No Man's Sky

 PlayStation 4
User Score
4.8

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 5473 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,123 out of 5473
  2. Mixed: 648 out of 5473
  3. Negative: 2,702 out of 5473
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  1. DarkHoop
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    After the pre-order bug, I still have to give this a 10. I have many hours in and looks like many more to go. This is not a game for most people. 1 out of my 20 of my friends liked it, and also my son, and 3 Nephews love it. I've had so many get moments in the game so far. As much as I would just die for a co-op I still love it.

    After listening to the interviews with the main Dev before    After the pre-order bug, I still have to give this a 10. I have many hours in and looks like many more to go. This is not a game for most people. 1 out of my 20 of my friends liked it, and also my son, and 3 Nephews love it. I've had so many get moments in the game so far. As much as I would just die for a co-op I still love it.

    After listening to the interviews with the main Dev before buying this game, I got exactly what I thought it would be. Here is hoping for future updates and co-op in the next one :)    … Expand
  2. Thegodfatherson
    Aug 12, 2016
    1
    So it looks all nice, and has some colour, but No Man's Sky is a mess and is most problematic with its crafting system and pace. You start with a spaceship, and then the game opens you up to a universe with uncountable planets to discover.......after a long tutorial to recover a missing component of your ship. Pre order players get it on launch, but we gotta do that grind. Then you getSo it looks all nice, and has some colour, but No Man's Sky is a mess and is most problematic with its crafting system and pace. You start with a spaceship, and then the game opens you up to a universe with uncountable planets to discover.......after a long tutorial to recover a missing component of your ship. Pre order players get it on launch, but we gotta do that grind. Then you get launched into a amazing universe, and here is an excellent part of this game, the generation of the various planets. You will get lost in the exploration that awaits you and they all look spectacular. But the things you do on each planet are uninteresting, repetitive and tedious. As you whizz away at rocks with your mining laser and walk tediously through dense, boring terrain, you begin to think that this is not the gameplay you were promised by Hello Games. You were promised exploration, and to do that you gotta play Space Minecraft. There is also some lore hidden in deep clutches of the game and sadly, they are the only good parts of the game. I wish that we could have had more of that then grind for hours just to visit a disappointing outpost. The stories you create yourself are engulfed in the tedious grind that is No Man's Sky. There are also some aspects of the game that are combat related both on foot and in ship. On foot is basically a really bad first person shooting experience that is ruined by the control scheme. In the air, you can fight space pirates, a concept that works on paper, but all you shoot are blinking red targets to pass time, not to mention they lack depth that is found in other games. No Man's Sky promised exploration, but everything ambitious it tries, fails hard. I wanted to love it so much, but the repetitive gameplay, bad controls and weakly excecuted space battles pull me away from a game that had so much potential. Best to pass this one.… Expand
  3. pyrov
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Over-hyped garbage. Inventory management is a headache, exploring planets after an hour gets boring and repetitive, no multiplayer (even though Sean Murray said in multiple interviews there would be, then proceeds to vaguely tweet out there isn't any multiplayer at the last moment before release). Planets are almost lifeless, with the stupid randonly-generated monsters (OH LOOK, ITS AOver-hyped garbage. Inventory management is a headache, exploring planets after an hour gets boring and repetitive, no multiplayer (even though Sean Murray said in multiple interviews there would be, then proceeds to vaguely tweet out there isn't any multiplayer at the last moment before release). Planets are almost lifeless, with the stupid randonly-generated monsters (OH LOOK, ITS A GIRAFFE WITH A SQUIRREL HEAD AND A SNAKE TAIL HEHE xd). You'd think 15 guys could make a better Minecraft in space -- Nope. Also, middle fingers to anyone who bought this game for the colors and atmosphere. It looks like cr*p in-game; trailers looked better.

    Do yourself a favor; Get the broken steam version. That way, if you share a similar experience such as mine, you can refund the game. Be sure to review the refund policies before you do that.

