No Man's Sky celebrated its tenth anniversary on 9th August 2026, prompting Hello Games founder Sean Murray to publish an open letter thanking fans for their support since the game's rocky 2016 launch. Despite launching to mixed reviews, the studio has released 40 free major updates over the decade, expanding the game with features such as base-building, exocraft, mechs, pets and living ships, and adding support across numerous platforms including Switch and Switch 2. The milestone matters because it marks a rare turnaround story in gaming, with the title now enjoying its highest player numbers since launch and recent recognition including a TGA and BAFTA award.

Murray revealed that tens of millions of players have spent hundreds of millions of hours exploring the game's procedurally generated universe, yet less than 1% of its planets have ever been visited. He also teased an upcoming update called "COSMOS" alongside continued work on Hello Games' next title, Light No Fire. The letter reflects on the small, largely unchanged core team behind the game's transformation and reaffirms the studio's commitment to further expanding No Man's Sky's universe.