Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Black Friday
  • Games
  • Hardware
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Video
  • Forum
  • More
    • PC Gaming Show
    • Software
    • Movies & TV
    • Codes
    • Coupons
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter
    • Affiliate links
    • Meet the team
    • Community guidelines
    • About PC Gamer
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$32.49
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
A ship flies towards the atmosphere in No Man's Sky.
Games No Man's Sky embraces the 'thrill of space-walking' with new space wrecks to explore and salvage
No Man's Sky Mass Effect Normandy SR-1
Survival & Crafting No Man's Sky is rerunning all of its expeditions from 2025, while also giving players another chance to add Mass Effect's Normandy to their spaceship collection
A fantasy open world
Survival & Crafting Light No Fire: Everything we know about Hello Games' planet-sized survival game
Outer Worlds 2 A New Point of View MK2 - Arcade view of Golden Ridge
RPG The Outer Worlds 2 has a helmet that makes it look like an arcade game, including an 'insert coins to continue' option
Key art for Ostranauts, showing a ship pilot sitting in a cockpit before a cluster of monitors.
Sim Hardcore space sim Ostranauts just joined the legendary patch notes canon: 'Corpses should no longer become hotter than the Sun and explode the ships/stations they are on'
Aliens chasing astronauts
Action The first gameplay footage from Astroneer studio's next space game looks like co-op chaos on colorful planets, but I'm not crazy about the idea of timed missions in a hangout game
Mars Attracts early access
Sim This theme park sim based on a 30-year-old sci-fi movie is so much better than it has a right to be
A Kroot hunting pack in Warhammer 40,000.
Board Game Forget space marines and orks, the secret best faction in Warhammer 40,000 is a tribe of cannibal chicken aliens—and yes, I will elaborate
Image of starship voyager from game Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown
Survival & Crafting The Star Trek: Voyager survival game will let you murder Tuvix all over again—so I don't really care that it looks a little rough
Jump Ship screenshot
FPS Jump Space, the co-op spaceship crew-'em-up we warned you was fun, just launched in early access and it's already turning heads
The lighthouse covered in candy floss and floating into the air in Keeper.
Adventure Under Microsoft, Double Fine has made its weirdest game yet—and this is only the beginning: 'We can take more risks'
Roadside Research
Sim As if being a gas station attendant in Roadside Research wasn't stressful enough, I'm also an alien who has to research humans while trying not to poop goop everywhere
A squad of Helldivers in Helldivers 2 heroically face down a nest full of insect Terminids.
Third Person Shooter Wading into Helldivers 2's new Terminid hives to blow up their hearts, all as hordes of bugs swarm you is, unsurprisingly, exactly as cool as it sounds
Three NPC neighbors from Petit Planet. There's a pink bunny on the left, shaggy-looking dog in the middle, and little orange fox on the right.
Life Sim Petit Planet: All the key details on HoYo's Animal Crossing-like life sim
A gaping wound in a hand.
Horror I cut out my tongue to unlock a door in Eclipsium, then things started getting weird
Popular
  • Black Friday Live!
  • Best PC gear
  • Arc Raiders
  • PC Gaming Show
  • Quizzes
  1. Games
  2. Action
  3. No Man's Sky

The weirdest, coolest No Man's Sky aliens and planets we've seen so far

Features
By Wes Fenlon published 11 August 2016

Weird aliens, breathtaking vistas, and a planet named Kotaku.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

If there’s one thing I learned from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it’s that an infinite universe is going to be filled with some very weird shit. With 18 quintillion procedurally generated planets, each with its own unique life forms, No Man’s Sky may as well be infinite. And players are already finding some weird, weird shit out there in the universe. We’re out there exploring, too, even though the PC version doesn’t arrive until Friday, and have found some pretty cool creatures.

Here’s a collection of our favorite animal and plant life we’ve seen posted on reddit, forums and social media so far, with a few of our own discoveries thrown in, too.

Page 1 of 26
Page 1 of 26

Several of our favorite NMS curios so far have come from redditor halfdeafmusic. First up: these space cacti are ready for a rave.

Page 2 of 26
Page 2 of 26

Redditor halfdeafmusic calls this one "Falkor's people," which brought back some Neverending Story warm and fuzzies. 

Page 3 of 26
Page 3 of 26

Redditor TheSilverCoyote found Big Bird. Well, he thinks it's Big Bird. His screenshot titled "Acid Big Bird" either refers to the planet's acid rain or what Big Bird would look like after a particularly nasty space bender. Stay hydrated, BB.