    Go ahead and thumbs down me, Reddit. There's a difference between imagination and delusion.    … Expand
  4. samueI
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    I can't describe how I'm disappointed with this game. I just feel like the developer straight up lied to our face and as long as they make money, they don't give a **** I'm done with this.
  5. Darkprince1984
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    This game has fulfilled my space exploration fantasies. Eveything from breaking into planets atmosphere and the beauty of space is mesmerizing. I constantly want to keep playing.
  6. Master_
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Boring walking simulator. Walk to get resources, to get faster ship and better equipment to ... gather more resources. There's nothing to discover, similar schemes of planets. You won't see any cities, big bases, ruins etc. Just little save points and small abandoned bases. Boring. You can't build, you can't tame creatures. Boring.
  7. Ozzy779
    Aug 12, 2016
    5
    The game has potential, but the limitation ruins it. Every planet looks the same, apart from the colour schemes. The whole gameplay evolves around flying your ship and spamming 'C' to scan. The menus are unclear, the textures are 10 years behind, and the overall experience fades away after 2 hours, when you see all the linearity.
  8. greedy666
    Aug 12, 2016
    8
    Wow.... all the hate... not really warranted. I wasn't overly excited for this game , but not much else coming out so i thought id give it a go. Yeah it could be better , imagine if this was an rpg /star wars/star trek/mass effect that would be awesome . But its not its No mans sky... it is what it is and if you are rating it due to what you wish or thought it was going to be don't reviewWow.... all the hate... not really warranted. I wasn't overly excited for this game , but not much else coming out so i thought id give it a go. Yeah it could be better , imagine if this was an rpg /star wars/star trek/mass effect that would be awesome . But its not its No mans sky... it is what it is and if you are rating it due to what you wish or thought it was going to be don't review this game. review it for what it is . An exploration game, you explore space that's it. I give it a 7.5 as it does what it sets out to do you explore space, they have put in AI characters they are bland and could do with improving , small things like upgrades taking up inventory slots have made me bring this to the 7.5. IT IS NOT A 0!! IT IS NOT A 10! people have their opinions but seriously a zero? or a 10?.... if you want a sandbox rpg don't get this game , if you want a lonely game of exploration ( put your spotify on with some sweet sounds) get this game simple.… Expand
  9. Forza182
    Aug 12, 2016
    9
    I find some reviews too judgmental and others quite soothing. Most are just the opinion of someone with ADD and no patience for art and exploration. People will ride on other indie titles and treat them like royalty when they have less than a tenth of the content this game has, yet they still demand more content? For me, I'm having fun with it. I'm taking my time, making some dangerousI find some reviews too judgmental and others quite soothing. Most are just the opinion of someone with ADD and no patience for art and exploration. People will ride on other indie titles and treat them like royalty when they have less than a tenth of the content this game has, yet they still demand more content? For me, I'm having fun with it. I'm taking my time, making some dangerous decisions, making some prosperous ones. Nothing beats landing on a moon and looking over the horizon to a gigantic planet, knowing full well you're only a minute away and will get something out of exploring it. I think, like certain DC movies, people like to just jump on the hate bandwagon without creating their own experience and trying things for themselves, because of this, I feel sorry, almost pity this generation of gamers. The game is about exploration, but most of you people can't make an opinion for yourselves, let alone an experience, so this game was doomed to fail from the start. Had it come out 10-15 years ago, we would still be talking about it today.… Expand
  10. pt122781
    Aug 12, 2016
    3
    Now I want to give the designers at Hello Games credit for the idea behind the game and their hard work, however they missed the opportunity. I was so excited for thus game to just find disappointment and I only played about 3 hours. Is it intriguing? Yes. Fun ? No. Boring and no substance. Way to much focus on making an infinite universe with not much too do. Horrible inventory designNow I want to give the designers at Hello Games credit for the idea behind the game and their hard work, however they missed the opportunity. I was so excited for thus game to just find disappointment and I only played about 3 hours. Is it intriguing? Yes. Fun ? No. Boring and no substance. Way to much focus on making an infinite universe with not much too do. Horrible inventory design choice and graphics are sub par to what they looked like in previews and gameplay. Genius idea but a missed chance. Sorry Hello Games, I'm very disappointed and will be trading this game in until maybe I got time when it's cheaper. All those delays were discouraging for an overhyped game that I too fell for.… Expand
  11. LordExarus
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Release was terrible,gameplay is boring
    It's the size of a ocean but as deep as a puddle
    Is not worth 60 dollars for a game that is smaller then minecraft,and I can buy that for 20 dollars.
  12. dhfan54
    Aug 12, 2016
    8
    No Man's Sky is a true next gen sandbox exploration and survival game. The beginning is a little difficult to start because the game does not do the best job of guiding you, but with a little effort it is easy to figure out.
    After 5 hours I have yet to encounter any glitches or game breaking bugs like many have.
    Overall I am really happy I purchased this title and can not wait to see    No Man's Sky is a true next gen sandbox exploration and survival game. The beginning is a little difficult to start because the game does not do the best job of guiding you, but with a little effort it is easy to figure out.
    After 5 hours I have yet to encounter any glitches or game breaking bugs like many have.
    Overall I am really happy I purchased this title and can not wait to see what is in future updates and how the game ages.    … Expand
  13. Hellix35
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    I played the game myself on a PS4 and I would suggest you try to play the game on console as well. Otherwise, you'll experience problems with playing the game (at least from what I have heard). Now to my opinion, No Man's Sky is an awesome game.

