No Man’s Sky is one seriously ambitious game. We’ve seen games give us large open worlds to play with, but none have given us a universe full of so many worlds that are completely explorable. And this isn’t just a universe of a handful of planets, with some side celestial bodies as window dressing. You have over 18 quintillion planets for to explore and mine. Yes, that’s a real number, and yes, if you want to you can do it. You may need more than one lifespan, but who are we to knock on your dreams.
Now with all of this content, many prospective space explorers are wondering just how long the game actually is. That’s not exactly an easy question to answer though, since it really depends on how you plan on playing the game.
If you’re going into No Man’s Sky with the mindset that you’re going to try to explore every planet that crosses your path, you’re looking at well over 200 hours. Some of the planets are absolutely huge and offer a wealth of secrets ranging from languages, to history, to just badass looking creatures. I spent around three hours exploring a particular radioactive planet that was completely submerged underwater. That 200 can jump depending on your commitment and whatever sort of adventure you want to get into.
Now, if you’re just trying to finish the story, you have some options. Getting to the center of the universe takes time, but if you don’t mind ignoring a bit of exploration, it’s manageable in under 100 hours. Of course, that’s depending on your luck and your ability to prioritize resources and upgrades. No Man’s Sky does not make it overly easy for you, so don’t expect a smooth ride to the center. Simply ignoring the universe around you does not mean that it will ignore you as well. Still, 100 hours is nothing to scoff at considering that’s the fast option.
There’s also an entirely different direction you can take that will greatly increase your time with No Man’s Sky, but we won’t spoil that for you.
It’s not really possible to put an exact hour count on No Man’s Sky thanks to just how wide the scope of this game really is. Suffice it to say that no matter how you slice it, you’re in for at least around 100 hours of exploration, discovery, and space hijinks. Not too shabby for an indie game, right?
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