No Man's Sky (2016)

Developer: Hello Games
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Action, Adventure
Rating: 4.2 of 5, 411,741 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 52 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A serene, solitary drift through an endless alien cosmos where discovery replaces urgency and quiet awe replaces combat adrenaline.

exploratoryatmosphericlonelywonder-filledopen-endedpeacefulproceduralrelaxing

What players say

Players praise No Man's Sky for its massive, chill exploration and the sheer volume of free updates that overhauled it from a 2016 disappointment. Yet many say the procedural planets grow same-y after a while, and base building with friends can bug out with permissions and terrain edits.

Screenshots

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More by Hello Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.