    However, it is not a game for everyone. It is not a Sci Fi epic where you go around telling awesome stories. It is not an Grand Scale Strategy    I played the game myself on a PS4 and I would suggest you try to play the game on console as well. Otherwise, you'll experience problems with playing the game (at least from what I have heard). Now to my opinion, No Man's Sky is an awesome game.

    However, it is not a game for everyone. It is not a Sci Fi epic where you go around telling awesome stories. It is not an Grand Scale Strategy game where you can make your own space empire.

    It is a game that is more akin to Minecraft. You walk around an infinite universe, and make discoveries. That is it. If this does not appeal to you, then I would suggest you either wait until a future update adds in something you like, or skip this altogether.

    As it is right now, No Man's Sky is almost exactly like Minecraft. There's not a lot to do, and for the most part you're just going to be running around the place doing the same things over and over again. But with time, future updates, and a little help from the (good parts) of the community, this can become something spectacular.    … Expand
  14. Killroywashere
    Aug 12, 2016
    6
    This is a really pretty shell of a game. It feels like something you'd get from Steam Greenlight. The core gameplay mechanics are there and the foundation of the game is present, but that's about it. The more you see, the more shallow and empty the universe becomes. Because again, this feels like a beta. It feels like they spent all this time building 18 quadrillion worlds but forgot toThis is a really pretty shell of a game. It feels like something you'd get from Steam Greenlight. The core gameplay mechanics are there and the foundation of the game is present, but that's about it. The more you see, the more shallow and empty the universe becomes. Because again, this feels like a beta. It feels like they spent all this time building 18 quadrillion worlds but forgot to spend any time on things to do on those planets.

    This game is all about grinding. You collect material to fuel your ship to go to another place to collect fuel for your ship. Sometimes your buy a new ship, but the weapons will be the same and you'll probably just end up having more room to collect fuel for your ship.

    The beta feel is only enhanced by the several small flaws in the game that really add up to make things tedious and frustrating. Ridiculously slow walking speeds. Constantly fueling up the eight or so things that need fuel. The awkward cursor movement with an analogue stick to control everything in the menus. The rendering distance is similar to Playstation 2 era graphics, not PlayStation 4.

    Most of the joy comes from finding a really interesting combination from the procedurally generated worlds, but after a while, you only start to see the individual parts of the whole. Four-legged guy with fins. Four-legged guy with horns. Oh! Four-legged guy with fins and horns!    … Expand
  15. Hackett
    Aug 12, 2016
    9
    To be entirely fair, I am one weird dude. I love the idea of a game where the only thing I do is travel through an endless galaxy collecting resources, naming new discoveries, and just marveling at the scale of the universe. If any of that interests you, you will enjoy No Man's Sky. It's not for everyone but for those few weird guys like me it is amazing.
  16. Cray2TheZ
    Aug 12, 2016
    2
    Garbage. Boring as Hell, clunky controls (shooting + ship fights). You grind so that you can grind some more and move to a neighboring planet to grind some more. Refund requested after 80min playtime
  17. porc
    Aug 12, 2016
    2
    I've been playing game since de 80's. This is one of the worst. First,you have to repair the spaceship. Tutorial is long and boring (farm farm farm). Controls are clunky. Took 1h to get all the ingredient to finally leave the first planet.

