I still remember the first time I fired up No Man's Sky back at launch, and the biggest letdown for me was the complete lack of meaningful multiplayer. Fast forward to today, and the game has evolved so much that playing with friends is one of its most beloved features. If you’re new to the game or just haven’t tried joining other players yet, you’re probably wondering how does multiplayer work in No Man's Sky, and whether it’s worth jumping into with your crew. This guide breaks down every part of the multiplayer experience, from joining sessions to what you can and can’t do with other players, so you don’t waste time fumbling with menus when you could be exploring uncharted planets together.
How Does Multiplayer Work in No Man's Sky: Core Session Basics
At its core, No Man's Sky multiplayer works on a flexible instance system that lets you choose exactly who you play with, no extra downloads or paid subscriptions required outside of your platform’s standard online access. You can set your game to three core session types when you boot up: private, friends only, or public. All No Man's Sky multiplayer sessions support full crossplay by default, so you don’t have to tweak settings to play with friends on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch.
Each star system can hold up to 32 players at a time, while individual planets cap out at 8 players per instance. If more than 8 people try to land on the same planet, the game will spawn excess players in separate identical instances of the planet, so you won’t see each other unless you split into smaller groups. The best part about the instance system is that you keep all your own progress, items, ships, and bases no matter who’s hosting the session. You never have to worry about losing your gear or overwriting your save when you join a friend’s game.
If you prefer to play solo most of the time, you can turn off multiplayer entirely in your settings to block all join requests and random player visits. This is a great option if you’re working on a delicate build or grinding through a tricky story mission and don’t want interruptions.
Key Activities You Can Do With Other Players in Multiplayer
The multiplayer update expanded almost every part of the game to support group play, so there’s no shortage of things to do with friends or even random players you meet in public lobbies. Some of the most popular group activities include:
You can also trade items directly with other players by standing near them and opening the trade menu, though some rare expedition rewards and story-specific items can’t be transferred. If you’re playing with newer players, you can gift them upgraded multi-tools, starships, or stacks of rare resources to help them get past the early game grind much faster.
Important Multiplayer Limitations and Settings to Know
While No Man's Sky's multiplayer is surprisingly polished, it has a few limitations you should be aware of before you jump into a group session. I’ve made the mistake of skipping setting checks before joining public lobbies in the past, and it led to a random player deleting half of my early-game base because I forgot to lock edit permissions. Base edit permissions are turned off by default for non-friends, but it’s always worth double checking before you join a public lobby to avoid unpleasant surprises.
PvP is 100% opt-in, so you never have to worry about random players attacking you or destroying your base unless you explicitly turn on PvP in your settings. This is a huge relief for players who prefer casual co-op or exploration over competitive play. You can toggle PvP on and off at any time, even mid-session, if you want to mess around with friendly fire for a bit.
Story progress is tied to individual player saves, not shared across the group. That means if you’re playing through the main Artemis path with friends, each of you has to complete every story step individually to progress. You can still help each other with combat or resource gathering for story quests, but you can’t have one player complete a step for the whole group. You also can’t transfer base ownership to other players, so if a friend builds a base with you and stops playing, you can access it but can’t move or delete it entirely without their login.
Tips for a Smooth Multiplayer Experience With Friends
Even though most multiplayer sessions run without issues, there are a few small tweaks you can make to avoid glitches or frustration when playing with a group. Always invite friends directly through your platform or in-game friend list instead of relying on public session matching. Public lobbies can be buggy if you’re trying to connect with a specific person, and direct invites almost always work faster and with fewer connection errors.
Sync your system clock if you’re playing with people across different time zones – this fixes 90% of common glitches with shared base loading and mission progress not tracking for all players. If you’re working on a large shared build, designate one person as the permanent host for the session, and have everyone else join them. This reduces the chance of build parts disappearing or not saving correctly when players leave and rejoin the lobby.
If you’re playing on Switch, stick to sessions with 4 or fewer players to avoid frame drops or random disconnections. The Switch version runs great for solo play, but it struggles a bit with larger groups due to hardware limitations. If you run into a bug where you can’t see a friend who’s supposed to be in the same system, have everyone leave the session and rejoin the host’s invite. This simple fix resolves almost all remaining connection issues in under a minute.
At the end of the day, No Man's Sky's multiplayer is designed to be flexible enough to fit whatever playstyle you prefer, whether you want to mess around with friends in a private lobby, join random players for public events, or just stick to solo play entirely. Now that you understand how does multiplayer work in No Man's Sky, you can jump in and start exploring the galaxy with your crew without wasting time troubleshooting settings or figuring out what you can do together. Don't be afraid to tweak your settings to fit your needs, and remember that the best part of the game is getting to share those weird, wonderful moments of finding a completely uncharted paradise planet with people you enjoy playing with.
