Choose No Man's Sky
Choose No Man's Sky if you want the Multi-player, Online PvP, and Online Co-op side of the pairing. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 180,011 Steam reviews back the pick.
No Man's Sky vs helionaut
No Man's Sky and helionaut both land in Action, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Action, Adventure on Steam. No Man's Sky (2016) is 4 years older than helionaut (2020). helionaut scores higher on Steam reviews (94% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose helionaut
Choose helionaut if you want an Indie and Simulation experience. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 94% positive across 151 reviews.
Both No Man's Sky and helionaut sit in Action and Adventure on Steam, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 No Man's Sky |  helionaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2016 | 2020 |
| Genres | Action, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure, Simulation |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 59.99 USD | 2.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 81.6% positive (180,011 reviews) | 94% positive (151 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op | Single-player only |
| Developers | Hello Games | Sokpop Collective |
Side by side
- Both share Action, Adventure on Steam.
- No Man's Sky (2016) is 4 years older than helionaut (2020).
- helionaut scores higher on Steam reviews (94% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive).
- helionaut is currently ~95% cheaper on Steam than No Man's Sky (2.99 USD vs. 59.99 USD).
- No Man's Sky has co-op; helionaut does not.
- Both are Deck Verified.
No Man's Sky vs helionaut — FAQ
- Which is better, No Man's Sky or helionaut?
- On Steam reviews helionaut scores higher (94% positive) than No Man's Sky (81.6% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, helionaut is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play No Man's Sky or helionaut first?
- If you want chronology, No Man's Sky (2016) came out before helionaut (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are No Man's Sky and helionaut similar?
- They overlap on Action, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Does helionaut have multiplayer like No Man's Sky?
- No. No Man's Sky supports multiplayer on Steam (Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, Online Co-op), while helionaut is listed as single-player only.
- Do No Man's Sky and helionaut both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.