Some of the biggest VR gaming news this year was that the space exploration game No Man’s Sky was building out a dedicated VR mode. This was a big deal not only for fans of the game but for fans of virtual reality as well as it promised a pretty in-depth experience that has only been teased in VR so far. Well, it’s finally here and the verdict is somewhat in and it is good…with a few caveats.

The biggest caveat is that, with all of its updates over the years and the refinements that come along with them, No Man’s Sky in VR is still rough around the edges in many ways and you can’t really expect to transition from the traditional style game to this one with ease. Nonetheless, it might be worth playing over the road bumps in order to enjoy what is still an immediately accessible and impressive gaming experience.

There are multiple gameplay modes to select from including normal, survival, permadeath (which transforms the game into a kind of Roguelike), and creative mode. Depending on which mode you select at the outset of the game, the rest of the gameplay mechanics will be different. The Roguelike mode is pretty intriguing but also sounds really stressful for a game with as much content as No Man’s Sky.

That said, the normal mode should suit most players. If you’ve not played No Man’s Sky, this is where we would recommend you begin in order to have the most optimal start-up experience. If you want a gameplay mode with even fewer consequences and stress, you can always opt for the creative mode to get your bearings. You might even discover that you prefer that mode to the mainline game.

The beginning does the requisite hand-holding to an extent, but really it is up to you to figure out just how to tackle No Man’s Sky. For one, the game is procedurally generated, which means you will have a new experience each and every time. In addition to that, the game varies its environments and sites to a surprising degree which gives you an incentive to explore. Plus, the creeping lore that has made its way into the game with each new update is present and accounted for which means if you’re up to solving the mysteries of the universe, No Man’s Sky is ready to accommodate that.

Overall, we have to say this is a must-play VR title for 2019. It really does a lot of cool stuff – and it does it really well.

As always, though, we’d love to know your thoughts on this. You can leave them in the comments below. Have you played No Man’s Sky? Are you getting the VR version?

We’d love to hear your thoughts.