No Man's Sky

 PC
User Score
4.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 2694 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 819 out of 2694
  2. Mixed: 284 out of 2694
  3. Negative: 1,591 out of 2694

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  1. PutridPete
    Aug 12, 2016
    4
    Its very dissapointing to say the least. Ironically, it makes me appreciate Elite: Dangerous much more than ever before.

    My biggest problem is how on rails the space flight feels, and how poorly the game looks and performs. I don't think its a bad game, just not worth 60 dollars. I'd certainly consider getting it on discount price.
  2. akshaysk
    Aug 12, 2016
    2
    I got the PS4 version too. I wrote a review for that, as well, and I didn't mention the bad draw distance and occasional framerate drops because, well, the gameplay aspect seemed more important then. I only wish I could write about the gameplay now.

    I admit I don't have a monster rig. An i5 6th gen and a GTX 960 usually runs all games on high with a few compromises, however. Not this    I got the PS4 version too. I wrote a review for that, as well, and I didn't mention the bad draw distance and occasional framerate drops because, well, the gameplay aspect seemed more important then. I only wish I could write about the gameplay now.

    I admit I don't have a monster rig. An i5 6th gen and a GTX 960 usually runs all games on high with a few compromises, however. Not this time.

    Had to change the resolution (and put up with black bars. BLACK BARS!) and lower the graphics to low. And even then, after I got out of the ship for the first time, the game realized it hadn't buggered up and crashed.

    Steam refunds could not have been implemented earlier. Thank goodness for those. I just gave it a 2 because at least Hello tried to make some decent features like an FOV slider and somewhat responsive controls (though I didn't get far enough to start shooting those grinding sentinels)

    I'll say again: Hello Games, I have 18 quadrillion other games I'd rather play instead.    … Expand
  3. NetQvist
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Must say I'm amazed at this.... it actually runs worse than Arkham Knight on release on this computer.

    Concerning the game content, doesn't matter if there's a lot of sand in a desert when each piece looks the same
  4. orphamiel
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Let's not even talk about the crashes and FPS issues. Let me describe the game instead :
    A $60 shiny rock that awes you with its shiny and beautiful cut but then you realize only a few hours later that there's nothing fun you can do with the rock at all.
  5. Random_Internet
    Aug 12, 2016
    2
    Add the horrible port onto an already boring af game. But really what the hell did they do during this games 2+(?) year development? I can't even imagine how empty this must have been when it got delayed. Expect mass refunds from PC gamers including myself. Thankfully I checked out AJ's stream before it released on PC so I knew to refund if it didn't feel better to myself, refunded withAdd the horrible port onto an already boring af game. But really what the hell did they do during this games 2+(?) year development? I can't even imagine how empty this must have been when it got delayed. Expect mass refunds from PC gamers including myself. Thankfully I checked out AJ's stream before it released on PC so I knew to refund if it didn't feel better to myself, refunded with 1.9 hours, whew.

    Only thing worse than this game is its fanbase. Consisting of fanboys who shout down any criticism with "updates will improve it". Bullsh*t the amount of new content this game would need to be worth even $40 would be more than it already has.    … Expand
  6. trash-46645
    Aug 12, 2016
    3
    What best describes the game is the saying "a mile wide, an inch deep".
    Now I understand why there was no information about the actual gameplay before the release. It's because there isn't any. The gameplay consists of shooting rocks with a laser for resources, photographing animals and plants and looting outposts. That's it. The crafting mechanics is rudimentary, the survival aspect is    What best describes the game is the saying "a mile wide, an inch deep".
    Now I understand why there was no information about the actual gameplay before the release. It's because there isn't any. The gameplay consists of shooting rocks with a laser for resources, photographing animals and plants and looting outposts. That's it. The crafting mechanics is rudimentary, the survival aspect is annoying and pointless and the exploration is boring once you visit few planets and start to see the assets repeat. Interaction with the world around you is virtually non-existent. Well you can shoot rocks but that's about it. Occasionally you can also shoot a droid or a pirate ship in space. The technology is impressive but that does not make a fun game.    … Expand
  7. neekz0r
    Aug 12, 2016
    4
    There is potential for this game, but right now it's poorly executed.

