No Man's Sky Prisms update serves up a visual overhaul on PS5, Xbox Series X, PC

No Man's Sky is getting a rather massive update today. Dubbed Prisms, this new update is focused more on making visuals updates to the game than it is about adding a bunch of new content. There's definitely some new content present in the Prisms update, but much of the update is centered around applying realistic visual updates to lighting, surfaces, weather, and even environments.

The first thing No Man's Sky developer Hello Games covers in the Prisms patch notes is the addition of screen space reflection on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One X (sorry PS4 users, but you'll have to sit this one out). SSR will add reflective surfaces and boost the lighting quality in various places, particularly those with metallic surfaces like the Space Anomaly, space stations, and freighter hangars.

We're also getting volumetric lighting with this update, so directional lighting should be much more noticeable now. Hyperdrive warp effects have been improved too, as have the interiors of caves you'll encounter on planets. We'll also see refraction on base parts and spaceships that have glass components, as well as starfields that have been vastly improved, so be sure to look up at the sky the next time you're exploring a planet at night.

This update also introduces NVIDIA DLSS, which should improve performance on PCs running the game at high resolution. Many of the creatures you encounter will now have fur, and if you position the camera correctly, you'll also see light shafts form. If you happen to be playing on Ultra settings on PC (or on Xbox Series X/PS5), you'll notice new planetary details too, meaning that the environments you explore should be packed with more things. Rain and particle effects have also been improved as part of the Prisms update.

As far as gameplay improvements go, Hello Games says that it has added a large number of new companions to the game, including low-flying creatures you can actually mount and fly around on. Players will also find a synthesis laboratory onboard the Space Anomaly, which is where they can go to get recipes in exchange for nanites. You can read about the full Prisms patch over on the No Man's Sky website, but otherwise, give the update a download on your platform of choice as the update is available today.