If you’ve spent dozens of hours hopping between star systems in No Man’s Sky, you’ve probably already grabbed your first freighter to haul extra cargo, run frigate expeditions, and serve as a mobile base. But when you stumble on a rare S-class capital freighter with double the cargo slots of your current ride, you’ll likely stop to ask: can you own multiple freighters in No Man's Sky? I’ve logged over 420 hours in the game across PC and console, and I’ve tested every quirk of the freighter system to break down exactly what’s allowed, what’s not, and how to build a collection that fits your playstyle.
Can You Own Multiple Freighters in No Man’s Sky: Official Game Rules
The short answer is yes, but with a few key limitations that most new players don’t learn about until they try to buy a second ship. You can only have one freighter actively deployed in your current star system at any time, which means you can’t summon two freighters at once to transfer cargo between them directly. All additional freighters you purchase are stored in your fleet management menu, and you can swap your active freighter at any time by accessing a freighter terminal at a space station or your current active freighter’s bridge.
All stored freighters retain every upgrade, custom build, and item stored in their cargo holds when you swap them out, so you don’t have to worry about losing rare resources or base parts when you switch to a different ride. This rule was added in a recent game update, after years of player requests to allow freighter collecting, so you don’t have to scrap your favorite old freighter just to upgrade to a better one. The only time you’ll lose access to a freighter is if you intentionally trade it in for a discount on a new purchase, so you can hold onto every model you buy for as long as you want.
How to Add Multiple Freighters to Your Collection
Adding a new freighter to your collection is straightforward once you know how the purchase menu works. First, you’ll need to already own at least one freighter, which you can get for free by helping defend the first freighter you encounter under attack from pirates after you hit the 5-hour playtime mark. After that, any time you find a freighter you want to buy, you’ll see two options when you speak to the captain: trade in your current active freighter for a discount on the new one, or pay full price to add the new freighter to your collection without trading in your old one.
Always inspect a freighter’s class, slot count, and stat bonuses before purchasing, to avoid wasting millions of units on a ship you’ll never use. Before you commit to buying a new freighter, run through this quick checklist to make sure it’s worth the cost:
- Class rating, with S-class offering the highest boosts to storage capacity, hyperdrive range, and frigate expedition success rates
- Total technology and cargo slot count, which determines how many upgrades you can install and how much loot you can carry between systems
- Interior layout, if you plan to build a custom base on your freighter with farming, crafting, or storage rooms
- Base design, since some rare freighter models have unique color schemes and exterior shapes you can’t find anywhere else in the galaxy
I usually keep at least 15 million units saved up at all times, just in case I run into a rare freighter design I want to add to my collection while I’m out exploring. You can also get discounted freighters by defending them from pirate attacks, which cuts the purchase cost by up to 50% compared to buying one directly from a space station terminal.
Pros and Cons of Owning Multiple Freighters
Owning multiple freighters isn’t for every player, but it can add a lot of flexibility to your gameplay if you like to switch up your activities regularly. The biggest perk is that you can customize each freighter for a specific use case: I have one max-cargo freighter I use only for trading rare resources across systems, one long-range freighter with stacked hyperdrive upgrades for exploring uncharted galaxies, and a tiny vintage freighter I use as a casual mobile base when I’m playing with friends. You also get the chance to collect rare freighter designs that only spawn in specific system types, without having to get rid of your main ride.
That said, there are some downsides to consider before you start buying every freighter you see. First, you have to pay full price for any freighter you add to your collection, with no trade-in discount, so it can get extremely expensive if you’re buying S-class models. As of the latest game update, you can only store up to 9 total freighters in your fleet management menu, so you don’t have unlimited space for your collection. Swapping freighters also takes a minute or two, especially if you have a lot of custom builds on your active freighter, so it’s not a fast switch you can make mid-exploration run. If you only play the game casually and stick to one type of activity, you probably won’t get much benefit from owning more than one freighter.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Multiple Freighters
I’ve made almost every possible mistake with freighter management over my hundreds of hours of play, so you don’t have to. The most common mistake new players make is buying low-class freighters just to fill up their collection slots, wasting millions of units on ships that offer no real benefit over their current active one. It’s much better to save up for high-class, high-slot freighters that actually improve your gameplay, instead of buying every cheap freighter you run into.
Another big mistake is swapping your active freighter while you have ongoing frigate expeditions running. Swapping your active freighter before expeditions are complete will cancel all ongoing runs, and you’ll lose all the rewards and resources you would have earned from them. If you plan to switch freighters, always wait until all your expeditions are finished and you’ve collected your rewards first. I also see a lot of players forget to reassign their frigate fleets when they swap freighters, since each freighter has its own separate frigate roster. If you swap to a new freighter, you’ll need to reassign your frigates to that ship if you want to run expeditions with them. For console players, it’s also best to keep custom builds on non-active freighters to a minimum, as too many base parts can cause long load times or occasional crashes when you swap between ships.
At the end of the day, the answer to can you own multiple freighters in No Man's Sky is a yes, as long as you’re willing to work around the game’s small limitations. You don’t need a huge collection to enjoy the game, but even having two or three specialized freighters can make your exploration and trading runs far more efficient. If you’re just starting out, focus on upgrading your first freighter first before you start collecting more, and only buy additional freighters that fit a specific need you have for your playstyle. I still get a rush when I spot a rare S-class capital freighter spawning in a high-tier system, and there’s nothing more fun than showing off my collection of unique freighters to friends when we play multiplayer together.
