The launch of No Mans Sky was met with a lot of disappointment due to the incredible amount of hype surrounding a game what was being developed by a very small studio. In the months and years following the games launch, several patches have been released that have turned this into the game that people expected it to be at launch.
No Mans Sky may have been overly ambitious with the giant procedural generated universe, but the core game had a lot going for it. Are there any other games like No Mans Sky that follow the same idea but maybe with different settings?
Evochron Legacy
Check out this game, it's like No Mans Sky, but a bit more serious. The flight alone is considerably more detailed with the cockpit views looking really nice. It has a lot of what No Mans Sky has in terms of the economy, exploration and other sorts of scavenging.
Edge of Space
This is a side scroller, but it gives off the same sort of feel that you get from No Mans Sky. Not being 3d, obviously means a lot more restrictions for the exploration side of things, but its a good game.
Kerbal Space Program
You explore space in this game, but the rest is fairly nuts. Building your own rockets is a lot of fun
Minecraft
This game is a lot more like No Mans Sky than you might initially think. There is extensive exploration across a massive procedurally generated world. There is a heavy focus on resource gathering and survival and there is a similar sense of adventure. Obviously the gameplay and visuals are far from each other but thats a good thing. Why play an exact clone?