No Man's Sky hits a Steam player high it hasn't seen since the survival game's disastrous launch 9 years ago, thanks in part to yet another free update

No Man's Sky might be the greatest comeback story in all of gaming. It constantly launches free updates and expansions that significantly alter the experience, and has reached 'Very Positive' reviews on Steam eight years after its launch. Now, the latest addition, which allows you to build custom starships, has made it the most popular it's been since its launch.

In No Man's Sky, you trek across a vast galaxy gathering resources, building bases, fighting other ships, or just documenting the planets and wildlife you see. You can play pretty much any way you want.

However, the Voyagers expansion, part of what SteamDB labels the Anniversary update, is what's causing everyone to return to the game. There are plenty of iconic spaceships out there, from Han Solo's Millennium Falcon to Star Trek's USS Enterprise to The Expanse's Rocinante. Now, you can build them.

Over the last few days, I've seen some absolutely amazing designs, so I'm not surprised No Man's Sky just hit a concurrent player count of 98,285, the highest since the launch peak of 212,613.

I'm going to run through some of the best designs I've seen since the update was released.

There's "The most indestructible ship in No Man's Sky History," an old-school Nokia, complete with the green screen and chunky buttons. A Helldivers 2 super destroyer bringing Managed Democracy to this new galaxy. There's also an incredible Millennium Falcon that developer Sean Murray reposted. Boba Fett's Slave 1 also looks amazing as it careens through an asteroid field. As if all that's not creative enough, some people are straight-up building mechs.

It's easy to see why this update has brought many people back to the game. What kind of spaceship will you make?

In the meantime, check out the best space games you can play right now.