HIGHEST RECORDED STEAM COUNT
212,321 simultaneous players
Recorded in August 2016. Steam Charts’ historical record; earlier or between-sample peaks may be missing.
Multiplayer · STEAM APP 275850
Is No Man's Sky dead?
No Man's Sky player count, trends & update status · Steam app 275850
HealthyResurrection alert · +186.2%Compare game
RESURRECTION ALERTHealthy · Resurrection alert
No, No Man's Sky is not dead. It’s coming back. Steam players are up +186.2 (September 2026 vs August 2026), and 22,004 were online at Oct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC.
Comebacks fade or stick. Watch the 30-day line.
22,004 on Steam now23,650 24h high+186.2 Sep vs Aug
Checked Oct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC · Steam API · Steam-only count
Why Steam only?
These numbers count Steam clients running No Man's Sky right now, including solo, idle and AFK sessions. They don’t include PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, mobile, Battle.net, Epic, the EA app or other launchers, and they don’t show queue times or server status.
Direct from SteamOct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC
POPULATION HEALTH & MOMENTUM
How this is calculated Healthy
2,500–24,999 Steam clients
Resurrection alert · +186.2% · September 2026 vs August 2026
23598 average players versus 8244. Source: Steam Charts monthly averages.
Steam players online22,004At the recorded observation time
24h observed high23,650From 44 recorded samples
24h change-5.0%Requires a comparable sample 24h ago
No Man's Sky is a multiplayer game from The publisher. Right now 22,004 people are running it on Steam (Oct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC). In September 2026 it averaged 23,598 concurrent players, up 186.2 from August 2026, with a monthly peak of 55,623. That’s the kind of jump we flag as a resurrection alert.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Is No Man's Sky dead? FAQ
Is No Man's Sky dead in 2026?
No, No Man's Sky is not dead. It’s coming back. Steam players are up +186.2 (September 2026 vs August 2026), and 22,004 were online at Oct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC. Our current health signal is Healthy, with a resurrection alert.
How many people play No Man's Sky?
22,004 people were playing No Man's Sky on Steam at Oct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC. The high over the last 24 hours was 23,650, and the September 2026 average was 23,598. Steam only: console players and other launchers aren’t counted.
Is No Man's Sky dying?
The opposite. Steam averages rose +186.2 from August 2026 to September 2026.
Is No Man's Sky still being updated?
No patch posts found on Steam in the last 90 days. That doesn’t prove abandonment; some studios post elsewhere. Latest publisher post: "Our Journey Continues" 10th Anniversary Expedition (Sep 17, 2026).
Is No Man's Sky worth playing in 2026?
If you want a crowd, you’ll find one. It also has a single-player mode, so the player count matters less if you play solo.
Steam only: console players and other launchers aren’t counted.
UPDATE CADENCE
Is No Man's Sky still being updated?
No patch posts found on Steam in the last 90 days. That doesn’t prove abandonment; some studios post elsewhere. Latest publisher post: "Our Journey Continues" 10th Anniversary Expedition (Sep 17, 2026).
Dates are publication dates, not verified deployment times. We use publisher patch tags and conservative headline matches; previews and test updates are excluded.
Evidence & freshness Check each source separately
- Player countWithin refresh window
- Monthly historyWithin refresh window
- Publisher feedWithin refresh window
- Store listingWithin refresh window
- Player reviewsWithin refresh window
Freshness describes when we collected a source, not when the game was updated. Missing data is never zero. Review samples and partial daily coverage are labeled separately; a fresh source can still be incomplete.
The latest movement
- +253 Steam players since Oct 6, 2026, 05:55 PM UTC (+1.2%). A snapshot comparison, not a daily growth rate.
- +0.01 percentage points in overall positive reviews since Oct 5, 2026, 12:25 PM UTC. 147 net change in review total; edited or removed reviews can affect this.
Population compares consecutive observations; publisher posts use a separate seven-day window. Neither establishes why the audience changed.