    Nice color palette and that's all.

    Hipsters game = Looks cool (marketing videos, awesome art), but boring gameplay.
  18. Onlineidiot
    Aug 12, 2016
    8
    So the game isn't necessarily bad per say, but there is a lot of wasted potential, and i hate to say it, they need more game play. I wish i could stay on one awesome planet I discovered and just screw around have fun and so screw the center of the galaxy this planet is filled with gold heridium zinc iridium plutonium , just everything i need, so why cant i stick an outpost here and beSo the game isn't necessarily bad per say, but there is a lot of wasted potential, and i hate to say it, they need more game play. I wish i could stay on one awesome planet I discovered and just screw around have fun and so screw the center of the galaxy this planet is filled with gold heridium zinc iridium plutonium , just everything i need, so why cant i stick an outpost here and be able to have just a tad bit more permanency? What is irritating is why even fly through the cosmos they could've have easily gave me a play style of residing on a planet for longer but instead i have to give up all my hard work over and over so that it feels like i don,t even wanna look at anything any more since im practically obliterating each planet I explore by never visiting again, the 8 is since i am bringing up the score a tad but not witch any kind of 10 review, they are speaking of adding freighters and bases however it should have been day 1, and things like that would have easily brought hours and hours of gameplay, space stations buying things and colonizing even to the slightest degree would be sooooooo badass, on a side note I shot a whole in a random astroid in the middle of firggin no where came back to it hours later and there it was.... THAT was amazing for some reason, hey great base game add some cool permanency features and it will be great, and i know its about EXPLORING im just more of a builder and I don't care about moving forward at LIGHTSPEED I'd much rather conquer the galaxy at a snails pace personally Just adds more depth and after I'm done like im satisfied with the amount Ive done ill head out, but im at the point to were im like why even explore theres too many planets im going to see and no point to it, i put my mind in wonderment mode yes but its like i find myself exploring less and less cause i know im gonna just space jump repeatedly for a minial cost of easily found elements, RIP my awesome planet Weverflow wish i could jump back and hang out there with some sort of space jumping facility or whatever it would take like a warpgate and i could move it slowly were i go so id have an anchor for myself, thats all this game needs, Im hopeful… Expand
  19. kilobyte
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    Warped running from hostiles, came out of warp, smashed into an asteroid and blew up.

    11/10 would warp again.

    Seriously tho, it may not be for everyone but man, I love it.
  20. suluchigurh
    Aug 12, 2016
    1
    I've been playing games since the early 90's and this ranks as one of the most empty experiences I've ever had gaming. Literally nothing to do but mine. But after 5 minutes of mining, The sentinels try to kill you. Ludicrous. Not to mention all the technical issues I'm having (PC). Worst $60 investment of my life and that includes the time I was sold bunk coke. Pick up for $5 in a steamI've been playing games since the early 90's and this ranks as one of the most empty experiences I've ever had gaming. Literally nothing to do but mine. But after 5 minutes of mining, The sentinels try to kill you. Ludicrous. Not to mention all the technical issues I'm having (PC). Worst $60 investment of my life and that includes the time I was sold bunk coke. Pick up for $5 in a steam sale a year from now.… Expand
  21. Jugalator
    Aug 12, 2016
    6
    Much have been said about this game already, so I'll try to be brief. This is a game in the survivalist/exploration genre and set in space. The universe is near endless and each planet will have wildlife and environment of its own, although it is picked from a palette, so to speak. If you have visited 50 planets, make no mistake, this game will not be a wondrous one where content willMuch have been said about this game already, so I'll try to be brief. This is a game in the survivalist/exploration genre and set in space. The universe is near endless and each planet will have wildlife and environment of its own, although it is picked from a palette, so to speak. If you have visited 50 planets, make no mistake, this game will not be a wondrous one where content will still magically always feel fresh. Soon enough, you will discover similarities.

