Oceans and sailing

Real oceans, not decorative water

Sean Murray was direct about this during the No Man's Sky Voyagers update in August 2025: "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."

That quote confirms several things at once. The oceans are traversable, not invisible walls. They are large enough to require ships rather than just swimming across. And crossing them is a cooperative activity, not a solo task.

Scale

The planet is Earth-sized. Earth's oceans cover about 71% of the surface. Even if Light No Fire's ocean-to-land ratio is different, the water bodies are enormous by game standards. Murray described them as "as dark and deep as our own," comparing them to Earth's actual oceans. That suggests these are not shallow lakes with visible bottoms.

Underwater exploration

The reveal trailer includes shots of characters swimming underwater among coral-like formations and aquatic creatures. The Steam page mentions underwater regions. Swimming appears to be a full movement mode, not just surface paddling.

How deep you can go, whether there is a depth pressure mechanic, and what resources or creatures exist at depth are all unknown. Given the ocean depth Murray described, there could be a significant vertical exploration component.

Cooperative crossings

Murray's emphasis on "crews" connects ocean travel directly to the multiplayer systems. Building a boat large enough for an ocean crossing and then crewing it with other players turns sailing into a social activity. This is a deliberate design choice: the oceans force cooperation.

Weather and hazards

The trailer shows rain and stormy conditions on land. Whether ocean sailing involves weather hazards like storms, waves, or fog has not been confirmed, but it would fit both the survival genre and the emphasis on oceans being genuine challenges to cross.