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

Short answer

In most cases the straightforward approach works. The exceptions are specific and listed below.

  • Check which version any conflicting advice was written for.
  • Do not build a routine around an edge case.
  • 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. The accepted community answer is broadly right and wrong in a specific way that matters here. Edge cases are genuinely rare, which is why the simple answer is usually the correct one.

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 mechanic behind it is simpler than the discussion around it suggests. Testing this yourself takes a few minutes and settles it definitively. The short version is near the top on purpose; the reasoning is there if you want to know why.

Most of the disagreement online comes from people describing different versions of No Man's Sky. Nothing here depends on a setting you are unlikely to have. Where something depends on your platform or region, that is called out rather than glossed over.

Worth knowing alongside this

It is worth separating what the game does from what players have concluded it does. There is no hidden trick here that the game is keeping from you. Most of the disagreement you will find online is two people describing different builds.

  • Note the exception cases — they are specific rather than vague.
  • Revisit after a major patch if the behaviour changes.
  • Prefer the in-game option over an external tool when both exist.
  • Try the straightforward approach before the elaborate one.

When the usual advice fails

Nothing here assumes a particular playstyle beyond wanting the thing to work. A single check up front replaces a lot of guessing later. The awkward part is rarely the step itself, it is knowing which step comes first. If your result differs from what is described here, note what is different first rather than starting over.

Patch notes move numbers around constantly; the shape of the answer holds even when a specific value shifts. 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 practical answer

The developers have changed their mind about this at least once, which explains the older advice. If you are coming to this after a long break, the terminology has probably moved on. Screenshots age faster than text, which is why this describes rather than shows.

The community wisdom on this is roughly half right, and the half that is wrong costs the most time. Everything below is framed around the current state of No Man's Sky rather than a launch-week impression. What follows assumes you are on a current install and have not modified it.

What to do instead

There is usually a fast way and a reliable way, and it is worth knowing which one you are choosing. 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.

Where people go wrong

  • Assuming a guide from an older season still describes the current version.
  • Ignoring the platform-specific note and then wondering why the steps do not line up.
  • Trusting a video thumbnail that promises a result the video never actually shows.
  • Treating a rare edge case as the normal behaviour and planning around it.

No Man's Sky FAQ

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.

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.

What is the short answer?

It is the paragraph near the top. Everything after it exists for the cases where that paragraph does not quite fit.

Does this change between platforms?

The behaviour does not. Where menu paths or prompts differ, that is noted above.

Bookmark it if you like, but honestly, once you have done it once you will not need to come back.