No Man’s Sky is getting a Switch 2 update in time for launch

No Man’s Sky is about to take flight on yet another new platform: developer Hello Games announced today that the sci-fi exploration game will be getting a free update that will enhance it for the Nintendo Switch 2, which launches on June 5th.

The game came to the original Switch in 2022, and Hello Games says getting it crammed onto Nintendo’s previous console was “a bit of a technical miracle,” while calling the Switch 2 version “a huge leap forward.” On the Switch 2, the game will improve both the amount and quality of stuff on screen at any given moment. “We’re rendering significantly more than before, at a higher resolution and improved framerate,“ the developer says.

It will also feature full multiplayer support, which was missing from the first Switch version of the game. Additionally, the Switch 2 version of No Man’s Sky will include features like touchscreen support, gyro controls, and cross-save.

The new platform is part of a larger update that spans all versions of the game. Called Beacon, it introduces something of a settlement management element to the game. Here’s how Hello Games explains it:

Beacon completely overhauls settlements, bringing towns and their management to No Man’s Sky. There are huge new robotic settlements to discover, with impossibly new sci-fi buildings. Players can become town mayor and take ownership of multiple settlements. You can construct buildings and upgrade each one, with new building types like jukebox bars where you can choose the music, merchants where you can build custom starships or even ponds you can chill and fish at.

Each inhabitant can be conversed with, with their own abilities and attributes to manage. As town mayor you’ll be enlisted to welcome new settlers, resolve disputes, and make choices to create prosperity. A well managed settlement can make their owners rich in resources, but they need to be protected. Travellers can hire a squadron of wingmen, who will now defend towns when they come under attack from roving pirates.

As with all updates for No Man’s Sky, Beacon will be free to download. It launches today.