I remember spending my first 10 hours in No Man's Sky hoarding every cool starship I came across, only to hit a wall when I tried to claim my seventh and got a confusing error message. If you’ve ever stopped mid-trade to wonder how many starships you can have in No Man's Sky, you’re not alone. Most new players don’t realize there’s a base limit, plus hidden ways to expand that count without mods, as long as you know what tasks to complete first. I’ve put 300+ hours into the game across four different saves, so I’ve tested every limit, glitch, and workaround to give you the full breakdown without any fluff.
How Many Starships Can You Have in No Man's Sky by Default?
The default maximum for all players, right after you complete the tutorial, is 6 starships. That counts every ship you own, from your starter hauler to the rare S-class fighter you tracked down for 10 hours. You don't get access to extra slots automatically – you have to purchase or unlock them as you progress through the game's core content.
To check your current limit, just open your quick menu and navigate to the ship selection screen. Every empty grey slot below your owned ships is an available slot you can still fill. If all slots are filled, you’ll have to scrap one of your existing ships before you can claim a new one. Frigates you hire for your freighter fleet don’t count towards this limit, so don’t stress if you have 20+ combat and trade frigates in your hangar – those are entirely separate. If you’re still confused about how many starships you can have in No Man's Sky, just check your ship selection screen – the empty slots at the bottom show you how many more you can unlock.
Ways to Unlock Extra Starship Slots Beyond the Base Limit
You don’t have to stick to the 6-ship limit if you’re willing to put in a little extra work. Vanilla players can unlock up to 3 additional slots for a total of 9 starships, no third-party tools required. Modded PC players can raise that limit even higher, depending on the mods they use.
- Purchase extra slots from the Space Anomaly's Construction Research Unit for 10,000 Nanites per slot
- Earn free slots as limited-time rewards from No Man's Sky Expeditions
- Unlock one bonus slot for completing the "A Trace of Metal" core quest line
- Use PC-only inventory mods to raise the limit for single-player saves
If you’re playing on console, you won’t have access to mods, so your maximum limit is 9 starships total. That’s more than enough for most players, as you’ll only really need 4 or 5 specialized ships for regular gameplay. The extra slots are perfect for collectors who want to hold onto rare exotic ships or limited-time Expedition rewards that you can’t get anywhere else. Modded players can raise this limit as high as 30 if they use popular inventory expansion mods, but those only work on PC saves, and you won't be able to use those saves in vanilla multiplayer lobbies without risking a ban.
How to Manage Your Starship Collection Efficiently
Once you hit your maximum limit, you don't have to pass up that perfect S-class explorer you stumbled across. You just have to be smart about which ships you keep and which you scrap. I always sort my collection by use case first, so I never get rid of a ship I rely on for regular tasks.
Never scrap your highest-capacity hauler – you'll need it for bulk resource runs when you're building a base or restocking your freighter. You also want to keep at least one high-damage fighter for sentinel battles and pirate raids, especially if you spend a lot of time in unregulated systems. Another tip: If you're on the fence about keeping a ship, check its tech slot layout first. Ships with adjacent tech slots give you huge bonus boosts when you install matching upgrades, so they're far more valuable than ships with scattered slots even if they have the same class rating. I once passed up an A-class fighter because its slots were all spread out, and I didn't regret it when I found an S-class with all combat slots grouped a few systems later.
I also keep a small shuttle in my collection for quick trips to space stations when I don’t want to waste fuel on my larger hauler. Shuttles have low launch costs, and they’re perfect for picking up small trade runs or turning in missions without having to move your entire fleet. If you’re a collector, you can also dedicate a couple of slots to rare exotic ships, like the squid ships or the golden vector that was given out during a past Expedition. Those ships don’t have the best stats, but they’re fun to show off in multiplayer lobbies, and they hold their value if you ever decide to scrap them down the line.
Common Mistakes to Avoid With Your Starship Fleet
I've made almost every mistake possible when building my starship collection, so I can save you a lot of wasted Nanites and time. First, don't waste early game units buying extra starship slots before you upgrade your inventory first. You get way more value out of extra exosuit slots when you're first starting out, because you'll be able to carry more resources to sell for units faster.
Don't claim broken crashed ships just to scrap them for parts unless you have the resources to repair their inventory slots first. Broken ships only give you a fraction of their scrap value if you turn them in with damaged slots, so you're better off leaving them until you have enough repair materials on hand. Another common mistake: Storing rare resources in your starship inventory when you're not using that ship. If you scrap a ship without emptying its inventory first, you lose everything stored inside, no takebacks. I learned that the hard way when I scrapped an old hauler and lost 500 units of activated indium I'd been saving for a freighter upgrade.
Also, don't buy starships from NPCs in the space station unless you've checked the same ship type in a higher economy system. Ships in 3-star economy systems are 30% cheaper on average, and you're far more likely to find S-class variants there too. If you’re worried about accidentally scrapping a ship you want to keep, you can mark it as a favorite in your ship menu. That will stop you from being able to scrap it until you unmark it, which is a handy feature I wish I’d known about earlier in my playthrough. Another tip: If you find a ship you love but don’t have an empty slot for, you can exchange it for one of your existing ships immediately, or you can leave it where it is and come back later once you’ve freed up a slot. Ships don’t despawn if you leave them on a planet or space station, as long as you don’t leave the system before you come back for them.
At the end of the day, how many starships you can have in No Man's Sky depends entirely on how much time you want to put into unlocking extra slots, and whether you're playing vanilla or modded. Even if you stick to the base 6 slots, you can build a perfectly functional fleet that covers every task you need, from exploration to combat to hauling. If you take the time to unlock the extra 3 slots, you'll have more than enough room to collect your favorite rare ships without having to swap them out constantly. Just remember to prioritize ships with good slot layouts, and always empty your inventory before you scrap an old ship, and you'll have a fleet you can be proud of in no time.