    It would be a huge mistake to get this game only based in an interest in exploration.

    Even in my first visited planet, I faced a creature of almost identical design that I had previously seen in preview screenshots, and I hadn't even been deep into spoilers. What's worse, the design was weird and really out there. But still -- near identical to the same, strange creature I had already seen before even playing the game. This was a huge disappointment and indicative of what was to come.

    No, this game is not first and foremost about exploration. That is merely the backdrop, only a part of what is meant to keep you going. The main attraction here is survival. Recharging your exosuit by minerals you have mined in quite typical Minecraft sense, only with a gun rather than an axe. Upgrading your weapons and spacecraft, and so on.

    This game feels like 60% about mining/trading/surviving, 30% about exploring and discovering new worlds, and 10% about combat of various beings on planets and in space, combat an afterthought. Please note that exploration would then consitute to a mere third of the game experience.

    You need to love other things than exploring to enjoy this game.

    That is the game's problem.

    It is very shallow in content besides exploring.    … Expand
  22. WillMchardy
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    Time fly's when I play NMS, I'd say the best part about it is meeting new NPCs and learning their language, but I also love the survival aspect of it. Depending on how you play (I can play it slow, but I usually play it fast) it can be steady and rewarding, or fast and dangerous. I also love the exploration, most planets are barren or have scarce life (about 7/10 of them) and the ones thatTime fly's when I play NMS, I'd say the best part about it is meeting new NPCs and learning their language, but I also love the survival aspect of it. Depending on how you play (I can play it slow, but I usually play it fast) it can be steady and rewarding, or fast and dangerous. I also love the exploration, most planets are barren or have scarce life (about 7/10 of them) and the ones that aren't have great planets that you'll spend ours on trying to find monoliths, ruins, stations etc. I'm giving it a 10/10 because It's my kind of game, and although it's had a lot of crashes recently, it's beautifully made, the gameplay is great and I love the art style!… Expand
  23. nastybutler224
    Aug 12, 2016
    10
    At first no man's sky is overwhelming and confusing,but after several hours it all comes into focus as you grasp the mechanics and UI. If you make it past the first few hours, you might never put down the controller.
  24. zgillet
    Aug 12, 2016
    9
    So far it's fantastic, and the low scores are because people just don't know how to play the game.

    First of all, you can get by without mining. Ever. Trading is a HUGE part of the game and most of the users just don't do it for whatever reason. The space combat gets pretty fun after some upgrades - you have to fly along planet's surfaces to find little areas to get upgrades. There    So far it's fantastic, and the low scores are because people just don't know how to play the game.

    First of all, you can get by without mining. Ever. Trading is a HUGE part of the game and most of the users just don't do it for whatever reason.

    The space combat gets pretty fun after some upgrades - you have to fly along planet's surfaces to find little areas to get upgrades. There are also beacons that lead to settlements for a lot of tech and upgrades.

    The NPCs have little interaction stories that are interesting and you can learn their words to better understand them. I also found a monolith that gave me a choice and it strengthened my relationship with the alien race.

