No Man's Sky Prisms update is a visual overhaul for the entire galaxy

No Man's Sky
(Image credit: Hello Games)

No Man's Sky Prisms update is a complete visual overhaul for Hello Games' spacefaring adventure, launching today, June 2.

A new trailer shows off the updated graphics in all their glory. Hello Games says it's changed almost every aspect of No Man's Sky's visuals, from the surfaces of the planets to the stars twinkling on the far side of the universe. 

The level of detail on offer is seriously impressive; new weather effects will refract light, creatures will be covered in actual fur, and the sky above you will be dotted with thousands of stars.

More than just a series of visual changes, however, the Prisms update comes with a number of new features, too. Burrow beneath the surface of a planet and you might find new cave biomes lit up by their own unique lighting effects. If you'd rather take to the sky, flying creatures from huge beetles to beautiful butterflies can be tamed as your companions and ridden through the air. And when you blast off to a new system, you'll notice new effects as you start your warp, as well as improved lighting and realistic reflections throughout the interiors of space stations and freighters.

On top of all that, Hello Games is also upgrading Photo Mode to add better depth of field and bloom controls, while players on PS5 and Xbox Series X will have access to more detailed reflections, as well as better lighting and more detail across the galaxy. And if you're playing on PC with a compatible graphics card, not only will your performance not take a hit from these improved visuals, but using DLSS could allow your framerate to double.

Prisms is No Man's Sky's third free update this year, following on from February's Companions update, which allowed you to tame alien creatures, and April's Expeditions, which brought players together to head off across the galaxy on a massive shared adventure. It sounds like fans will continue to be well catered to, as Hello Games has teased even more updates later this year.

Unsure exactly where to go in an endless universe? Here are some No Man's Sky tips to help out.

Ali Jones
News Editor

I'm GamesRadar's news editor, working with the team to deliver breaking news from across the industry. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.