No man’s sky worth it in 2026?

[O'Doyle]

I’m thinking about buying No Man’s Sky. It has been on my radar for a while, and now it has a really good discount 60% off, around $11 so it feels like a good time to get it.

I just want to hear your advice or tips about the game. I really like sandbox, survival, building, farming, grinding, and progression games, so I think I may enjoy it. I also don’t have any space game in my collection.

The game also supports VR, and I think it would be really fun to try it in VR. What do you guys think? Is it worth buying now? Any tips for a new player?

[Laevearts]

im new too i will play the game and tell you what i think of it ok?

[muhchicken]

At that price I would go ahead and make the purchase. Then you can play for just less than 2 hours and refund if you aren't into it.

Look at your missions often and watch out for the game changing missions on you. Like you can be following a mission, open a container, find a Tech Module, and the game will change your active mission to installing the module. The same will happen if you discover a blueprint for something. This can lead you in the wrong direction. You can cycle the active mission on the lower right of the screen with the D-Pad on controller and I think the H key on the keyboard. Read the mission notes too as they can be really helpful to keep you on track.

I have well over 1300 hours on Steam (PC) as well as another 1500 to 2000 on Xbox where I started, though I gave up Game Pass so I don't play on Xbox now. I've found many hours of enjoyment in the game.

Important: One of the first things you'll want to do is going into the settings and locate the Network settings. In there make sure you set the option for "Allow PVP with" to "No One". This should prevent some griefer from messing you up. There's not that many griefers, but occasionally it happens so better to turn it off just in case. Also, be careful about following strangers to their bases... Some like to set traps that will kill you via environmental hazards so the PVP off won't protect you.

Learn the Quick Menu options. One of the more valuable ones I like to use is the in game Camera. You can activate that and scout the area to see what might be nearby. Caves are cool because they stop environmental hazards and allow you a bit of time to catch your breath.

If you want to watch a good getting started video, I recommend this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsLsHBS2ogs
*It's from Jason Plays and pretty much covers the beginning of the game as well as menu options and settings you should consider.
**You could play for 30 to 45 minutes and if it isn't making sense, then you could watch the video and try again.

Folks that frequent this forum tend to be quite helpful so if you have questions or need further advice, just create a new thread and ask.

Oh yea, here's a link to the Wiki Controls page in case it helps: https://nomanssky.fandom.com/wiki/Controls

[O'Doyle]

Originally posted by Laevearts:

im new too i will play the game and tell you what i think of it ok?

Yea sure please do

[O'Doyle]

Originally posted by muhchicken:

At that price I would go ahead and make the purchase. Then you can play for just less than 2 hours and refund if you aren't into it.

Look at your missions often and watch out for the game changing missions on you. Like you can be following a mission, open a container, find a Tech Module, and the game will change your active mission to installing the module. The same will happen if you discover a blueprint for something. This can lead you in the wrong direction. You can cycle the active mission on the lower right of the screen with the D-Pad on controller and I think the H key on the keyboard. Read the mission notes too as they can be really helpful to keep you on track.

I have well over 1300 hours on Steam (PC) as well as another 1500 to 2000 on Xbox where I started, though I gave up Game Pass so I don't play on Xbox now. I've found many hours of enjoyment in the game.

Important: One of the first things you'll want to do is going into the settings and locate the Network settings. In there make sure you set the option for "Allow PVP with" to "No One". This should prevent some griefer from messing you up. There's not that many griefers, but occasionally it happens so better to turn it off just in case. Also, be careful about following strangers to their bases... Some like to set traps that will kill you via environmental hazards so the PVP off won't protect you.

Learn the Quick Menu options. One of the more valuable ones I like to use is the in game Camera. You can activate that and scout the area to see what might be nearby. Caves are cool because they stop environmental hazards and allow you a bit of time to catch your breath.

If you want to watch a good getting started video, I recommend this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsLsHBS2ogs
*It's from Jason Plays and pretty much covers the beginning of the game as well as menu options and settings you should consider.
**You could play for 30 to 45 minutes and if it isn't making sense, then you could watch the video and try again.

Folks that frequent this forum tend to be quite helpful so if you have questions or need further advice, just create a new thread and ask.

Oh yea, here's a link to the Wiki Controls page in case it helps: https://nomanssky.fandom.com/wiki/Controls

I appreciate the time you put to write this discussion the tips and suggestions are very helpful I will look into it thank you

[Laevearts]

Alright the game is like subnauctica and kerbal space prorgam mixed id say its good if you have money

[Mr. Bufferlow]

Originally posted by Laevearts:

Alright the game is like subnauctica and kerbal space prorgam mixed id say its good if you have money

Worst review ever. Absolutely nothing like KSP. It does have planets with water and a sub you can get but the subnautica comparison is tenuous at best.

