No Man's Sky Reviews

No Man's Sky is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Telegraph
Top Critic
Aug 15, 2016

No Man’s Sky is a fundamentally simple game; one that’s flawed, slow, and where the moment-to-moment activities are sometimes even... boring. But its intoxicatingly rare attitude towards pure discovery create a game that’s captivating unlike any other.

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Aug 12, 2016

Hello Games has created a gorgeously realised, constantly regenerating universe for players to get lost in, where the incredible journey trumps the destination

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7 / 10
Mar 10, 2023

On top of all that, there's good use of haptics in the controllers and the headset, and there are decent comfort settings. The default movement is teleportation and snap turning, but you can toggle smooth motion if preferred. While in some ways, the game's complexities make it potentially overwhelming to play in virtual reality, the end result is great once you get used to it. For a slight sacrifice in image quality, you're getting a deeply immersive experience which plays into that sci-fi fantasy more than ever.

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9 / 10.0
Feb 28, 2023

No Man's Sky's PSVR2 upgrade fills in a significant missing piece of its existence-spanning puzzle. Hello Games has managed to make this love letter to classic sci-fi even more poignant and romantic than ever before. An already impressive game has reached a new high in player immersion with a fantastic overhaul of its VR capabilities.

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Push Square
Stephen Tailby
Top Critic
7 / 10
Dec 7, 2020

No Man's Sky has made enormous leaps forward, and its arrival on PS5 is an opportune time to revisit this ambitious survival game. Whether you upgrade your existing game to the new version or grab it for the very first time, you'll be getting the best experience, with dozens of hours of content and a literal universe waiting to be explored. Some remaining gameplay issues mean it isn't perfect, but it has plenty to offer those who persevere.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 30, 2016

The moral of this story is: No man is an island—not even Sean Murray and his buggy mathematical superformula. No Man's Sky is an ironically small game, but it has a big, beating heart at its center, even when the procedural generation and the sometimes narrow-scoped world building tries to hide it.

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Don't Buy
Aug 16, 2016

Play at your own risk. There are some amazing sights to see and some weird, hilarious creatures. But you’re getting a half-finished game along with it.

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Ken McKown
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Aug 17, 2016

Hello Games achieved what they set out to do. They have crafted a massive galaxy of planets for players to explore. That feat is nothing short of extraordinary, and I think everyone who enjoys games should experience that. Whether you come out of it with a smile or a frown, it is entirely dependent on how much you are willing to put up with to explore a nearly endless galaxy.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 15, 2016

It’s flawed in some fundamental, if fixable, ways, but No Man’s Sky has a dreamlike allure for those who can sink their teeth into its space-faring expanses. A memorable game, if not quite what it could be.

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80 / 100
Aug 16, 2016

Give No Man’s Sky time, let yourself absorb its sometimes slow and subtle pace, and you will find a truly unique – and satisfying gaming experience.

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7 / 10
Aug 13, 2016

No Man's Sky is full of potential, and Hello Games has laid strong foundations on which to build. Its main gameplay is simplistic but becomes totally engrossing, and the technical achievement is impressive. The atmosphere created by the graphics and sound is second to none, and there's an amazing sense of place. Some may struggle to find the fun with the lack of direction, and there are some technical issues that need addressing, but if you're able to create your own fun with the tools that you're given, you'll be playing this for a long time.

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Oct 12, 2022

Many may see No Man's Sky coming to Switch as one small step towards entertainment, but making the game work as well as it does on the Switch is one giant leap for Nintendo fans, especially for those wanting to explore something much more extensive and varied than Breath of Wild's Hylian ruins. The port may need some updates to add multiplayer and increase its loading speeds in the future, but No Man's Sky on the Switch manages to fit its updates and addictive gameplay onto Nintendo's on-the-go console well enough that it's immediately one of the best ways to play the game.

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3.5 / 5.0
Sep 27, 2016

Like Icarus, No Man’s Sky is an ambitious game that aims high. The result is a game with beautiful visuals and a wide, expansive universe filled with a multitude of planets and interesting creatures. At the same time, the game’s base mechanics, while solid, could use more variety as they can get old after a while. Players who like a clearly defined goal and more diversity in gameplay, for example, will find the lack of action and a clear overarching narrative disappointing. If you like simple exploration and getting lost in the weeds, however, then No Man’s Sky’s slower pace will be for you.

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6 / 10
Aug 21, 2016

Absolutely bursting with breathtaking vistas, No Man's Sky works best as a stellar walking sim. Sadly the half-baked survival elements only detract from the experience.

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Gameplanet
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Aug 25, 2016

No Man's Sky was never going to live up to the hype, but sadly even those with tempered expectations are likely to be somewhat disappointed. It is by no means a terrible game, it just feels unfinished and empty.

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6.8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2016

For me, despite its missed opportunities and forgotten promises, I’m still glad I dropped the money to experience No Man’s Sky. It’s something unique in a world where most of what we get are sequels or off-shoots. Fortune favors the bold, and I hope this is just the beginning of the type of innovation we can expect to see from Hello Games.  And frankly, I hope they take all the time they need with their next game.

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Matt Buchholtz
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2016

An ambitious game, No Man’s Sky allows gamers to play space-captain across an entire universe of planets. Unfortunately, numerous glitches and monotonous gameplay options make the game frustrating for those desiring something more serious.

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6.5 / 10.0
Aug 16, 2016

No Man’s Sky is sadly one of the more disappointing games of the year, mixing small moments of grand wonder with inescapable hours of tedious, boring survival gameplay. If you’re willing to fight through that, there’s a game here for you. But it’s often not worth the effort

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Aug 17, 2016

The game comes down to the indisputable truth that, when it comes to space travel, the journey is everything.

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Aug 15, 2016

No Man's Sky is about cutting your own path through a galaxy teeming with possibilities. It is a playground in which to let loose the human urge to explore and discover, supported by a deep crafting system that keeps players engaged in their journey. Improvements could be made, new features could add greater depth, but Hello Games' achievement here is nothing short of incredible.

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