Welcome, Traveller.
The wonders of the universe are yours to discover… though with 18,446,744,073,709,551,616 planets to land on, you might need help at some point.
If you can’t find the answers you’re looking for here then head to the official No Man’s Sky PlayStation® Forum.
So whether you can’t remember where you parked your starship, descended into a cave and now can’t find your way out, or you’re just looking for a particular resource, this guide is here for you.
Every star you see in the night sky is a planet you can visit – a planet with its own unique lifeforms, valuable resources and untold mysteries.
To catalogue the lifeforms you encounter on your journey, you’ll first need to install a scanner on your multi-tool.
Open your inventory with the touch pad button and select the multi-tool menu with the or buttons.
Press the button on an empty slot and then select the scanner to install it if you have the required amount of iron.
With the tech installed, hold the button to scan the environment – your multi-tool will let you know when it’s found an object of interest, and when it’s finished the analysis, it will give you a set of key info about the object.
Do your part for the galactic greater good by uploading your discoveries to the galactic library.
Not only will you help in the mammoth task of cataloguing everything and anything in the universe, you’ll earn credits for each discovery too.
Press the OPTIONS button to bring up your latest discoveries, select a discovery and press the button to upload right away, or press the button to rename the discovery.
Mining elements with your multi-tool is a fundamental part of your journey through the cosmos. You need to collect fuel for your ship, power your exosuit’s life-support systems and also find materials to upgrade your equipment.
Finding and selling rare resources is also a sure way to make your fortune (though watch out if you’re hauling valuable cargo, as pirates are never too far away).
You can press the button to scan for nearby resources, though not all nearby resources will be shown – abundant elements such as carbon will not appear.
Whether you’re hoping to make some quick credits or need particular elements to upgrade your equipment, trading is a quick and easy solution.
There are two primary places to begin trading – alien merchants and terminals with access to the Galactic Trade Network. Both of these can be found on space stations or scattered across planets.
You can also trade directly with alien ships while they’re docked. Approach the cockpit and press and hold the button when prompted to begin the trade.
For each item you’re buying or selling, you’ll be shown how the current offer compares with the average price across the galaxy.
See the Survive section of this guide for info on how to increase the size of your inventory.
The universe is full of dangers, from aggressive animals to opportunistic pirates. Remember to upgrade your multi-tool and ship early and often to keep yourself and your cargo safe – see the Survive section of this guide for more information about upgrades.
Sentinels are mysterious robots who police the galaxy and are present on all planets. Scout Sentinels will investigate the destruction of flora and fauna, and excessive resource mining – attacking you if they think you’re responsible.
When the Sentinels are in pursuit, leave the area and they’ll soon lose interest. Or you can choose to stick around and fight them – note that the things more you destroy, the greater the Sentinel response will be.
The more valuable your cargo when flying through space, the more likely you are to be attacked by opportunists.
You’ll be warned when you’re being scanned by hostiles and if the pirates think the risk is worth it, they’ll attack your ship without a second thought.
Fleeing isn’t usually an option, so you should familiarise yourself with the basics of space combat early on.
An important tip is to fire your lasers at the circle in front of your target to lead your shots. You should also repair your shields during combat if you take too many hits. Just open the menu with the touch pad button, select whatever shield you have in the ship’s menu and put any available resources into the repairs.
Creatures are unpredictable, even the seemingly harmless ones can prove deadly. The analysis you receive from a scan will indicate things like the temperament of a creature – some will retaliate when attacked, others will flee at the sight of you and vicious ones will simply attack at the first opportunity.
Your ship is often a good place to seek refuge, or if you’re too far away higher ground can keep you at a safe distance. Failing that, the multi-tool plasma grenade attachment can make short work of most creatures.
Your journey towards the centre of the universe is going to throw any number of threats at you, and your ability to deal with them will require plenty of trial and error… here are some tips to get you started.
There are points where you can save your game at space stations as well as beacons found near settlements on planets.
While strictly speaking it’s the opposite of surviving, it’s good to know that death is not the end in No Man’s Sky. In fact if you die, a gravestone will mark the place you were killed. Return to it, and you’ll be able to reclaim the items that were in your inventory when you died.
Upgrades are an essential part of your journey, but there’s an important distinction between installing new technology on your exosuit, multi-tool or ship and increasing the number of slots in which you can install the new technology.
The multi-tool and ship also use these spaces to store resources, meaning you can only install more tech at the expense of storage space.
Each multi-tool and ship has a fixed number of available slots, some of which will have technology already installed (you can remove these by holding the button on them in the menu). Buying a new multi-tool or ship is therefore the only way to increase the number of slots available.
Your exosuit won’t be replaced on your journey, instead you’ll find terminals in planetary outposts and space stations which will give you an extra slot on your exosuit for a certain amount of credits.
You’ll often find new technologies to install on your multi-tool, ship and exosuit in wreckages strewn across planets, from terminals and gifted by aliens.
More space for cargo, bigger guns and that unmistakable new starship smell – there are plenty of good reasons for wanting a new ship.
Occasionally you may chance upon a crashed starship which you can claim and then carry out the necessary repairs to get it off the ground.
Another way of gaining a ship is to buy one from alien merchants – select the option to make an offer on the ship in the same way you’d begin a trade.
Note: it’s important you transfer the cargo of your current ship to the new one before you decide to accept the deal.
| left stick | Move |
| right stick | Look |
| button | Run |
| button | Show on-screen information |
| button | Jump |
| button (hold) | Jet pack |
| button | Reload |
| button | Switch weapon mode |
| button | Scan |
| button | Melee attack |
| button | Fire weapon |
| button | Swim down (when in water) |
| button | Zoom |
| touch pad button | View inventories |
| left stick | Turn |
| right stick | Look |
| button | Fire weapons |
| button (hold) | Exit ship |
| button | Boost |
| button | Roll right |
| button | Thrust |
| button | Roll left |
| button | Brake |
| touch pad button | View inventories |
| directional button | View galactic map |
Head over to official No Man’s Sky section of the PlayStation® Forums to share your discoveries, gameplay tips and more.