It is an exploring game with a little bit of survival thrown in at the start. One of the best features is it really doesn't compare to any other game. It has morphed into the best hybrid cozy game and maybe the only sci-fi based cozy game- having all the good features of that genre but none of the crap like paying for seasons and overly cutesy.

[Tatwi]

I bought it twice at about $30 each in 2019 and have no regrets. The game is waaaaaay more fun now too. Well, for me anyway.

[cattivision]

It's easily worth full price in my opinion. I originally got my steam copy as a gift from my son, and it's honestly the best present I have ever had, with no close competition, just for the sheer amount of fun I have had paying it.

[Laevearts]

Originally posted by Mr. Bufferlow:

Originally posted by Laevearts:

Alright the game is like subnauctica and kerbal space prorgam mixed id say its good if you have money

Worst review ever. Absolutely nothing like KSP. It does have planets with water and a sub you can get but the subnautica comparison is tenuous at best.

It is an exploring game with a little bit of survival thrown in at the start. One of the best features is it really doesn't compare to any other game. It has morphed into the best hybrid cozy game and maybe the only sci-fi based cozy game- having all the good features of that genre but none of the crap like paying for seasons and overly cutesy.

hey hey sorry its just my opinion

[O'Doyle]

Originally posted by Tatwi:

I bought it twice at about $30 each in 2019 and have no regrets. The game is waaaaaay more fun now too. Well, for me anyway.

Glad to hear that. What do you think of the multiplayer co-op experience in the game, whether with friends or with strangers?

[O'Doyle]

Originally posted by cattivision:

It's easily worth full price in my opinion. I originally got my steam copy as a gift from my son, and it's honestly the best present I have ever had, with no close competition, just for the sheer amount of fun I have had paying it.

Happy to hear that. The game sounds promising so far. I haven’t seen anyone talk about the cons of the game yet.

[Karvr]

people say its a mile wide 1 inch deep but i think you create the depth. It is a great sandbox game with many things to do and may ways to play it. you dont have to do any misions or follow the story or you can do them up to you. hello games keeps giving free updates and for the most part they do address bugs although some people like to complain alot, things have been running great for me. the best part of the game for me is looking for that perfect planet to create a base and i very much enjoy building and starting from scratch corvette creations and finding the materials to do that. look up some youtube vids, check the dates for current vids and see for yourself.....make sure to turn off pvp and others from manipulating your bases if you dont like pvp which really isnt in the game more like griefers can ruin your day in multiplayer expeditions. one last thing is this game can be completely played offline and or no multiplayer, internet down ...still can play, its on your computer.

[Hykril•Tynyx]

Well, it's definitely much more "worth it" in 2026 rather than 2016

[muhchicken]

Okay, I'll share the Cons I see in the game in case it helps (but at $11, keep in mind that most other games probably share similar issues).

1. The game probably gets around 4 major updates per year and there are typically quite a few bugs introduced when this happens. Sometimes they patch out most of the bugs within a week or so, but other times it can take a while. I've resigned myself to just doing other things for between a week and a month after each major update. I consider it a Con when you don't want to play a game for somewhere between 4 weeks and 4 months per year because the Devs can't be bothered to test before releasing updates. *I understand they are a small team, but some of the bugs I've encountered made me face palm because pretty much any basic testing should have revealed them before release...

2. With the release of each update or patch the systems where you can cross-play are affected. Most updates and patches release to Steam (PC) first and then make their way out to other systems. So, for a person that likes to play on both Steam (PC) and Xbox or Microsoft (PC) using Cloud Saves, their saves aren't compatible during this difference in versions so you are stuck playing your save on only 1 system. Additionally, if you like playing together with other players that are on different platforms you will find that isn't possible either until the patch makes it to the platforms you want to play with. Finally, the Switch platform is always the last one to get the updates and at one point they had to extend an Expedition for Switch players because they were unable to patch that system in time for most players to be able to finish the Expedition. Keep in mind that Expedition lasted 6 weeks and they couldn't get a patch out for that specific platform soon enough to help the Switch players...

Again, at $11 and considering most gamers have other options when too many bugs are present, this is still a very good game. I do wish HG would try to do better, but in the meantime I don't have any regrets.

Oh yea, when I started on Xbox I was playing via Game Pass and didn't have to buy the game. Then I found out my kid had the game in Steam and I was able to play via Family Sharing and still didn't need to buy the game. Yet I still purchased my own copy of the game because I was enjoying it so much and wanted to support the Devs. So, even with the Cons listed above I can still say I'm happy I bought it. :)

[angrylittledeadgirl]

I paid about $35 and I wouldn't even blink an eye at $11. After over 1000 hours in the game, I can definitely say I got my $35 worth. Updates are always free, so there is always new content on the horizon, even if it is sometimes lackluster (looking at you, garbage collector simulator). TBH it was really hard to figure out at first. I gave up when I got terribly lost and couldn't find my starter ship. After the disappointment that was Starfield, I came back and tried again and got insta-hooked.