Hello Games has announced the next major No Man’s Sky update — THE SWARM. It promises the biggest, most ship-packed event in the game’s history: something huge and foreboding is hanging in the sky above planets, threatening the very existence of the universe, and Travellers will have to band together to fight it off. The release date will be revealed later; No Man’s Sky turns ten in August 2026.
Three factions and a universe-wide war
The first time Travellers boot up after the update they will be greeted by a personality test that sorts them into one of three factions. Each squad will have to cooperate, strategise and compete to counter the Hive of Glass, an existential threat to the universe.
The war effort is being coordinated from the Nexus, where defenses are being rapidly constructed and a new bulletin page tracks overall progress. Every Traveller’s contribution to the face-off with the Hive is logged publicly in the Anomaly and the Galactic Atlas. The single most effective faction will be memorialised in the Space Anomaly for all time.
The largest space battles in No Man’s Sky to date
Epic space battles are at the core of science fiction, and THE SWARM brings the biggest and most spectacular fights ever seen in No Man’s Sky. The Hive of Glass defends itself by releasing swarms of robotic drones, putting hundreds of ships on screen at once.
The Hive itself is a weapon too. Its iris opens to reveal the largest gun ever seen in the game: a laser capable of destroying freighter fleets and perhaps even something as large as a space station.
Gravity Gun, crashed drones and sabotage
While space is full of huge battles, on planets Travellers will be investigating and pillaging the remains of crashed drones with the Gravity Gun introduced earlier this year. Shot-down drones have to be salvaged and researched, miniature planetary swarms have to be defeated, and the Hive’s research network has to be sabotaged. Secrets about the Hive’s origins and weaknesses can be uncovered and shared with fellow rebels.
Rewards
As well as saving the universe, Travellers will receive a host of cosmetic rewards:
- a full suit of armour with a retro sci-fi feel;
- a brand-new rifle;
- a huge new jetpack;
- plus additional cosmetics.
What Sean Murray says
Hello Games boss Sean Murray noted that 2026 has been a year of wildly different experiments: players collecting trash with a new gravity gun, battling pets in the Xeno Arena, and now fighting off a high-action threat to the universe in THE SWARM.
“The prospect of all existing Travellers converging on a single area of the universe to take the largest space battles to date, against the back-drop of an ominous, mysterious Death Star like construct, with the ability to destroy space station sized objects… is going to make for some exciting weeks ahead for us and for players. We can’t wait to see how this plays out.”
Platforms and patch notes
THE SWARM will release on every supported platform: PC (Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store), PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, macOS and VR. The update will be free for all existing owners. Hello Games will publish the full patch notes on the official No Man’s Sky website closer to launch.
The studio also reminded fans about its next game — Light No Fire, which is already available to wishlist.
