No Man’s Sky update 4.7 “Adrift” announced, adds alt universe for solitary play

Hello Games has announced and released No Man’s Sky update 4.7 titled “Adrift”, as the name suggests it lets players enter an alternate universe where they can be truly alone in space.

Here’s a rundown on the new update, plus a trailer:

A lot has changed in the years since No Man’s Sky released. There’s so much we love about the game now, but there was something unique at release in how alone you felt in the universe. Going further back I have great memories of early unreleased versions of No Man’s Sky where there were no NPCs, no shops, no help… just you the player as a tiny dot lost in the infinite.

For our next update we wanted to allow players to experience an alternative universe. We are calling it Adrift, and for the first time players can be truly alone in No Man’s Sky. We think it’s a special feeling.

Removing other lifeforms means no shops, no trading, no shortcuts and no help, providing a very different survival experience.

This alternative universe is more dangerous too, with sandworms now roaming free and fiend eggs spreading across planets.

Buildings are broken and rusted, the few remaining landmarks the graves of lost Travellers. In space, a new ghostly frigate beckons, allowing players to recruit a piece of this lonely universe.

To help provide safe haven is a new bulky Hauler starship, called the Iron Vulture. Since we added ship customisation in our last update, we’re also seeding the game with lots of new customisation options in Adrift.

Adrift was supposed to be our next expedition, which it is, but it’s ballooned out into an update filled with improvements, new unique gameplay content and rewards.

We’re already two huge updates into the year, with the release of OMEGA – where we invited everyone to try the game for free! – and ORBITAL, which overhauled space stations and introduced a long-requested feature: ship customisation. We are grateful to have such an incredible community; it has been exciting and fascinating to see you all hunting, salvaging and documenting the hundreds of starship components available to assemble your dream ships.

We have much, much more planned for 2024 – and today, we are launching the thirteenth No Man’s Sky community expedition: Adrift.

Adrift Expedition

Step into an empty universe, where you will find yourself surrounded by other Travellers… yet somehow still alone. The galaxy has been abandoned. There is no life to be seen anywhere – no aliens, no operational space stations, none of the usual network of shops and buildings.

Though everyone will awaken on the desolate, worm-infested planet Iapezuk, you will not be together in the usual sense. The boundaries between realities have thickened. Communication is consumed by static. Even the usually-bustling Space Anomaly is eerily silent.

In this forsaken universe, deprived of support from merchants and traders, self-reliance is more critical than ever. Survive a spread of repair, exploration, and combat challenges – and meditate upon the darkness of deep space.

Completing this lonely journey will award an exclusive range of collectibles, including the gnawing scuttler companion, a supply of starship stealth paint, a ghostly frigate, and the unique Iron Vulture starship.

Begin the Adrift expedition from the Expedition Terminus aboard the Space Anomaly – or from a fresh new save, which may later be converted to a Normal Mode save.

All the exclusive rewards earned from completing the expedition phases may be redeemed across all save games, courtesy of the Space Anomaly’s Quicksilver Synthesis Companion.

Adrift begins today, and will run for approximately seven weeks.

Adrift Expedition Rewards

Meditation, Alone in the Dark, and Isolation Posters

Contemplate your journey through Adrift with posters that recall the empty endless void of space and the scale of that infinite, black expanse…

Stealth Paint

An exclusive starship customisation option, creating a unique low-radar-signature look for your ship.

Starship Wreckage Base Parts

Create a scrapyard aesthetic in habitable bases with these shattered remains of a crashed starship.

Gnawing Scuttler Companion

A vile and nightmarish creature, extracted from the derelict shell of a once-glorious freighter. Despite its dark origins, this companion is trained to suppress violent urges towards its assigned master.

Ship of the Damned

The remains of a long-abandoned frigate. Despite its ruined condition, with no apparent crew, it sails on through the stars…

Iron Vulture

Transport vast quantities of cargo across the galaxy in this stylish high-capacity Hauler, featuring a unique silhouette and industrial metal finish.

The ironclad metal finish may be applied to any newly-constructed starships in the Fabricator. Additionally, the Iron Vulture can be scrapped, and its components utilised in the manufacture of a new hauler.

Community Research

Traveller efforts in completing multiplayer missions at the Space Anomaly Nexus have recently unlocked a new set of dazzling ice sculptures in the form of a majestic diplo, Atlas station, and the iconic Alpha Vector starship.

The Quicksilver Synthesis Companion is now creating blueprints for a new set of Pawprints, To the Stars and Awakenings decals. Contribute to the process by submitting data via Nexus missions!

Community Spotlight

We’ve been watching u/babookluke’s Anomaly cosplay come together over the past few months with astonishment, and the finished result looks incredible.