Starfield vs No Man’s Sky

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Making a game where you can explore the universe is no small task, but that’s precisely what the creators of both Starfield and No Man’s Sky have done. Both titles promise the endless vastness of space to discover.

From both game’s launch, there are planets to travel to, outposts to build, and plenty more. But, if you’re trying to decide between the two games, which one should you get?

How are Starfield and No Man’s Sky alike? How are they different? Which game is better? We’re here to give you all the details so you can decide for yourself which of the space exploration games you want.

How are Starfield and No Man’s Sky similar?

For starters, both place heavy emphasis on space exploration. There are many planets to discover in the skies, and both games encourage you to find them all. There are plenty of smaller key features and gameplay mechanics that are similar between the games.

Those planets are teeming with their own resources that will help you out in your adventures. There is also flora and fauna for discovery on these planets and potential hostiles. The gameplay for both allows you to combat these hostiles however you choose. Hostiles on the planets are typically alien creatures with No Man’s Sky players also being able to fight other enemies like the Sentinels.

You’ll be in your own ship traveling from world to world for space flight, and you’ll be able to set up an outpost on your desired planets in the galaxy to have a base building. The planets in both games offer many diverse biomes and open-world aspects.

Both games also feature character creation, however, Starfield’s is more in-depth with the ability to choose traits and backgrounds.

How are Starfield and No Man’s Sky different?

The similarities between the games end there, though. While No Man’s Sky offers space exploration as its main mechanic, Starfield is a large-scale RPG that focuses on storytelling and missions to complete with multiple storylines. While there are minor quests you can do in No Man’s Sky, they are not the main focus of the game. Starfield has more quests and side quests to complete.

The shipbuilding sets the games apart. The Bethesda RPG Starfield has a massive shipbuilding system while No Man’s Sky only offers some ship customization for the weapons.

No Man’s Sky promises exploration in a survival game, while Starfield has an epic story to play through with RPG mechanics to make the journey unique.

The games were made by different developers, as well. No Man’s Sky was produced by Hello Games, and Starfield was made by Bethesda, who is known for other games in the RPG genre like Fallout and Skyrim. Fans of the studio were excited to jump into the space epic that is Starfield. There are NPCs to meet and befriend as companions, a character creator, the mystery of the Settled Systems to solve and all the factions in them, and other RPG elements.

Another difference is where the games are available. While both can be found on PC and Xbox Series X|S, if you play on PlayStation or Nintendo Switch only, Starfield isn’t available on those platforms. No Man’s Sky is your only choice.

Which game is better – Starfield or No Man’s Sky?

This all comes down to personal preference. Yes, you do get to explore space in both games, but beyond that, the games vary quite a bit. Here’s what we choose:

• If you want survival mechanics and multiplayer features, choose No Man’s Sky
• If you want a story, choose Starfield

Both games allow you to live your space fantasy dreams, but depending on how you want to do it, will help you decide which game you want more.