    So, as an explorer game, it kinda fails. You can't ever really explore because you constantly have to return to your ship to offload crap. Why are you offloading crap? Because you need it to explore. Setting that aside.. this game could be fun to explore. Except... if you've seen one planet, you've seen them all.    There is potential for this game, but right now it's poorly executed.

    So, as an explorer game, it kinda fails. You can't ever really explore because you constantly have to return to your ship to offload crap. Why are you offloading crap? Because you need it to explore. Setting that aside.. this game could be fun to explore. Except... if you've seen one planet, you've seen them all. There isn't any "large" differences. Just small ones. SO one planet is toxic, and another is cold. Neat. Your suite does the same thing; you have to supply energy to it. Other than that, it's just a name. Toxic, cold, heat.

    If you are expecting a giant forrest planet; nope. I've not seen one yet. If you want to see a dessert, nope. Purple goo planet? Nope, not that I saw. Just the same with minor variations.

    You'll get "it" in about an hour, and after that, it's just .. grindy.    … Expand
  8. Noras
    Aug 13, 2016
    2
    A noble goal, but very poorly executed.
    If you want a 3D craft, collect and survival game with no hand holding, play ARK Survival Evolved, if you want the procedural space exploration, play Starbound... If you want both those things crammed together in a weak, unpolished package with bad performance and no aim or goals, play No Man's Sky. This game is the ugly overpriced one trick pony of    A noble goal, but very poorly executed.
    If you want a 3D craft, collect and survival game with no hand holding, play ARK Survival Evolved, if you want the procedural space exploration, play Starbound... If you want both those things crammed together in a weak, unpolished package with bad performance and no aim or goals, play No Man's Sky. This game is the ugly overpriced one trick pony of the Survival Genre.

    Seriously, you can get ARK and Starbound together for less than the price of No Man's Sky, this game shouldn't cost $60.    … Expand
  9. neojaffers
    Aug 12, 2016
    2
    Didn't deliver on multiple promises and lacks any sort of gameplay. As an artsy game it does wonders but only if you want to call it a game. If you take away the game title and call it an experience it would be much better. Game felt more like a VR experience trying to be a game, it doesn't hit any standard for gameplay
  10. BuGi
    Aug 12, 2016
    2
    First hour or two are amazing. Then you suddenly realize you've finished the game, nothing new to see.
    gazillion planets. all the same, boring, nothing to do.
    You see one planet, you saw them all. After 2-3 hours its just repetitive grind, no motivation to go further, random landscapes are just reskinned things you've already seen. Old stuff in different colors.
  11. Bortx
    Aug 15, 2016
    1
    I never understood what all the hype has been about this game for the past 3 years. Every time it was shown I had a bad feeling that this was going to be a turd. It ended up exactly how I expected - dull and repetitive. I can't deny that I had some fun for the first few hours but after that it is wash, rinse and repeat. The planets are mostly identical and have an empty sterile feeling toI never understood what all the hype has been about this game for the past 3 years. Every time it was shown I had a bad feeling that this was going to be a turd. It ended up exactly how I expected - dull and repetitive. I can't deny that I had some fun for the first few hours but after that it is wash, rinse and repeat. The planets are mostly identical and have an empty sterile feeling to them so what's the point of having millions of them. I rather have 3 interesting ones. Graphics are dated and game play is a grind. Walking to places takes forever and there is nothing to do that's engaging. Story is non existent. This might pass for a high-school programming project but is not up to today's gamer expectations. And lets admit once and for all that hand crafted worlds are way more interesting than procedural ones. How many times must we fall for this procedural bore.