THE SINGLE-PLAYER PERSPECTIVE
Worth playing on your own?
Steam lists both single-player and multiplayer modes. The population signal concerns activity; this section adds the solo perspective.
Steam review totals85% positive422,239 reviews · all languages and purchase types
New reviews · last 30 days91% positive500 sampled reviews · limited coverage · Comparable monthly trend unavailable
Store availabilityListing verifiedSteam US · Store page available · Check store & system requirements
Review percentages describe recommendations, not technical reliability. Recent sentiment uses up to 500 newest reviews; a month-to-month comparison requires complete coverage and at least 20 reviews in each period. An available store listing does not prove offline access, server uptime or purchase availability in every country.
Store checked Oct 6, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC. Reviews checked Oct 6, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC. Read player reviews. See developer involvement below for patch evidence; a finished game does not need ongoing updates.
DEVELOPER INVOLVEMENT
Is anyone still updating it?
Patch evidence and publisher communication, separate from population.
Latest patch evidenceMar 8, 2023FRACTAL 4.13 · Publisher patchnotes tag
Version in that announcementNot statedOnly explicit version numbers in the latest patch headline. Not an installed build check.
Patch announcements · past 90 days0Within the retrieved Steam feed. Posts, not distinct releases.
Latest publisher post: "Our Journey Continues" 10th Anniversary Expedition · Sep 17, 2026
Recent patch evidence & methodology
- Mar 8, 2023 · FRACTAL 4.13 Publisher patchnotes tag
- Mar 3, 2023 · FRACTAL 4.12.1 Publisher patchnotes tag
- Feb 19, 2021 · No Man's Sky Companions Patch 3.21 Publisher patchnotes tag
- Apr 16, 2020 · Exo Mech Patch 2.42 Publisher patchnotes tag
- Dec 13, 2018 · Development Update 10 Publisher patchnotes tag
Dates are publication dates, not verified deployment times. We use publisher patch tags and conservative headline matches; previews and test updates are excluded. Untagged updates, other storefronts and changes without announcements may be missing. An older version is not carried forward when the latest patch does not name one.
Single-player perspective: A completed game can remain excellent without frequent patches or a large concurrent audience. Quiet development does not establish abandonment, broken gameplay or loss of offline access. These signals do not lower the population rating.
Source checked Oct 6, 2026, 06:27 PM UTC · 100 retrieved Steam publisher posts. Tracked games refresh daily while the collector is running; opening a report can refresh the 30-minute cache.
THE HEALTH BRIEF
Activity, momentum, and updates.
Monthly momentum+186.2%September 2026 vs August 2026
Highest recorded concurrency212,321August 2016 · Steam Charts
Latest tagged patch announcementMar 8, 2023FRACTAL 4.13
Momentum compares completed monthly averages. Patch dates are announcement dates, not independently verified deployment times.
The longer view
Average concurrent Steam players · completed calendar months
23.6K average players
Source retrieved Oct 6, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC. Steam Charts samples hourly; these are averages, not monthly unique players.
View the monthly numbers
| Month | Average players | Change | Recorded peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 23,597.63 | +186.23% | 55,623 |
| August 2026 | 8,244.41 | -10.63% | 14,011 |
| July 2026 | 9,225.14 | -28.48% | 16,244 |
| June 2026 | 12,899.04 | +34.06% | 26,344 |
| May 2026 | 9,621.67 | -21.91% | 28,162 |
| April 2026 | 12,320.58 | +19.02% | 25,650 |
| March 2026 | 10,351.38 | -24.82% | 21,398 |
| February 2026 | 13,769.34 | +19.08% | 32,169 |
| January 2026 | 11,562.84 | -15.74% | 24,023 |
| December 2025 | 13,723.25 | -20.09% | 22,580 |
| November 2025 | 17,173.63 | -21.42% | 35,456 |
| October 2025 | 21,855.38 | -52.37% | 43,104 |
Milestones that matter
Recorded evidence, with its measurement window.
