No Man's Sky - NEXT Reviews

No Man's Sky - NEXT is ranked in the 63rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Dan Stapleton
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Jul 28, 2018

Flying from planet to planet in search of the universe's rarest materials and technologies in No Man's Sky NEXT scratches an exploratory itch. It still carries a lot of caveats: It's mechanically repetitive no matter what planet you're on, the dull combat should be avoided whenever possible, and bugs are plentiful. But buying new ships and building new things is enough motivation to make it entrancing – for a while, at least.

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Metro GameCentral
GameCentral
Top Critic
7 / 10
Jul 30, 2018

The updates have brought definite improvement, but even after two years the huge scope and ambition only serves to hide how simplistic and repetitive the gameplay is.

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8 / 10
Aug 4, 2018

With Next, No Man's Sky blossoms into the game that was promised.

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Unscored
Jul 27, 2018

For some, the grind is worth it so they can explore the infinite. For others, the grind itself is the infinite.

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8 / 10.0
Jul 30, 2018

Despite all of my qualms, everything seems to fade away each time I warp to a new system or enter an uncharted planet's atmosphere. If you felt the original No Man's Sky had promising ideas but ultimately let you down, NEXT is the perfect time to jump back in. No Man's Sky and its NEXT expansion prove that there is equal parts excitement, dread, and anxiety in exploring the unknowns of space.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 17, 2018

NEXT is the step forward that No Man's Sky needed since it was made available two years ago, the online options as well as the third person perspective are both well received additions, however, completely redefining the procedural system of the game is a very difficult task that, in the end, makes it aim for a particular type of player.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Aug 5, 2018

If you're new to the game it's going to take a lot of time to get past the surface scratching, but once you've caught up there's plenty to love. And if you're coming back to No Man's Sky, things have changed quite a bit, but embrace it and explore with much more of a reason to.

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ZTGD
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 14, 2018

As before No Man's Sky is a game that I enjoyed the most when I was moving under my own steam, plodding along as a leisurely place. The NEXT update brings a lot of great new features to the game and as a result it now feels more complete than it ever has. It is also the perfect time to release the game on Xbox to a new audience that may not have yet had the chance to play it.

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85 / 100
Jul 31, 2018

No Man's Sky has reached a point where not only does it meet initial promises, it now exceeds them.

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Jul 31, 2018

No Man's Sky is tough to recommend because it doesn't nearly have mass appeal. It's a grueling game for far too long and even after that its loop is still too freeform for most players. For the right kind of player, however, it can be an exciting adventure filled with memorable moments and a real sense of discovery.

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7 / 10
Aug 6, 2018
No Man's Sky - The Review (2018) video thumbnail
Jul 30, 2018

Despite its updates, No Man's Sky remains the same experience that it was at launch — just a better-realized version of it. The first five planets of your No Man's Sky experience will be glorious. The rest may leave you wanting more.

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81 / 100
Jul 26, 2018

Meanwhile, significantly expanded galaxy sandbox with interesting concept, but some gameplay lengths.

Review in German | Read full review

ACG
Top Critic
Unscored
Jul 27, 2018
No Man's Sky Next Dual Review "Buy, Wait For Sale, Rent, Never Touch?" video thumbnail
70%
Aug 9, 2018

No Man's Sky NEXT is certainly a massive step-up from what it was two years ago. With the addition of online multiplayer, base-building and some graphical tweaks it offers quite a bit to keep players busy for hours on end. While it does have a few flaws, No Man's Sky is still a unique and enjoyable game.

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3.8 / 5.0
Jul 30, 2018

Overall, No Man's Sky Next is a huge improvement over the original game because there are new features and better visuals for you to look at. It's worth playing the game if you still own a copy of it and want to download the free update. However, the game can still be boring at times and I don't think it does enough to entice new players to give it a try.

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7 / 10
Aug 13, 2018

A solid set of enhancements brings NEXT ever closer to the game No Man's Sky wants to be but forgets to have fun in the process.

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Unscored
Jul 30, 2018

I have no idea what it would be like to explore an alien planet with a toxic atmosphere in real life, but No Man's Sky sells itself with a sense of authenticity that I really have no choice but to believe that this is what it would feel like to take one small step for man.

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Jay Ball
Top Critic
Unscored
Jul 30, 2018

I envy anyone out there experiencing No Man's Sky for the first time this month.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 8, 2018

With Next, No Man's Sky grows exponentially and lays the foundation for what may be a future further growth in content.

Review in Italian | Read full review