Ten years ago, I spent countless hours in Fallout 4 scavenging for scrap, wiring up turrets, and building ramshackle towns across the wasteland. I barely touched the main quest because I was too busy turning Sanctuary into a glorified shanty utopia.

A decade later, Bethesda is still reselling Fallout 4 as an “anniversary edition,” while Hello Games keeps quietly dropping free updates for No Man’s Sky — each one expanding the game in some brilliant, unexpected way. (As a side note, I still have no idea how Hello Games makes money, but I’m definitely not complaining.)

My Frozen Planet Settlement

A couple of years ago, No Man’s Sky introduced planetary settlements — a feature that lets you become the overseer of an alien town, make leadership decisions, and build new structures to turn it around. It’s one of my favourite additions to the game.

My current settlement is on a frozen planet in a Vy’keen system. When I first found it, it was teetering on the edge of ruin. Now it’s an S-Class, profit-making hub with 134% happiness (which I’m not sure is even medically possible).

The building mechanics aren’t as free-form as Fallout 4 — you can’t place structures wherever you like — but the sense of progression is far more satisfying. Each new upgrade feels earned, and just when I think my settlement has reached its limit, the game offers me a new building to add. I’m currently working on my third starship dock, right after finishing my third marketplace.

Building Starships Like LEGO in Space

Earlier this year, Hello Games added the ability to build Corvette-class starships — massive vessels that sit somewhere between a freighter and a standard ship. I needed a tutorial to get started, but once I understood the basics, sourcing parts and upgrades became surprisingly straightforward.

I’ve tried to keep my ship modestly sized after seeing a Reddit post warning that people landing their city-sized ships on the Anomaly were crashing the game. Mine’s compact but capable, and being able to walk around inside it while it cruises above a planet’s surface is still mind-blowing.

Even better, you can set your ship on autopilot and wander around as it travels. There’s something oddly peaceful about staring out the window, watching the landscape crawl past beneath you, and realising that your spaceship has basically become your home.

A Decade of Free Updates Done Right

I bought No Man’s Sky on launch day for the PlayStation 4, and I’ve since bought it multiple times — maybe that’s how Hello Games makes their money after all. I never had particularly strong opinions about the game’s rocky launch, but looking at where it is now, I’m genuinely awed by what it’s become.

The updates over the years haven’t just added content — they’ve added personality. The ability to personalise your play-through so deeply, from settlements to ships, makes each journey feel unique. It’s the kind of immersion most games promise but rarely deliver.

I’m 52 hours into my latest save and haven’t even scratched the surface of the main quests — and honestly, I couldn’t care less. I’m too busy tending to my happy frozen town, cruising above alien landscapes, and appreciating a game that keeps rewarding creativity instead of punishing it.

In an era obsessed with sequels and microtransactions, No Man’s Sky feels like a rare long-term relationship — one that just keeps getting better the longer you stick around.