    Unlike others for me the game performed fine but I have a beast of a PC.    … Expand
  12. Rapiere
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    DO NOT BUY RIGHT NOW : Either it's crashing after a few seconds on the logo, or performance is horrible even with bleeding edge PC. Quite distasteful strategy from Sony / Hello Games to release a broken game in order to respect a date then promise a patch, a new QA team, a support system *next week* : as if they could not figure it out before that it could be needed ! Vote with your wallet !
  13. MalistiX
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    overal this game runs wors then me, and I am Fat. The game breaks when you alt tab, it runs very poorly on my 770GTX with 4GB in combination with an i7 and 16gb ram, this is one of the worst ports possible.
  14. darkmemes
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    No Man's Sky players have poise turned on.

    (Now that Peter Molyneux has run out of tricks, Sean Murray is trying hard to take his place. Sadly he's only half as cute.)
  15. Najamal
    Aug 19, 2016
    0
    I had no expectation of this game.
    And was nevertheless disappointed massively.

    After 10 hours game time you have seen everything.
    And with everything I mean:
    -5 Types of Rock
    -10 Animals
    -5 Planet Biomes
    -4 Background Colors
    -5 Ship Variations
    -1 Space Station
    -3 'Alien Species' Represented by 3 'Aliens'
    -5 Types of Buildings
  16. LordExarus
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    I atleast expected the game to work for $60,it doesn't
    No Man's computer can run this game
    Even a computer made by jesus christ himself could only run this game at 20fps
  17. ezay
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    I expect only one thing from games to be noted fairly: to actually work. This isn't 1995 anymore. PC games should work on release, especially if you apply AAA premium tag price to them.

    The game doesn't work; heavy framerate drop, stutters and even freeze. My specs can run The Witcher 3 @ 1440p and FPS between 70 and 120. But it can't have the game work smoothly. I have tried all the    I expect only one thing from games to be noted fairly: to actually work. This isn't 1995 anymore. PC games should work on release, especially if you apply AAA premium tag price to them.

    The game doesn't work; heavy framerate drop, stutters and even freeze. My specs can run The Witcher 3 @ 1440p and FPS between 70 and 120. But it can't have the game work smoothly.

    I have tried all the different settings, nothing changes. And what do we get for these conditions:

    - Ugly textures; seriously, it looks like a PS2 game.
    - Ugly shadows
    - Ugly everything

    This game is **** ugly, and that's at 1440p. I can't even imagine the game at 1080p.

    Do yourself a solid and do not buy this game. Mine is already refunded.    … Expand
  18. Iplayedthegame
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Lazy PC port delayed to boost deceptive sales of the PS4 version. Please don't support this shady developer. You can deck out a lie in a suit but I won't buy it. Refund while you still can, vote with your wallet. Hello Games you should be ashamed of yourselves.
  19. Vithonil
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Won't even start, crashes 1 sec after launch. And I waited 2 years for this **** **** Hello Games, **** Sean Murray and **** No Man's Sky. I'm getting a refund.
  20. WhiteSkyMage
    Aug 12, 2016
    4
    First, DO NOT BUY RIGHT NOW, wait for patch. This is unacceptable at launch time. And it is pissing off really... I won't be buying this game until it's not fixed, and Id also be looking for 50% off. I will tell you why 50% off.
    Now based upon people that have played it for long amount of time - it's not a game for everyone and the biggest issue I find, that I took about half the points    First, DO NOT BUY RIGHT NOW, wait for patch. This is unacceptable at launch time. And it is pissing off really... I won't be buying this game until it's not fixed, and Id also be looking for 50% off. I will tell you why 50% off.
    Now based upon people that have played it for long amount of time - it's not a game for everyone and the biggest issue I find, that I took about half the points on my rating is that it is only a single player. I do not consider games that are single player these days worth a full price, when I have already bought a package for Star Citizen for only $45 and for that I get access to both singleplayer/co-op campaign (when it's out in the end of the year) and persistent universe, which I could play now. This is why I did say I may buy this game if it does go 50% off. There are other complaints that the game glitches/crashes even on consoles (i am surprised). Anyway this is what pisses me off the most, otherwise the game has *some* potential. You have to be prepared when you go into combat, since it is real time. You have to mine, craft and sell items and find some kind of stones to learn species' language, which apparently takes time.

