It has been a joy to watch Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox Game Pass members jump into the new adventures offered up in our recent Expeditions update to No Man’s Sky, starting afresh on the same planet as everyone else and embarking on a new journey to claim limited-time rewards like the Golden Vector Ship and the SSV Normandy SR1 from Mass Effect. We have more expeditions and surprises coming shortly.
Today, we’re excited to be able to release our latest update, No Man’s Sky: Prisms, free to all owners.
Virtually every aspect of the game has had a visual overhaul. Planets, skies, stars, creatures, the weather, space stations, and more. New technology and new art mean they look the best they’ve ever been. We can’t wait for players to discover the changes.
While exploring planets you’ll notice new weather effects, such as rain which refracts the light, and surfaces that become slick and wet. Or venture underground to caves with new lighting effects, more detailed environments, and greater variety of generation.
Fur has been added to creatures you encounter, bringing extra detail and variety to exploration and companion taming. Flying creatures, such as giant beetles, flying worms and colossal butterflies, can now be adopted as your companion, and ridden through the sky.
Above you, the night sky now shines with the light from thousands of distant stars. New audio and visual effects transform your interstellar experience as you warp between destinations. In the Space Station, your freighter, and other interiors you’ll notice volumetric lights, detailed surfaces from Parallax Occlusion Mapping and gorgeous reflective metallic surfaces.
And of course, with all these visual enhancements, it makes sense to upgrade Photo Mode too with improved depth of field and bloom controls. We love seeing the incredible creativity of our community and are very excited to see what beautiful images they surprise us with next.
Xbox Series X|S players will find detailed reflections, improved lighting quality, more detailed biomes and more. Windows PC players with compatible Nvidia graphics cards can take advantage of DLSS, potentially seeing their framerate double.
No Man’s Sky: Prisms is the third free update of 2021, and we can’t wait to show you what else we have in store later this year.
Our journey continues.
No Man’s Sky
Hello Games
Inspired by the adventure and imagination that we love from classic science-fiction, No Man’s Sky presents you with a galaxy to explore, filled with unique planets and lifeforms, and constant danger and action.
In No Man’s Sky, every star is the light of a distant sun, each orbited by planets filled with life, and you can go to any of them you choose. Fly smoothly from deep space to planetary surfaces, with no loading screens, and no limits. In this infinite procedurally generated universe, you’ll discover places and creatures that no other players have seen before – and perhaps never will again.
Embark on an epic voyage
At the centre of the galaxy lies a irresistible pulse which draws you on a journey towards it to learn the true nature of the cosmos. But, facing hostile creatures and fierce pirates, you’ll know that death comes at a cost, and survival will be down to the choices you make over how you upgrade your ship, your weapon and suit.
Find your own destiny
Your voyage through No Man’s Sky is up to you. Will you be a fighter, preying on the weak and taking their riches, or taking out pirates for their bounties? Power is yours if you upgrade your ship for speed and weaponry.
Or a trader? Find rich resources on forgotten worlds and exploit them for the highest prices. Invest in more cargo space and you’ll reap huge rewards.
Or perhaps an explorer? Go beyond the known frontier and discover places and things that no one has ever seen before. Upgrade your engines to jump ever farther, and strengthen your suit for survival in toxic environments that would kill the unwary.
Share your journey
The galaxy is a living, breathing place. Trade convoys travel between stars, factions vie for territory, pirates hunt the unwary, and the police are ever watching. Every other player lives in the same galaxy, and you can choose to share your discoveries with them on a map that spans known space. Perhaps you will see the results of their actions as well as your own…