There is a simple version of this and a complete version, and both are below in that order.

Short answer

Do the simple thing first. It is correct more often than the complicated thing people recommend instead.

  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Region and platform change more than people expect, so confirm both.

No Man's Sky has been rewritten by updates so many times that old guides describe a different game. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of No Man's Sky.

Why it works this way

If a step reads as obvious, do it anyway — the obvious ones are the ones people skip and then wonder about. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. The mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one. It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over.

What to do instead

Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first.

  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.
  • Read the whole sequence once before doing the first step.
  • Test it yourself where testing is cheap.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.

The practical answer

The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

It helps to understand why a step exists, because then you can adapt it when your situation is slightly different. Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. No Man's Sky is not shy about hiding useful information two menus deep, so some of this is simply knowing where to look.

Worth knowing alongside this

Everything below is framed around the current state of No Man's Sky rather than a launch-week impression. Anything that behaves differently on console than on PC is flagged where it matters. None of this needs a paid tool, a third-party launcher or an account on a site you have never heard of.

Do the cheap check before the expensive one — that ordering alone saves most of the frustration. Where two approaches both work, the one with fewer moving parts is the one to keep. The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time.

When the usual advice fails

Treat anything stated without a version number as provisional. There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later.

Where people go wrong

  • Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Grinding a method that was patched months ago because a thread still ranks well.
  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.

No Man's Sky FAQ

Is this still accurate after the latest No Man's Sky update?

The method is; individual numbers may not be. If a value on your screen differs, trust the screen and keep the sequence.

Does this work the same on console and PC?

The logic is identical. Menu paths and button prompts differ, and any real difference is flagged above.

What if none of this works for me?

Then something in your setup differs from the assumption — version, region or platform. Check those three before anything else.

Why do people disagree about this?

Mostly because they are describing different versions. Version drift explains the majority of contradictory advice about No Man's Sky.

Come back to the caveats list if it does not work first time — the answer is almost always in there.