No Man's Sky Beyond will let you ride giant crabs

No Man's Sky Beyond's launch trailer gives us our first look at the space sim's overhauled online universe, and it is extremely weird to see the normally quiet sandbox filled with players. It's so busy! Comparatively, at least. At the moment, you can only group up with three other players, but in Beyond it looks like we'll see people just wandering around, getting on with their business. And also riding crabs.

Yes, aliens you can ride! Hello Games can probably move onto their next game now. What more could anyone need? And presumably it will be more than just big alien crabs. There's a whole universe of procedurally-generated beasties, and I'm sure a few of them will be able to accommodate passengers.

Even with this important revelation, Hello Games isn't giving too much away. The post accompanying the new trailer just reiterates what we already knew: this is a 3-in-1 update that introduces an expanded online system, VR and some mysteries.

On the PlayStation Blog, however, Sean Murray did expand on how multiplayer works, introducing the Nexus, the new social space.

"Suddenly your ship that you spent 50 hours earning can now be seen by others in the Nexus. Your rare spacesuit and unique helmet can be shown off to other players. Friends and strangers can visit that massive base you’ve been working on.

"Progression in No Man’s Sky is so much more meaningful when you can share it with other explorers and so much more engaging when any creations or missions become shareable. Once you meet fellow travellers who knows what space-faring adventures you will go on together?"

No Man's Sky Beyond launches on August 14.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.