Ethan Crossfield 
A decade after its troubled debut, No Man’s Sky has become a long-running example of how sustained post-launch development can reshape a game’s reputation. Hello Games is marking that anniversary with a look back at the project’s evolution—and a first tease for its next major chapter, titled Cosmos.
From rocky launch to a decade of updates
No Man’s Sky arrived on August 9, 2016, to a reception that was noticeably less enthusiastic than the anticipation surrounding it. OpenCritic lists the original release with a Top Critic Average of 71, while its critic recommendation score stood at 37%. The game also faced a major wave of refund requests from players during its first weeks.
Hello Games continued supporting the sci-fi adventure instead of abandoning it. Over the following 10 years, the studio delivered 40 major updates, steadily expanding the experience and helping transform how many players view the game. Additions highlighted in the anniversary video include exosuit-focused gameplay, underwater systems, capital ships, and a fully functional VR mode.
Cosmos is the next major No Man’s Sky update
The anniversary celebration video compresses the game’s history into roughly two minutes, giving each of its major updates a place in the retrospective. It also includes a brief appearance by Mass Effect’s Normandy SR1, the ship that became an obtainable frigate in No Man’s Sky in May 2021.
The forward-looking tease arrives near the end of the video. At around the one-minute-45-second mark, new key art appears while the name of the next major update is revealed letter by letter: Cosmos. Hello Games has not announced what the update will contain, and there is no confirmed launch date yet.
The game’s previous major update, Swarm, released in May. That timing may give fans a reason to watch the coming months, but any expectation of a similar schedule remains speculation until the studio provides more information.
Sean Murray reflects on No Man’s Sky’s future
Hello Games Managing Director Sean Murray also shared an open letter with the anniversary celebration. He reflected on the unusual path No Man’s Sky has taken and credited both the developers who continue working on it and the players who have stayed with the game.
Murray’s message emphasized that the team still sees considerable room to expand No Man’s Sky, despite delivering free major updates for a full decade. He also briefly addressed Light No Fire, Hello Games’ other major project, saying the team is working on it while teasing substantial future plans for No Man’s Sky.
For now, Cosmos is best understood as a confirmed project rather than a detailed announcement. Its name and existence are official, but features, platforms, and release timing remain unannounced.
Key points
- Cosmos is the title of No Man’s Sky’s next major update.
- Hello Games revealed the name in its 10th anniversary celebration video.
- The studio has released 40 major updates since the game launched in 2016.
- No features or release date have been confirmed for Cosmos.
Expert View
The teaser signals that Hello Games is treating No Man’s Sky as an ongoing platform rather than a finished product. For the community, the most important detail is not yet a feature list but the continuation of a support model that has kept the game relevant through years of free expansions. The lack of specific information also suggests that the studio is reserving a fuller Cosmos reveal for a later announcement, leaving players to judge the update only after its scope and launch plans are made clear.
