Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

No Man's Sky headed to Xbox One, next big update arrives this summer

The "biggest update so far", says Hello Games.

Hello Games has announced that its ever-expanding space exploration sim No Man's Sky will get its next big update this summer, and will also be heading to Xbox One.

The new update has been given the name NEXT, because, says Hello Games' Sean Murray, "it's an important next step on a longer journey for us and the community." No Man's Sky previous update, Atlas Rises, launched in August last year.

There's no word yet on what, exactly, NEXT will bring to No Man's Sky, but Murray calls it the "biggest update so far". It's seemingly so big, in fact, that it even gets its own logo.

NEXT follows on from No Man's Sky's Foundation, Pathfinder, and Atlas Rises updates, which have all radically increased the scope of the game, introducing the likes of base building, farming, vehicular exploration, questing, and even the beginnings of online multiplayer.

When it launches this summer, No Man's Sky NEXT will be free to existing players. Murray says, "we'll continue to support No Man's Sky in this way for the foreseeable future".

Perhaps more notable is the announcement that No Man's Sky is heading to Xbox One, marking an end to its PlayStation 4 console exclusivity. The Xbox One version will include all previous updates, as well as the new NEXT update at launch, and will be enhanced for Xbox One X with HDR and 4K support. A physical edition will be released worldwide by 505 Games.

Read this next