Hello Games has revealed that, a decade after launch, players have explored under 1% of No Man's Sky's 18 quintillion planets, as the studio celebrates the game's anniversary and teases its next major update
No Man's Sky has reached its tenth anniversary, and developer Hello Games has marked the occasion by sharing a striking statistic: even after a decade, players have explored less than 1% of the game's vast universe. The milestone comes as the studio confirms ongoing support for the title, with a new update on the horizon and continued high player engagement.
Anniversary Milestone and Player Numbers
Launched on 9 August 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PC, No Man's Sky initially faced a wave of negative reviews, with criticism focused on missing features and limited multiplayer functionality. Despite this, Hello Games continued to update and expand the game, gradually improving its reputation. The studio now reports that 2026 has seen the highest player numbers since launch, a notable achievement for a live-service title of this age.
According to Hello Games, the game's universe contains over 18 quintillion procedurally generated planets-specifically, 18,446,744,073,709,551,616. Even with millions of players and hundreds of millions of hours logged, less than 1% of these planets have been visited. This scale was designed from the outset, with the developer previously estimating it would take billions of years to see every world.
Ongoing Development and Upcoming Update
Studio founder Sean Murray has confirmed that No Man's Sky will continue to receive updates beyond its tenth year. The next major update, titled Cosmos, has been teased but not yet detailed. Over the past decade, the game has received 40 major updates, all free, introducing features such as base-building, vehicles, settlements, mechs, pets, living ships, and expeditions. Platform support has also expanded, with the game now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PC, and VR platforms.
Hello Games is also developing a new project, Light No Fire, described as an adventure and survival game set on a fantasy planet the size of Earth. The studio has not provided further details since its reveal at The Game Awards 2023, but its ongoing work on No Man's Sky suggests a continued commitment to both titles.
Community and Platform Context
No Man's Sky's journey from a troubled launch to a well-regarded live-service game has been marked by persistent updates and a shift in player sentiment. The game's Steam user rating has improved from "overwhelmingly negative" at launch to "very positive" in 2026, reflecting the impact of sustained development. The title has also won awards for best evolving game, underlining its transformation over time.
The scale of No Man's Sky's universe means that the vast majority of its planets will likely remain unvisited, even as the player base grows. This approach to procedural generation has influenced other open-world and sandbox games, and the game's ongoing support stands out in a competitive live-service landscape. For comparison, other major gaming anniversaries, such as Quake's 30th, have also been marked by substantial updates and new content, as seen in recent coverage of Quake Remaster's anniversary campaign.
What Remains Uncertain
While the Cosmos update has been teased, Hello Games has not yet provided a release date or full feature list. Details on Light No Fire's development timeline and gameplay specifics also remain limited. The studio's track record suggests further announcements are likely, but players will need to wait for concrete information on both projects. For now, No Man's Sky continues to receive regular updates, with its universe remaining largely unexplored despite a decade of player activity.
Procedural generation is a technique used in games to create large amounts of content algorithmically rather than by hand. In No Man's Sky, this allows for a universe of over 18 quintillion unique planets, each with its own terrain, flora, fauna, and weather. While this scale offers near-limitless exploration, it also means that most content will never be seen by players. The approach enables small teams to deliver vast worlds, but it comes with trade-offs in terms of handcrafted detail and player discovery. Understanding procedural generation helps explain why No Man's Sky's universe remains so sparsely explored, even after ten years.