    That was all about it I got. Really i expected something different, but that's what we have. It's maybe fun when you get into it, but if you see that it doesn't taste what you would like to have, then put your money into Star Citizen. At least, that would give you everything else. I wouldn't play a single player survival game like NMS, if of course the story isn't as engaging. Have fun playing if you got it and you can run it, but if you have not, it's not the time, wait then buy. Once performance improves...    … Expand
  21. Anguigena
    Aug 12, 2016
    4
    Typical over hyped. It's not as bad as people say. But it does tend to lose a LOT of replay value after about 5 hours. I won't be returning it; it's more a "I'm bored right now, wonder if anything can make me less bored..." game. But know that the first 1-4 hours are FUN. After that... you've done it all. Also people who are experiencing problems with speed are stupid. They haven't learnedTypical over hyped. It's not as bad as people say. But it does tend to lose a LOT of replay value after about 5 hours. I won't be returning it; it's more a "I'm bored right now, wonder if anything can make me less bored..." game. But know that the first 1-4 hours are FUN. After that... you've done it all. Also people who are experiencing problems with speed are stupid. They haven't learned how to use a PC.… Expand
  22. Vble
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Absolutely dreadful.

    Thank god for steam refunds. This game isn't worth 60$. It hardly even works. One of the worst ports in the history of gaming.

    It's literally a dumpster indie game that would normally be sold for 5$ on steam. Going for 60$.
  23. bolducdaniel00
    Aug 12, 2016
    1
    I've played a lot of world building/survival games in the past and this is by far one of the worst I've yet encounter. The objective of the game is travel to the center of the universe while upgrading your various equipment which range anywhere from your spaceship to suit to combat weapon. While not that much different from its predecessors in this regard, the process through which you areI've played a lot of world building/survival games in the past and this is by far one of the worst I've yet encounter. The objective of the game is travel to the center of the universe while upgrading your various equipment which range anywhere from your spaceship to suit to combat weapon. While not that much different from its predecessors in this regard, the process through which you are forced to continuously accumulate resources in the face of limited inventory space is perhaps the most unnecessarily tedious and boring mechanic I have yet to encounter in a game. From a high level perspective, the game is extremely basic with the same repetitive actions and goals. Don't be fooled by the procedurally generated gimmick that the developer is talking about. The planets are basically all the same but just with different assets. Outside of resource collection, the space ship mechanics are clunky and difficult to navigate. The combat while there, sticks of out like a sore thumb and feels like something which added as an after thought in order to pad the game rather than being developed as a core mechanic from the start. In between exploring those generic planets is of course the space travel which while novel at first quickly become the most frustrating part of the game as you are forced to wait anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes before reaching a destination all while holding down several buttons. Moving on to the technical aspects, it becomes obviously clear that NMS is not optimized for the PC. Running a GTX 970 and a i5-4690k @ 4.4 GHz, I constantly encountered stuttering and inconsistent frame drops as low as 20 FPS. For $60 this is unacceptable. If you are thinking about buying this game on PC, take this as a warning and do not buy it until either:
    1. It has dropped significantly in price, and
    2. The developer fixes the pc port and adds more content.    … Expand
  24. maxiu
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Doesnt even work, 60 euros for a loading screen. Good a game as any to test Steam refund feature, will buy again when the devs pull their heads out of their butts and fix their 60 euro early access crap.
  25. SlowBro
    Aug 12, 2016
    1
    Let me preface this by saying I am judging by content and not by the developers character. I am also judging by price to experience.