STRONGEST MONTH IN THIS WINDOW
September 2026 · 23,598 average players
The highest monthly average among the 12 completed months displayed above.
LATEST COMPLETED MONTH
September 2026 averaged +186.2% versus August 2026
A comparison of sampled concurrency. It does not measure individual players gained or lost, or establish a cause.
Latest updates & announcements
From this game’s Steam announcement feed.
Sep 172026ANNOUNCEMENT
"Our Journey Continues" 10th Anniversary Expedition
Sep 92026ANNOUNCEMENTA complete overhaul to space arrives in the form of No Man's Sky COSMOS (7.0)
Aug 102026ANNOUNCEMENTCelebrating 10 Years (!) of No Man's Sky
May 272026ANNOUNCEMENTIntroducing..No Man's Sky: The Swarm
Apr 82026ANNOUNCEMENTIntroducing No Man's Sky Xeno Arena
Feed checked Oct 6, 2026, 06:27 PM UTC. Only Steam’s publisher/community announcement feed is used; broader gaming news is excluded.
OUR OWN RECORDS. EVERY DAY.
Daily population archive
Stored internally · averages, highs, lows and sampling coverage
2026-09-1142,486 max daily average2026-10-06
16 observed days. Muted bars have fewer than 18 sampled UTC hours. Empty slots mark missing days. These are averages of collected samples, not time-weighted estimates.
Daily records & coverage
| Date (UTC) | Average | Low | High | Samples | Hours covered |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-06 | 16,931 | 12,989 | 22,004 | 34 | 19/24 |
| 2026-10-05 | 18,740 | 13,791 | 23,650 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-04 | 25,040 | 19,029 | 32,019 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-03 | 23,584 | 17,707 | 30,086 | 44 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-02 | 19,282 | 14,015 | 24,865 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-10-01 | 18,622 | 13,768 | 23,574 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-30 | 18,803 | 12,884 | 24,886 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-29 | 19,693 | 0 | 26,020 | 44 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-28 | 22,258 | 15,035 | 28,861 | 43 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-27 | 32,742 | 23,376 | 39,432 | 31 | 18/24 |
| 2026-09-26 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-25 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-24 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-23 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-22 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-21 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-20 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-19 | 33,245 | 31,942 | 34,067 | 4 | 2/24 · partial |
| 2026-09-18 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-17 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-16 | 27,913 | 26,325 | 28,744 | 4 | 2/24 · partial |
| 2026-09-15 | No observations — gap | ||||
| 2026-09-14 | 31,652 | 20,282 | 41,562 | 43 | 23/24 |
| 2026-09-13 | 42,486 | 30,792 | 55,726 | 45 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-12 | 37,916 | 26,541 | 50,047 | 45 | 24/24 |
| 2026-09-11 | 36,884 | 32,832 | 39,527 | 14 | 8/24 · partial |
Daily aggregates are retained long term. Detailed raw samples are kept for 30 days. Download daily archive CSV.
The latest pulse
Observed Steam concurrency · past 24 hours
23,650Steam players · observed samples
Oct 5, 2026, 06:50 PM UTCOct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC
Last 24 hours: 44 Steam samples, high 23,650, now 22,004. Times in UTC. Tracking since Sep 11, 2026, 04:52 PM UTC. Sampling target: every 30 minutes while the collector is running. Gaps over 45 minutes are not connected.
Is No Man's Sky still active?
The latest available observation reports 22,004 players running No Man's Sky on Steam, recorded Oct 6, 2026, 06:25 PM UTC. Our health signal is healthy.
Steam lists this title as a multiplayer game. The app-wide count can include solo, local, idle, and online sessions; it does not establish which modes or regions are populated.
Steam only: console players and other launchers aren’t counted.
We do not infer server uptime, human-only player counts, matchmaking speed, or console population from Steam concurrency. Read the full methodology.