Page 4 of 26
Page 4 of 26

NeoGAF poster Betty has some of the best discoveries so far in the photo thread, including this tentacle snail alien with a wicked lobotomy. Or are those ears?

Page 5 of 26
Page 5 of 26

Our own stellar explorer Chris Livingston found this golden formation during his travels. No comment.

Page 6 of 26
Page 6 of 26

A space station at the mouth of a black hole sent the needle on my Cool Sci-Fi Shit detector spiking into the red. Dear god, this is cool. Props to Neogaf poster idonteven.

Page 7 of 26
Page 7 of 26

Another idonteven joint, this sunset(?) on a barren planet is absolutely beautiful. 

Page 8 of 26
Page 8 of 26

Our own Tyler Wilde found this bird...bear...thing, which stands precariously upon the axis of cute and blood-curdling.

Page 9 of 26
Page 9 of 26

There's nothing too unusual going on in this shot from redditor shdw44, but I love the variety of vegetation and the environment in this shot. It feels like a perfect window into the excitement of exploration: coming out of a lush valley to discover a settlement and new types of life.

Page 10 of 26
Page 10 of 26

Oh hey, NeoGAFfer Betty found that lady from Assassin's Creed Unity who didn't have any skin. She seems to be doing well.

Page 11 of 26
Page 11 of 26

Redditor TheTarg found an abandoned ship that looks like a cross between an X-Wing and a Battlestar Galactica Raptor. In other words: sweet.

Page 12 of 26
Page 12 of 26

Kirk, was that you? NeoGAF member freeman76 is on your trail.

Page 13 of 26
Page 13 of 26

NeoGAF member DoctorWho met a pretty awesome monster on his starting planet. He's got kind of a doggy dinosaur look going on. Who's a good alien? You are!

Page 14 of 26
Page 14 of 26

NeoGAF member FigBoy79 found this environmental oddity. We're christening it the Half-Eaten Taco Bowl.

Page 15 of 26
Page 15 of 26

Betty from NeoGAF found one of the best aliens we've seen yet: the big-eared stoner slug with a fu manchu.

Page 16 of 26
Page 16 of 26

Redditor JohnTravoltasBox took this screenshot, which I'd describe as sci-fi as hell. Look at that sweet telescope-lookin' thing! And that floating island! And the planet in the background! Yes, yes, yes.

Page 17 of 26
Page 17 of 26

MyAnacondaDoess posted this one on reddit, calling it the "most gorgeous screenshot of the game I've seen so far." Agreed.

Page 18 of 26
Page 18 of 26

Redditor sillykawaii found a big bouncing pineapple which is apparently not that uncommon. But I'm pretty into big bouncing pineapples, so it gets a pass.

Page 19 of 26
Page 19 of 26

Awesome space ruins, via NeoGAF member UpDownLeftRight.

Page 20 of 26
Page 20 of 26

"And I shall call him Watermelonface," posts redditor keyree.

Page 21 of 26
Page 21 of 26

Did you like those last catci? Well these cacti have hats. Hats on their hands and their heads. What a wonderful galaxy.

Page 22 of 26
Page 22 of 26

I honestly don't know what to say about this one, except: I am afraid. Thanks, redditor Rsuff.

Page 23 of 26
Page 23 of 26

This seemingly adorable little guy has been all over twitter thanks to user space_mannequin. Watch as innocence turns to horror.

Page 24 of 26
Page 24 of 26

Via this anonymous gfycat post, a truly majestic creature: all dinosaur, but with some itty bitty butterfly wings. Actually, those are pretty huge butterfly wings, but, y'know, in context.

Page 25 of 26
Page 25 of 26

And we end where we begin, with halfdeafmusic's great shot of cool telescopes on a beautiful alien planet.

Make sure to read our first impressions of No Man's Sky and our editorial on the journey through space in games like No Man's Sky and Elite Dangerous, and what they could learn from Kerbal Space Program.

Page 26 of 26
Page 26 of 26
Wes Fenlon
Wes Fenlon
Social Links Navigation
Senior Editor

Wes has been covering games and hardware for more than 10 years, first at tech sites like The Wirecutter and Tested before joining the PC Gamer team in 2014. Wes plays a little bit of everything, but he'll always jump at the chance to cover emulation and Japanese games.


