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
  • 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$1
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Disgraced Yakuza lieutenant Michizane Sugawara crosses a waterway in his modified Kei truck/boat while his severed toe mascot partner sits in the back.
Games My 5 favorite 'cozy' games that don't actually look like cozy games
The game contained within an old CRT monitor
Horror This horror game built from the bones of an abandoned FPS server and an accidental ARPG might be one of the strangest puzzlers I've ever played
Survivors with guns and armor
Survival & Crafting The best survival games on PC
Emily Kaldwin fighting guards and clockwork robots
Games Once and for all, which game has the best art?
Thief 2 Selection Day
FPS This Thief fan mission has you play a blind character trying to steal back their sight, and honestly that's probably the least weird thing about it
A parasite confronting a giant boss monster in Pathogenic.
Roguelike I don't know why everyone's suddenly making games inspired by Spore, but this roguelike twin-stick shooter might be the best attempt yet at realising the lost potential of the cell stage
Character overlooking a magic village
Hardware Doom, Windows 95, even Hytale itself: It seems like there's nothing that modders can't make Hytale run
Where Winds Meet character customization codes
RPG 10 of the best customization codes for Where Winds Meet
A space rover driving across a planet in Star Birds.
Sim Dinner is served in Star Birds' latest early access update, adding bakeries and restaurants to the Dorfromantik devs' factory management sim: 'Ever fed an alien pizza?'
Best open world games - A warrior on horseback looking at the Scadutree in Elden Ring
Games The best open world games
Guy in a spacesuit
Sim This obsessively detailed rocket flight sim finally lets me cause historic spaceflight disasters from the comfort of my own home
Two superheroes drink at a bar
Games The best indie games on PC
A creature with eye stalks and crab claws in Everything is Crab.
Roguelike After 2 hours playing this Spore-inspired roguelike, I've evolved into the best possible animal: a giant cow that grows apples on its bottom
Dr. Cahn from Abiotic Factor with a player behind him holding a spear
Survival & Crafting It was a good year for survival crafting sickos, and I'll be playing some of these well into 2026
Great God Grove art of a character smiling while holding another smaller character in their fist
Gaming Industry 30 hidden gems from 2025 to grab before the Steam Winter Sale ends
Popular
  • CES 2026
  • GOTY Awards
  • Best PC gear
  • Arc Raiders
  • PC Gamer 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).

Share by:
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Read more
Armed figures in gas masks flee a black hole.
As NetEase pledges to 'replace' a No Man's Sky model in its survival MMO, Sean Murray says they played themselves because the asset's busted anyway
 
 
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
 
 
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'
 
 
Guild Navigator in a tank in Dune (1984)
All I want to see in Dune: Awakening is a third-stage Guild Navigator, and according to game director Joel Bylos: 'You'll be a very happy man during the next year'
 
 
A Kroot hunting pack in Warhammer 40,000.
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
 
 
A blue sky background with text that reads: "PC Gamer Presents PC gaming Show: Most Wanted Powered by Xbox Game Pass"
Every game, trailer, and announcement in the 2025 PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted
 
 
Latest in Action
Artorias
15 years on, Dark Souls 1's best boss is nearly undefeated fighting Elden Ring's bosses, and one of his KOs definitely doesn't count
 
 
Banjo-Kazooie hero Banjo the bear giving a thumbs up to the viewer
Modders just shadow dropped a PC port of the original Banjo-Kazooie with ultrawide support, improved controls, and quality-of-life features
 
 
Prince of Persia remake.
Cancelled Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake claimed to have been 'close to the finish line'
 
 
A screencap of an Arknights: Endfield trailer showcasing factory blueprints. A factory built on an abstract white grid with arrows and lines surrounding it is show to demonstrate what it's like to make plans for one.
Building an optimized factory is so important in Arknights: Endfield that someone made a simulator tool for sharing your best blueprints
 
 
Arknights: Endfield team comp - Endmin, Chen, and Wulfgard
'Came for the combat, stayed to be a factory worker': Anime gacha game players are discovering they were born to be factory builders in Arknights: Endfield
 
 
The Prince from Prince of Persia, scowling
How to remaster Prince Of Persia: The Sands of Time yourself, since Ubisoft won't
 
 
Latest in Features
highguard
Highguard is fine when you don't have an internet in your ear telling you it's nasty
 
 
An Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chip held between two fingers
Intel's new high-end mobile chip is an impressive game-cruncher, but I don't think proper gaming laptops should worry just yet
 
 
Typing Break
Keyboard is king in this game where you have to type words to do anything—yes, that includes trying to open the settings or start the damn thing
 
 
Two badges for the Intel Core Ultra X9 chip and Intel Arc graphics inside a gaming laptop
Panther Lake is simply begging to be stuffed inside a benchmark-crushing gaming handheld, but the price tag is likely to be brutal
 
 
Mochi-O
I turned a human-hating mecha-hamster into the ultimate weapon of mass destruction who loves a pre-annihilation scritch
 
 
An Asus Zenbook Duo laptop being used to play Civ 6 on a UK train
I ditched my laptop charger for a day of travel, work and gaming with Intel's new Core Ultra Series 3 chip and still had 18% battery life left when I got home
 
 
  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 2026: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself
  2. 2
    The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
  3. 3
    Best gaming laptop 2026: 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 2026: the fastest, most customizable keyboards for competitive gaming
  5. 5
    Best PCIe 5.0 SSD for gaming in 2026: the only Gen 5 drives I will allow in my PC
  1. Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE on a desk.
    1
    Asus ROG Azoth 96 HE review
  2. 2
    MSI Vector A18 HX review
  3. 3
    Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE review
  4. 4
    Pathologic 3 review
  5. 5
    Pulsar X2 CrazyLight Medium 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...