If you’ve spent even a few hours zipping between No Man’s Sky’s procedurally generated planets, you’ve probably spotted a sleek, high-capacity starship docked at a space station and wondered how to get your hands on it. Learning how to buy a ship in No Man's Sky doesn't just give you a cooler ride – it unlocks more inventory space for mining runs, faster warp drives for long-distance exploration, and better combat stats to fend off pirate ambushes. I’ve spent hundreds of hours testing different ship hunting methods across multiple saves, and I’ve broken down the process so you don’t waste Units on a dud or miss out on a hidden S-class gem.
What You Need Before You Learn How to Buy a Ship in No Man's Sky
You don’t need to beat any main story quests or unlock special upgrades to purchase your first new ship, but there are a few basics you should have sorted before you start browsing. Enough Units to cover the asking price is the most obvious requirement – beat-up C-class shuttles start at around 100,000 Units, while top-tier S-class fighters or haulers can cost 120 million Units or more. A working hyperdrive to reach different star systems will also open up way more ship options, since each system’s dominant race tends to spawn specific ship types: Vy’keen systems have more combat-focused fighters, Gek systems have high-capacity haulers, and Korvax systems lean into long-range explorers. Positive reputation with the system’s dominant race will also get you a 10-20% discount on all ship purchases, which adds up to millions of Units saved on high-tier vessels. You can build reputation quickly by turning in wanted pilots at space stations or completing small fetch quests for NPCs.
Step-by-Step Process to Purchase Your New Starship
Once you’ve got the basics sorted, buying a ship is a straightforward process that works the same across every system, no matter if you’re playing in survival, normal, or creative mode. This process works for every ship type in the game, so you don’t need to follow any weird glitches or exploits to get the ride you want when you’re figuring out how to buy a ship in No Man's Sky.
- Fly to any space station or planetary trade outpost, and park your current ship in an open docking slot. Ships spawn on a random timer, so you may need to wait 5-15 minutes for the type you want to land.
- Approach any landed pilot whose ship you’re interested in, and interact with them to pull up their dialogue menu. Select the “Make an offer on their ship” option to see its full stats, inventory slots, and final asking price.
- Compare the new ship’s stats and inventory to your current vessel. You can trade in your old ship to lower the final cost by up to 90%, or pay full price to add the new ship to your permanent fleet.
- Finalize the purchase, and your new ship will be available to summon from any landing pad immediately. If you traded in your old ship, it will be removed from your fleet automatically, so double check you’ve moved all valuable resources off it first.
Trade-in value for your old ship is non-negotiable, so don’t waste time trying to haggle with pilots for a better deal. If a pilot refuses to sell their ship to you at all, it’s almost always because your reputation with their race is too low – just complete 2 or 3 small quests for that race and come back later, and they’ll be willing to sell.
How to Pick the Right Ship for Your Playstyle
Don’t just buy the first shiny ship you see – different ship types are built for different playstyles, and picking the wrong one can make your time in the galaxy way more frustrating. Picking the right vessel is half the battle when you’re learning how to buy a ship in No Man's Sky, so don’t prioritize looks over functionality if you’re playing on survival mode. Shuttle ships are the best pick for brand new players, since they’re cheap, low maintenance, and usually come with a few extra inventory slots to hold more mining resources. They don’t have great combat or warp range stats, but you can pick up a B-class shuttle for under 500,000 Units when you’re first starting out. Hauler ships are ideal for players who spend most of their time mining and trading resources, since they have the largest inventory slots of any ship type, with some S-class haulers having 48+ general inventory slots. They’re slower than fighters, but the extra inventory space means you can make 2-3 times more Units per mining run. Fighter ships are made for players who love taking on pirate fleets or hunting sentinel capital ships, with high damage bonuses and strong shield stats. They have smaller inventories than haulers, but their combat bonuses will save you from getting blown up mid-warp when you’re carrying a full load of rare resources. Explorer ships are perfect for players who prioritize jumping between dozens of systems to find rare planets, fauna, and ancient ruins. They have 20-30% longer warp range than other ship types, and often come with scanning bonuses that let you find hidden resource deposits and ancient sites faster. S-class ships have 30-50% better stat bonuses than A-class ships of the same type, so if you plan to keep a ship for dozens of hours, it’s worth waiting for an S-class spawn instead of settling for a lower tier.
Pro Tips to Save Units and Find Rare Ships
If you don’t want to grind for dozens of hours to afford your dream ship, there are a few tricks I’ve picked up over the years that can cut your costs in half or help you find rare S-class ships faster. If you’re still not sure where to start when you’re figuring out how to buy a ship in No Man's Sky, head to a Gek trading system first – they have tons of cheap haulers that will help you earn Units way faster. Hunt for crashed ships first before you buy from a pilot – you can use navigation data to scan for distress signals, and crashed ships cost a fraction of the price of a new one, since you just need to repair their damaged slots instead of paying full price. I once found an S-class hauler crashed on a frozen planet for just 2 million Units in repair costs, compared to the 80 million Units it would have cost to buy from a pilot. Farm activated indium or cobalt to earn Units fast – a single full inventory of activated indium sells for over 3 million Units at any trade terminal, so you can earn enough for a mid-tier A-class ship in just 2 or 3 mining runs. You can also get 10-15% better ship prices in outlaw systems, though you’ll have to fend off occasional pirate ambushes when you enter the system. If you see a ship you love but can’t afford it right now, take a screenshot of the system coordinates and the ship’s design. The same ship will spawn in that system every time you visit, so you can come back later once you’ve saved up enough Units. Don’t rush your purchase, either. I once dropped 2 million Units on a B-class hauler early in my playthrough, only to see an S-class version of the exact same ship spawn 10 minutes later in the same space station. Patience will save you millions of Units in the long run.
At the end of the day, learning how to buy a ship in No Man's Sky is one of the most rewarding parts of the game, because it lets you customize your play experience exactly how you want it. You don’t need to drop 100 million Units on a fancy S-class fighter right away – start with a cheap shuttle to get extra inventory space, work your way up to a hauler to earn Units faster, then splurge on your dream ship once you’ve got a steady income. Don’t be afraid to test out different ship types, either – you never know when you’ll stumble on a perfect explorer that makes your cross-system runs 10 times faster, or a tough fighter that lets you take on entire pirate fleets without breaking a sweat.
