No Man's Sky Expedition 22 (The Swarm): Rewards & How to Replay

Expedition 22 — The Swarm — was the seasonal run that arrived with No Man’s Sky’s massive May 2026 space-combat update. It ran from May 27 to roughly July 19, 2026, and if you missed it, this page covers what it was, what it paid out, and how you can still play it today. Last updated: August 17, 2026, ahead of the Cosmos anniversary update.

What Was Expedition 22: The Swarm?

The Swarm expedition launched alongside The Swarm update (version 6.4), the largest space-combat overhaul No Man’s Sky had seen. Where most expeditions are a solo checklist, The Swarm framed its milestones as a galaxy-wide war: you flew out, fought the swarms the update’s enemies spawned, and reported back to the anomaly. The centerpiece was the Hive of Glass boss encounter, and the update’s new swarmer enemy ships made even routine flights feel like a battle.

The expedition also split the community into three teams competing in a shared war effort launched from the Nexus — a structure the game had never used before. Your milestones fed your team’s overall progress, which made the run feel less like a checklist and more like a season.

Expedition 22 Rewards

The rewards for The Swarm leaned into the update’s insectoid enemy theme:

• Insectoid Armor set — the expedition’s signature cosmetic, matching the Swarm’s chitin-and-glass enemies
• Swarm Expedition decal — a profile emblem for completing the run
• Phase rewards — the usual expedition mix of cosmetics and titles across each phase

Like every expedition, anything you earned can be claimed on other saves from the expedition terminal on the Space Anomaly — rewards are account-wide once unlocked.

How to Replay Expedition 22 Now

The limited-time window is over, but the expedition is not gone:

1. Expedition terminal on the Space Anomaly — past expeditions are replayable from the terminal, so you can still work through The Swarm’s milestones at your own pace
2. New game start — beginning a fresh save offers the option to start any previously released expedition
3. Watch for a Redux re-run — Hello Games traditionally replays past expeditions in the fall (late October is the community’s usual expectation), when The Swarm would return as a limited-time Redux with the same reward track

If you are chasing the Insectoid Armor specifically, the terminal replay is the reliable route — Redux re-runs are announced with little lead time.

Is There an Expedition Running Right Now?

As of mid-August 2026, no limited-time expedition is active. Expedition 21 (Remnant) ran February 11 to March 13, Expedition 22 (The Swarm) ran May 27 to July 19, and the community is waiting on expedition news tied to the Cosmos tenth-anniversary update announced on August 9. When a new run is confirmed, this page and our expedition guide will be updated the same day.

Related Guides

• No Man’s Sky Expedition Guide: Phases, Rewards, and Speedrun Tactics
• Every Expedition Reward in No Man’s Sky
• Redux Expeditions Schedule
• Every No Man’s Sky Update in 2026