If you’ve not yet jumped into Hello Games’ sci-fi epic, now might be the perfect time

In the two years since its launch, the passionate team at Hello Games have worked tirelessly to expand No Man’s Sky and its near-infinite universe even further.

Four massive free updates – Foundation, Pathfinder, Atlas Rises and Next – have dramatically transformed the sandbox survival experience, delivering hours of new story content, totally new gameplay systems and a massive visual overhaul.

With so much new stuff to check out, it’s the perfect time to jump in – especially given that it’s discounted on PlayStation Store this weekend. Need more convincing? Here are eight reasons why you should pull the trigger:

1. Play with friends

Are you alone in the universe? Not anymore! Following the most recent patch you can buddy-up with friends or rendezvous with total strangers and explore endless galaxies together.

Build bases, take down pirates, catalogue the local fauna or establish a galactic trading empire – all with your mates in tow.

2. Customise your character

Along with multiplayer, the recent ‘Next’ update also introduced a third-person camera mode that works both while flying and on foot. Naturally enough, that means you can now see your character – and it really can be your character: pick their race, their outfit and their colour scheme to suit your own adventure.

3. Lead your own armada

Not only can you cruise around the universe in your very own star ship, you can also purchase gigantic interstellar freighters and customise them to act as giant flying fortresses.

Build your own base aboard them, store precious cargo and hire up to 50 frigate vessels to protect you from opportunistic bandits or head out on exploratory missions of their own. Your career as space overlord starts here.

4. Admire the view

No Man’s Sky’s grand-scale universe looks better than ever as each successive update has brought a raft of visual improvements. These include full volumetric cloud formations that hover realistically above the planet’s surface; crepuscular light rays that dance between the trees at twilight; and vastly more detailed planets and landscapes that stretch further into the distance that ever before. And of course, you can capture it all and share with your friends by firing up Photo Mode.

5. Build your own base, anywhere

If you’ve fallen in love with the new planet you’ve just discovered and can’t bring yourself to leave, you’re in luck. Travellers are free to put down roots wherever they feel at home, whether that’s atop a snowy mountain, beside an idyllic lake or to live as a hermit on a barren desert plain.

If you’ve got the resources, you can build your home among the stars – complete with a teleporter, so you can hop back home at any time when you’re out exploring the galaxy.

6. Go for a spin in an Exocraft

So you’ve chosen the perfect spot on your favourite planet, and started work on your dream base – but what next? Well, what better way to explore your new home world than in one of the three vehicles you can own; the Nomad is light, zippy and can glide across water, the Roamer is an all-rounder that can cross all kinds of terrain, while the Colossus is a slow but mighty cargo-hauling beast.

But it’s not all work, work, work. You can expand your base with a race track, invite fellow travellers to go for a spin and post their best times on your leader board. And then kick them off your planet when they beat you, obviously.

7. Follow the storyline, head out on missions and reap the rewards

While No Man’s Sky gives you the freedom to explore at your leisure and forge your own galactic path, those travellers who prefer a little more direction won’t feel lost.

There are three main story arcs to follow, as well as countless sub-missions for the different characters you’ll encounter on space stations, on planets, or making their way through the stars.

And of course, completing these quest lines will reap rewards, including technology blueprints, currency, new gear and upgrades, amongst others.

8. Find your place in the galaxy and play your own way

So you’ve got all this freedom, but what are you actually going to do with it? Well, with a virtually limitless galaxy to make your mark on, you can make a living in many different ways.

You could live the simple life of a farmer and live in peace, or head out into the stars for a life of adventure and plunder as a galactic pirate, taking out freighters, stealing their loot and evading the Sentinels that will try to stop your getaway.

You could cruise through space, salvaging crashed spacecraft and selling them on for a profit, or command a huge fleet of mining ships, trawling the galaxy for resources.

In No Man’s Sky it really is up to you – and chances are, once you’ve spent a few hours in this bold, surprising and hugely immersive universe, you’ll find your place among the stars.