Negative".

Developer Hello Games noted the milestone had been reached following the arrival of Frontiers, the game's latest expansion released last week, and shared an insight into how Steam's review metrics actually work.

Read more

If you've ever wanted to live the life of a space sheriff in some intergalactic frontier town, No Man's Sky's latest free update has you well and truly covered.

No Man's Sky's Frontiers update - the 17th (!) to release since launch - arrives today on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC, bringing something a little bit different to Hello Games' ever-expanding exploratory space sim. Players can now stumble across procedurally generated Mos-Eisley-like settlements while exploring inhabited planets around the galaxy, each featuring unique buildings, neighbourhood layouts, colour schemes, and interior and exterior decorations.

Intriguingly, settlements serve as more than just points of interest for roving space tourists; players can agree to become the overseer of an ungoverned settlement, whereupon they'll be placed in charge of everything from town planning and treasury management to policy making and conflict resolution, even defending from enemy attacks when required.

Read more

No Man's Sky is celebrating five (extremely eventful) years since launch today, and developer Hello Games has served up a tiny tease for the exploratory space sim's next big update, Frontiers, as part of the festivities.

While No Man's Sky soothing exploratory rhythm certainly found its fans at launch on 9th August 2016, its arrival was infamously marked by immediate and sustained controversy when players discovered some of the features discussed prior to its release were absent from the final game. Hello Games has embarked on a truly staggering post-launch development journey since then, and has now put out a total of 16 named - and in some cases utterly transformative - updates for the ever-expanding space sim.

We've seen the introduction of base building, bobbleheads, farming, cross-platform multiplayer, VR support, giant customisable space freighters, land and water vehicles, pilotable mechs, living ships, alien-infested space derelicts, new flora and fauna, pets, live-service-style community expeditions, music tools, major overhauls to the game's planetary generation tech, spicy visual enhancements for new-gen consoles, sand worms (finally!), and more.

Read more

Hello Games' ceaselessly evolving exploratory space sim No Man's Sky has just received another free update on all platforms; it's called Prisms, and brings sweeping visual enhancements to the already striking sci-fi sandbox.

Prisms, No Man's Sky's 17th named update since its release back in 2016, touches up the game's visual presentation pretty much across the board. Planets, for instance, get enhanced weather effects - Hello Games highlights rain, which now refracts the light and causes surfaces to become slick and wet - while underground caves become more detailed, with improved lighting and volumetric fog.

Planetary fauna, meanwhile, has been overhauled with proper fur effects and, as a bonus, flying creatures - which were sadly neglected in No Man's Sky's taming-based Companions update - can now be adopted and ridden through the sky.

Read more

Well here's something I wasn't expecting to write on a Friday afternoon (or, indeed, ever). Hello Games' effervescent space sim No Man's Sky is getting in on the big-brand crossover action, and you're currently able to unlock a little piece of BioWare's Mass Effect to treasure forever in-game in the form of your very own SSV Normandy SR1.

Mass Effect's iconic SSV Normandy SR1 appears in No Man's Sky as a reward for players that complete the space sim's currently ongoing second Expedition.

Expeditions, if you're unfamiliar, are something like No Man's Sky's take on live-service seasons, each one beginning by depositing all players on the same planet. From there, participants must work their way across the universe by following an accompanying Expedition chart and completing different phases of challenges, known as Milestones, along the way - perhaps reaching specific rendezvous points or collecting ancient artefacts.

Read more

It's only been six weeks since the arrival of No Man's Sky's pet-themed Companions update, but already developer Hello Games is back with more, this time introducing seasonal, galaxy spanning Expeditions and accompanying rewards.

Launching today on all platforms, No Man's Sky's Expeditions update is intended to give players a new way to experience the ceaselessly expanding space sim, with each new Expedition depositing players - armed with a "wild and varied" collection of technology, customisations, ships, and weapons - onto the same planet.

An accompanying Expedition chart plots a course across the galaxy, which players are then encouraged to follow, completing challenges (known as Milestones) along the way.

Read more

This August marks five years since exploratory sci-fi sim No Man's Sky's release, and developer Hello Games says it has "a lot planned" for its fifth anniversary year - with celebrations starting today, 17th February, in the form of the new Companions update.

Companions is all about pets, and finally gives No Man's Sky's menagerie of weird and wonderful procedural wildlife some much-expanded functionality - with fearless explorers now able to tame, breed, train, and even speak to the creatures they meet.

Once a player adopts a creature it will accompany them on their adventures, travelling by their side. These companions can be petted, fed, and played with, and will react to other Travellers in different ways, based on their unique personalities - defined by their species and ecosystem. Creatures can even transmit their thoughts to players, which are translated and sent directly to their internal communication channels via a "neural harness".

Read more

For those who like to cross the final frontier, Humble Bundle's most recent sale is all about games that let you explore the cosmos, with a range of titles like FTL: Faster Than Light, Journey to the Savage Planet, No Man's Sky (with all the updates, don't worry), Surviving Mars and a lot more.

You can find the full list of games in the "Lost in Space" sale over here, but we've also curated some of the most popular options down below.

There's plenty more deals here at Eurogamer, brought to you on behalf of those at Jelly Deals! You can check out where to find the best deals for this month on the Nintendo Switch here, or find out the best offers for the upcoming Hitman 3 here! Or you can always check out the Jelly Deals Twitter for instant discounts everywhere!

Read more