No Man’s Sky celebrates 10th anniversary with massive, free update

Hello Games has just released Cosmos, the seventh major update for No Man's Sky, timed to the survival game's tenth anniversary. Studio head Sean Murray frames the free update as a comprehensive revamp of what players can do in space whilst travelling between planets. Up to now, No Man's Sky has largely treated interstellar travel as a loading screen between worlds.

Players can now purchase and customize their own space stations, while modular orbital bases can be constructed freely in open space. Large asteroids can also be mined for resources and used as locations for bases. Cosmos also introduces space hulks, which can be stripped for salvage using new tools, although excessive harvesting can destabilize them. Star Maps have been expanded to identify points of interest, including trading outposts offering missions and local information.

The update also adds player alliances, allowing groups to establish networks of stations and compete through leaderboards. Bio-wrecks provide another type of hazardous location to explore, while players can undertake a dangerous journey toward the center of a star system. Alongside the core update, Hello Games has launched the "Our Journey Continues" expedition, which revisits the game's 40 major updates through unlockable legacy features, developer commentary and historical information.