When he's not obsessively optimizing and re-optimizing a tangle of conveyor belts in Satisfactory (it's really becoming a problem), he's probably playing a 20-year-old Final Fantasy or some opaque ASCII roguelike. With a focus on writing and editing features, he seeks out personal stories and in-depth histories from the corners of PC gaming and its niche communities. 50% pizza by volume (deep dish, to be specific).

Deals not to miss
A ship flies towards the atmosphere in No Man's Sky.
No Man's Sky embraces the 'thrill of space-walking' with new space wrecks to explore and salvage
 
 
No Man's Sky Mass Effect Normandy SR-1
No Man's Sky is rerunning all of its expeditions from 2025, while also giving players another chance to add Mass Effect's Normandy to their spaceship collection
 
 
A fantasy open world
Light No Fire: Everything we know about Hello Games' planet-sized survival game
 
 
Outer Worlds 2 A New Point of View MK2 - Arcade view of Golden Ridge
The Outer Worlds 2 has a helmet that makes it look like an arcade game, including an 'insert coins to continue' option
 
 
Key art for Ostranauts, showing a ship pilot sitting in a cockpit before a cluster of monitors.
Hardcore space sim Ostranauts just joined the legendary patch notes canon: 'Corpses should no longer become hotter than the Sun and explode the ships/stations they are on'
 
 
Aliens chasing astronauts
The first gameplay footage from Astroneer studio's next space game looks like co-op chaos on colorful planets, but I'm not crazy about the idea of timed missions in a hangout game
 
 
Latest in Action
Image for After 17 years, Ubisoft is hiring up for Beyond Good and Evil 2, a definitely real videogame that exists
After 17 years, Ubisoft is hiring up for Beyond Good and Evil 2, a definitely real videogame that exists
 
 
death stranding 2
The ESRB just leaked a Death Stranding 2 PC port, and I think we can say bye-bye to Jim Ryan's '2 or 3 year' wait for PlayStation games on PC
 
 
An Ultramarine prepares to whack a Tyranid with a power axes in Space Marine 2
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 dev admits some damage buff combinations are 'already insane', but its latest patch deliberately opens 'a huge can of worms' by increasing the netcode cap anyway: 'for now, have fun'
 
 
Two cyberpunk assassins holding guns
This absurdly stylish side scroller feels like playing two different genres of retro shooter at the same time, and I love it
 
 
Constance crosses a bridge at night
Constance is a metroidvania that wants its monsters to mean something
 
 
Warhammer: Vermintide 2
One of the best horde shooters of all time is free to keep on Steam this weekend
 
 
Latest in Features
Operator control system
Xenopurge turns Aliens into a stressful desk job and somehow manages to capture the movie perfectly
 
 
Battlefield 6 California Resistance update
Despite Battlefield 6's server browser utterly failing at its one job, good things are happening in Portal
 
 
Ella Purnell (Lucy MacLean) in FALLOUT SEASON 2 Photo Credit: Lorenzo Sisti / Prime © Amazon Content Services LLC
I'm impatiently waiting for Fallout Season 2 by calculating the odds of my favorite New Vegas characters making an appearance
 
 
Elden Ring Reforged mod
Enormous mod Elden Ring Reforged refreshes and rebalances every inch of the game, works with Seamless Co-op, and even throws in a Crackdown orb-style scavenger hunt
 
 
The hero of Moonlighter 2 running with a sword and full backpack.
Moonlighter 2 made me reckon with how 'cozy' a shopkeeping roguelite with a heavy helping of Hades can get
 
 
The trading screen in Insider Trading.
This Balatro-inspired stock-trading roguelike marks the first time I've ever screwed up in a deckbuilder by making my deck too good
 
 
  1. MSI and Asus gaming monitors on a green background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right
    1
    Best gaming monitors in 2025: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself
  2. 2
    The best fish tank PC case in 2025: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
  3. 3
    Best gaming laptop 2025: I've tested the best laptops for gaming of this generation and here are the ones I recommend
  4. 4
    Best Hall effect keyboards in 2025: the fastest, most customizable keyboards for competitive gaming
  5. 5
    Best PCIe 5.0 SSD for gaming in 2025: the only Gen 5 drives I will allow in my PC
  1. Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 10 gaming laptop
    1
    Lenovo Legion 9i Gen 10 gaming laptop review
  2. 2
    Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 review – CoD at its most obnoxious
  3. 3
    LG UltraGear 27GX790A OLED gaming monitor review
  4. 4
    Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable review
  5. 5
    Thermaltake View 390 Air review

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...