Light No Fire is an ambitious new open-world adventure that's currently in the works from No Man's Sky developer, Hello Games. Initially revealed back in 2023, it's been quite some time since we've had a major update on the project, but with Light No Fire getting a mention in a big No Man's Sky update that recently went live, the excitement for the studio's new sandbox experience that's said to be all about exploration and survival continues.
No Man's Sky is counted among the best open-world games we've seen in recent years, and Light No Fire certainly sounds like it's building on those foundations, with the promise of "no boundaries at a scale never attempted before". With the initial teaser showing off a taster of the inviting, colorful art style and look of the new game, we've actually seen quite a bit about the world it will be bringing us to. It seems like we should hear another update shortly. However, with No Man's Sky still getting a lot of love as work on Light No Fire continues, and the fact that it's been revealed that Hello Games is helping out with Stage Fright, the new game from Overcooked developers, Ghost Town Games, we may be waiting for a while longer.
Still, even if we are strapped for news, there's plenty for us to unpack down below. For more on what we know about Light No Fire, read below to find a helpful breakdown of everything that's been revealed so far.
Light No Fire release date speculation
Hello Games is yet to set a firm Light No Fire release date, although there is a chance that it could launch sooner than expected.
The title has already been in active development for around five years by a small team working outside of the ongoing evolution of No Man's Sky. Hello Games has indicated that it isn't interested in repeating the lengthy marketing campaign it undertook with its space-sim, which existed in the public sphere for about three years from announcement through to release.
With that in mind, we are hoping for a late 2025 release at the moment. We'll keep you posted as more news heads our way.
Light No Fire platforms
The Light No Fire platforms remain unconfirmed, although a Steam page for the upcoming co-op game has been live for some time. A PC release seems certain then, as for whether it'll launch simultaneously on PS5 and Xbox Series X is still up in the air.
No Man's Sky originally launched on PC and PS4, later arriving on Xbox One two years later – and it has maintained parity with updates and expansions ever since. Expect more details on where Light No Fire will be playable in the future.
With the reveal of the Switch 2, we've not yet had word on whether or not Light No Fire will be among the upcoming Switch 2 games someday, either - but given that No Man's Sky also eventually landing on Switch, there's always the possibility.
Light No Fire trailer
You can watch the first trailer for Light No Fire above. This was captured in-engine, from real play sessions hosted by the Hello Games development team. It's only two-minutes long, but works to quickly give you a sense of the scope of this massive procedurally-generated, persistently-shared planet. It's a really effective teaser, and one of the best reveals from 2023's Game Awards.
Light No Fire setting
Where No Man's Sky procedurally generated an entire universe, Light No Fire generates a single planet to scale in a fantasy environment.
Hello Games is trying to create a multiplayer Earth, a space that's large enough to conceivably accommodate the 7.8 billion people that currently inhabit our planet. The oceans in this literal open world are as dark and deep as our own, its mountains taller and more imposing, and the traversable space just as wide and varied.
You've played in open worlds before, but nothing quite like this – literally hundreds of millions of square miles of space that you'll be able to explore, discover, and build upon with your friends.
Light No Fire story
Hello Games says that it wants to "bring the depth of a role-playing game to the freedom of a survival sandbox" with Light No Fire. While the focus of the reveal centers on the scope of the generated planet, the final game will have some tentpoles of the RPG – from character creation through to a sprawling fantasy story.
You'll be able to create a custom avatar in a range of species, including human, rabbit, fox, badger, bear, wolf and otter, and should expect to encounter small outposts full of characters to meet (just like in No Man's Sky) who will hand out quests.
Light No Fire multiplayer
One of the tentpoles of Light No Fire is this idea of introducing you to a multiplayer Earth – a space where you'll be able to "meet players from across the globe, build a life, explore and survive together," says Hello Games in a press release.
You'll be able to team up with friends, or encounter other players out in the wilderness – although the studio has indicated that, much like No Man's Sky, you can play alone if you want to. Another key aspect of Light No Fire is the ability to "construct persistent buildings and communities", which means anything you build will be discoverable by other players, and that you never know what you might find while you're out exploring.
Finally, we know that players can form crews together and build ships as they traverse the game's vast oceans. This detail came to light after confirmation that No Man's Sky Voyagers (which let you build starships) shares technology with the new game. So, start gathering any mates who aren't afraid of the deep now, ahead of time, folks.
Light No Fire procedural generation
Following 10 years worth of work on No Man's Sky, Hello Games has no intention of walking away from procedural generation. But where NMS' fantasy was to create an infinite procedurally-generated universe, Light No Fire is employing similar technology to generate what the studio says is "a truly open world, with no boundaries at a scale never attempted before."
The idea is to create a planet the size of Earth – at scale. Something that's as dense and as varied as our own world, with just as much unknowable, explorable space for you to go and discover with your friends. It's because of the sheer size of this open world that Hello Games is procedurally generating just a single instance of this planet, one on which every player (and everything they build, discover, and name) will exist simultaneously.
Light No Fire gameplay
We've yet to see any Light No Fire gameplay in action, but there are some details out there that point to the general direction it promises to go in. Picture you and your friends spending a few evenings scaling a mysterious, uncharted mountain that was miles high.
Reaching the summit, name it after the player who discovered it, something to revel in as some of your party begin constructing watchtowers and others gaze out at miles of open sky in every direction – below, endless vistas, oceans, and continents that may yet to have been found. Where you choose to go next, and how you want to try and get there, is completely up to you. There's a whole world out there to be explored.
That's the Light No Fire gameplay fantasy. Built on top of this exploration, survival, and crafting are more traditional concepts. Light No Fire will feature a story and combat – you'll see player-characters wielding swords and shields, bows, and staffs in the debut trailer. You'll also be able to fly wild beasts over fantastical landscapes, plunge into the darkest depths of the deepest seas, and write your own adventures as you come together with other travelers to leave your mark on a planet as dense and wide as our own.
In a post detailing the big No Man's Sky update known as Voyagers, Hello Games boss Sean Murray also mentioned Light No Fire, and revealed that it will have "real oceans to traverse": "Much of the technology we're introducing with Voyagers is shared with our next game, Light No Fire, which is a truly open world, a shared Earth-sized planet, with real oceans to traverse, needing large boats and crews," he writes. "We love that we get to share this technology with players early."
In No Man's Sky Voyagers, players can now build custom starships for the first time. It's been confirmed that some iteration of this feature will also be in Light No Fire. That means we'll get to customise boats that will help us traverse the massive open world. It will also support several players walking about and exploring said bases as well. Exciting times!
For more future titles, check out our lists of all the upcoming PS5 games, new Xbox Series X games, and new PC games heading our way.
