A complete update of the universe awaits No Man’s Sky players in “Worlds Part I”

Xbox and Game Pass players would be forgiven if they chose one of the three major No Man’s Sky Updates so far this year (Omega, Orbital, and Adrift), considering how quickly our small team churned them out.

We also recently announced our fourth update for 2024, and this one is so big that we couldn’t fit everything in, so we’re calling it Worlds: Part I (Version 5.0). Here’s everything you need to know about it.

As No Man’s Sky celebrates its eighth birthday and enters its ninth year, we are using our 5.0 moment to refresh the entire universe.

Much like Beyond (2.0) in 2019 and Origins (3.0) in 2020, Worlds is the first update in a long time to focus on really increasing the variety and diversity of flora and fauna to discover. Incredible new biomes have been introduced, while ex isting biomes have been completely reworked.

In moments like these, it is important to remember that No Man’s Skyeverything you see and discover is computer generated. When you land on a planet, the creatures, plants, trees and terrain you see have never been seen before, not even by the development team.

For the Worlds: Part I update, the small team at Hello Games has let their imaginations run wild, feeding the engine a whole host of new elements that combine in almost infinite ways as you land on each planet. This makes the weird wonderful and the wonderful strange. But all of it is unexpectedly exciting.

To complement the wide variety of new things to discover, the entire universe has undergone a major visual overhaul.

In particular, the water areas in No Man’s Skywhich have remained largely unchanged since release, are more realistic and inviting. They now glitter and glow, reflecting the beauty of the skies and landscapes above. As storms approach, they show their newfound dynamism as ripples turn into waves that swell as the weather system intensifies.

Above you, the new cloud systems are equally spectacular. From delicate wisps of white silhouetted against a clear, multi-colored sky to menacing billows stretching from horizon to horizon, changing and building as the weather system approaches, exploring the planet’s surfaces brings a new sense of immersion. And of course, you’ll get a completely different perspective from the upper atmosphere as you rocket into space and break through the enveloping fog.

While Worlds: Part I’s headline features are its visuals and variety, there’s also a whole host of new technologies and gameplay, such as the ability to customize solar ships, the Liquidator Battle Mech, and Walker Battles, as well as the usual plethora of quality of life improvements that Xbox players have come to expect.

In addition, there is a unique and limited-time expedition, this time focused on combat. Unique and exclusive rewards await the brave travelers who face the increasingly menacing creatures they will encounter. Let’s just say, fans of Starship Troopers are in for a treat!

You’ll notice that this is only Part I of the Worlds update. There were a few other little things we just couldn’t fit in here, but we’ll be back soon with more surprises. In the meantime, there’s plenty to explore in Worlds: Part I, coming soon to Xbox.