    This was all in four hours of gameplay.    … Expand
  25. TrilobiteG
    Aug 12, 2016
    5
    3 hours. 2 hours of fun, 1 hour of dull, laggy repetitiveness. Like a long, **** point and click with a view. Shame, I had hopes as high as the sky, whatever, at least I get a refund.
  26. Ofca
    Aug 12, 2016
    0
    Another overpriced overhyped piece of crap. This game is technically poor at everything it tries to do, yet this doesn't prevent the developer to oversell on every point, and blatantly lie on some aspects. Research heavily before buying, or buy blindly at your own peril.
  27. crisk19
    Aug 12, 2016
    5
    The game is mediocre and that's that. It's intriguing for the first few hours but after that the game fails to keep you interested in a very bleak universe. I also had some a few crashes altough all the drivers are up to date, etc. Basically the game has almost no depth. I prefer to have 10000 more diverse planets or even 1000 instead of 18 quintillion of almost the same planet.
  28. kurfar
    Aug 12, 2016
    8
    Honestly impressed with this game. While I'm excited for the idea of base building and driving capital ships in the next update, it's great so far. It's pretty fun and I think it's a really interesting idea. However at the moment the combat enemies are a little bland and could use a tune up in terms of difficulty and variety, perhaps face off against humanoid enemies as well? Also I'mHonestly impressed with this game. While I'm excited for the idea of base building and driving capital ships in the next update, it's great so far. It's pretty fun and I think it's a really interesting idea. However at the moment the combat enemies are a little bland and could use a tune up in terms of difficulty and variety, perhaps face off against humanoid enemies as well? Also I'm waiting on the actual confirmation of what "multiplayer" means in this game. Overall however it's really enjoyable and I'm having a blast with it.… Expand
  29. stupid_hater
    Aug 12, 2016
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. overpriced trash

    no gameplay, no multiplayer, all routine and monotonous

    failure, as well as spore. interesting to play only one hour. Then boredom begins.    … Expand
  30. JZAnKrayKray
    Aug 12, 2016
    9
    Common themes from all comments thus far - Game is not for everyone - Game gets boring - Game is not a game - Game is amazing - Expectations not met.

    They are all valid in my opinion. My personal opinion is I love this game. I love this tech demo, whatever you want to call it. I am enjoying it very much. But of all the comment themes the "not what i expected" theme is killing me    Common themes from all comments thus far - Game is not for everyone - Game gets boring - Game is not a game - Game is amazing - Expectations not met.

    They are all valid in my opinion. My personal opinion is I love this game. I love this tech demo, whatever you want to call it. I am enjoying it very much.

    But of all the comment themes the "not what i expected" theme is killing me hard. We all saw game play and we all read about the game prior to release. I have seen people complain about the repetitive nature of the game and the lackluster "OTHER" mechanics like weapon game play or the survival aspect. But for all of you who have not played the game yet and are considering getting it, just consider the expectations you have of the game and THEN ASK YOURSELF WHY YOU EXPECT that?

    This game is not a FPS...so why would someone expect evolved weapon mechanics or even better game play with respect to that?

    This game is repetitive in the sense all games are repetitive. The quadrillion planets "not being different enough" is kind of rooted in reality. This game takes on something that actually mimics the size of a universe. And people want the 18 quadrillion planets to be more different than they are now? Can anyone even name 18 quadrillion UNIQUE aspects of a planet that would be noticeable in a game. You roll dice, your going to get the same outcome sometimes....its probability,

    So that this doesnt get too long, its an awesome experience, and dont expect things in this game that have no basis to be expected. Dont expect massive MMO action, where you getting that from? Dont expect DayZ survival, why would you? Dont expect a quadrillion styles of ship or weapons....was that promised? Do not expect anything. Take it with a blank slate and you will be glad you experienced it.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2016
2
#2 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 96 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 96
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 96
  3. Negative: 1 out of 96
  1. GameCritics
    May 8, 2020
    80
    While I’m sure developer Hello Games is still tweaking things and perhaps even creating more content for No Man’s Sky, the current state of affairs is a strong one. This galactic opus still offers an infinite amount of content for those who want to lose themselves among the stars, but now also contains a concrete throughline that will satisfy a wider array of players. It can be irritating at times, but it’s also full of stunning moments and the satisfaction of building a virtual life among the stars. Four years after launch, it’s finally a journey worth taking.
    Read full review
  2. BaziCenter
    Feb 10, 2017
    60
    The world of No Man's Sky is insanely vast and beautiful, but there’s nothing to do in it! There’s no goal, no destination, no ending, nothing!
    Read full review
  3. Easy Allies
    Dec 1, 2016
    60
    While No Man's Sky is engrossing for the first few hours, repetition starts to set in and the proceedings grow dull. The developers stated that they plan to add significant features such as base building which could dramatically change the game for the better. There's a promising foundation present, so it's possible to envision a more substantial game down the line. As it currently stands, though, our excitement to cross the universe faded sooner than we expected.
    Read full review
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