    This game is repetitive, bad looking, and just generic. This game primarily consists of inventory management and resource scouring to enable yourself to leave every planet. The controls for flying are atrocious, and the FOV is horrendous. My review would    Let me preface this by saying I am judging by content and not by the developers character. I am also judging by price to experience.

    This game is repetitive, bad looking, and just generic. This game primarily consists of inventory management and resource scouring to enable yourself to leave every planet. The controls for flying are atrocious, and the FOV is horrendous. My review would be lower if I considered all of the things Sean promised that actually didn't come to fruition, but I will spare him the worse review. Bottom line is if you really want this game, wait for a lower review, or better yet just don't buy it.

    ALSO: PC PORT IS ****    … Expand
  26. Jeod69
    Aug 13, 2016
    1
    First.. this game have worst optimization than Batman Arkham.. is the most **** port i see in my life..

    Second.. after 1h with different configurations.. is unplayable.. for me at least.. Third.. this game is so boring.. im looking for space and explorations.. but explore what? 18 quintillions empty planets.. same houses.. same aliens.. same monolits.. different colour.. nothing    First.. this game have worst optimization than Batman Arkham.. is the most **** port i see in my life..

    Second.. after 1h with different configurations.. is unplayable.. for me at least..

    Third.. this game is so boring.. im looking for space and explorations.. but explore what?

    18 quintillions empty planets.. same houses.. same aliens.. same monolits.. different colour.. nothing to do.. no mision.. looks like ps3 game.. and the mechanics are really poor.. the combat is so basic.. and the controls of the spaceship is the worst thing i see.. u cant crash.. u cant do anything.. so weak

    sorry.. but insta-refund after 1h in steam.. F.. YOU HELLO GAMES    … Expand
  27. wotulookinat
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Think of a game with publicity by Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson.
    Coding by Jeremy Corbyn.
    You are promised a visual nirvana of sexy exploration (bit like Brexit)
    in it's place you get a loop of start/crash/start/crash (bit like the labour party)
    I'm off to get a refund..........
  28. Negetz
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    First off this game runs incredibly poorly. I have gtx1080 and i76800K and the game hitches stalls and stutters. Secondly this game is incredibly boring. It is nothing more than a glorified crafting sim. "Exploration" is pointless because there is no variety on any given planet, it is just the same crappy looking repetitive textures over and over again. The UI for PC is horrible. This gameFirst off this game runs incredibly poorly. I have gtx1080 and i76800K and the game hitches stalls and stutters. Secondly this game is incredibly boring. It is nothing more than a glorified crafting sim. "Exploration" is pointless because there is no variety on any given planet, it is just the same crappy looking repetitive textures over and over again. The UI for PC is horrible. This game is not worth $60! it is maybe worth $10 for the experience of exploring an endless galaxy.… Expand
  29. saewr323
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    this game is simple garbage, horrible optimized on pc and this game in't even worth 60 dollars **** this game, and **** hellogames and sean muraat, dont buy this game unless it gets fixed
  30. saranguyn
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    horrible game, do not buy. Nothing works properly and i have to sucksaycece ceascec that thererfore i cant recommand this at all because of those stated reasons
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
25
#25 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 17
  3. Negative: 2 out of 17
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 11, 2016
    67
    No Man's Sky breaks the record in falling short of the hype – which is an incredible achievement in the category of super ambitious space games. The huge universe is a repetitive, lifeless and meaningless place, no amount of random generated creatures can change that. The most unforgivable fail is making the spaceship such a pain to fly, which makes exploring the vast universe simply a chore. However, at its best the game is epic and many of the issues should be easy to fix, so this might not be the end of the journey after all. [Sept 2016]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 2, 2016
    60
    It's partially broken, shallow, repetitive and aimless, but hang me, I still kind of love it. [Issue#255, p.56]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Sep 27, 2016
    60
    While some poorly designed systems and mechanics chip away at your patience, the feeling of flying seamlessly from space down to a peninsula you spotted from orbit never fails to enthrall. [Nov 2016, p.106]
See all critic reviews »