Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Inhospitable planets pose as big a threat in ‘No Man’s Sky’ as hostile creatures

We recently took a look at the enemies you’ll be facing in Hello Games’ No Man’s Sky. Both organic and inorganic creatures are ready to tear you limb from limb should you disturb them, but the mysterious, unexplored planets themselves pose a significant threat, as well.

In the fourth and final of the game’s recent gameplay trailers, “Survive,” we can see some of the hazards explorers could face should they choose to touch down and wander on foot. Massive poisonous flowers cover the ground of a planet filled with toxic yellow gas, and elsewhere we see the consequences of not having sufficient “toxic protection,” with life meters quickly draining.

Recommended Videos

A variety of other environmental variables can get you killed in a hurry, as well. Extreme heat and extreme cold must both be countered with improved gear, and radiation, presumably from nearby stars or suns, requires a hazmat suit.

But No Man’s Sky‘s major focus on resource gathering plays a role here, too. Finding elements such as iron and zinc in nearby rocks will allow you to “recharge” specific elements on your suit. This should also greatly reduce the need to leave planets in order to top off supplies. Of course, every element you choose to use is one you can’t sell later for a profit, should you make it back alive.

If you plan to pick No Man’s Sky up on PC, you’ll now have to wait a few extra days. Instead of its scheduled August 9 release date, which the game will still hit on PS4, it arrives for the PC on August 12. But don’t worry: With 18 quintillion planets, it will take you a lot longer than three days to explore a microscopic fraction of what the game has to offer.

Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
Free No Man’s Sky Endurance update makes your freighter feel like home
Character running inside a planet in No Man's Sky.

No Man's Sky just received its 12th free update titled Endurance. This update overhauls freighters and fleets, including a new bridge that contains a Quick Access Teleporter, allowing players to warp anywhere in the universe. Freighters will feature new NPCs who live and work on these celestial bases, offering companionship, while also helping you keep things running.

No Man's Sky Endurance Update

Read more
No Man’s Sky’s ‘near-impossible’ Switch port is coming this fall
Space travelers posing in front of colorful planet in No Man's Sky.

No Man's Sky will launch for Nintendo Switch on October 7, 2022, according to an announcement on the game's official Twitter account. Physical editions for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 will launch the same day alongside digital versions.

Hello Games, the team behind No Man's Sky, first announced the Switch port in a February 2022 Nintendo Direct, with a summer release window, so October 7 is a bit later than expected. Sean Murray, founder and CEO of Hello Games, refers to the port as a "near-impossible" undertaking, but based on the footage shown, it looks to be running smoothly.

Read more
You can be a space pirate in No Man’s Sky starting today
A player walks through an outlaw outpost in No Man's Sky.

No Man's Sky's latest update is intruding on Sea of Thieves' territory. Titled Outlaws, the game's 3.85 update is fairly straightforward, giving players access to a bounty of new content that expands its space combat and gives players the chance to become the Monkey D. Luffy of the cosmos.

No Man's Sky Outlaws Update Trailer

Read more