I can’t tell you how many times I’ve zoomed past a massive S-class freighter early in my NMS playthrough, slamming on my boosters to loop back, only to fumble with the docking controls for 10 minutes before realizing I was going way too fast for the hangar doors to register my approach. Freighters are some of the most useful assets in No Man’s Sky, acting as mobile bases, extra storage hubs, and command centers for your interstellar frigate fleet. But figuring out how to enter freighter No Man's Sky vessels doesn't have to be the frustrating roadblock it was for me back then. Whether you’re trying to board a system freighter to trade, access your own mobile base, or loot a pirate freighter for rare goods, this guide breaks down every step you need to know to get in seamlessly.
How to Enter Freighter No Man’s Sky Vessels: Core Access Methods
The process of boarding a freighter changes slightly depending on if it’s a neutral system freighter, your own owned vessel, or a hostile pirate freighter, but the core mechanics stay mostly the same. For any freighter with an accessible hangar, the first step is to approach it from the front, where the large hangar bay doors are located. Slow down to under 100u/s when you’re within 500 units of the freighter, as moving any faster will make the docking system fail to recognize your ship, and the doors will stay closed. Once you see the blue docking prompt pop up on your HUD, you can fly directly into the hangar and land in any open marked spot.
If you already own a freighter, you don’t even need to fly to it to get inside. You can access your freighter from any space station, player base, or even your own ship’s teleporter, as long as you’ve set it as your primary freighter in your ship management menu. For pirate freighters, you’ll first need to take out its 3 to 4 escort fighter ships and disable its exterior defense turrets before the hangar doors will unlock. You’ll only have a couple minutes to loot once inside, so plan your route ahead of time to avoid getting trapped by respawning security.
In multiplayer sessions, you can board another player’s freighter the same way you would a system freighter, as long as the owner has enabled public or friend access to their vessel. You won’t see the docking prompt if they have freighter access turned off, so don’t waste time circling if the doors don’t open after a minute or two.
Common Errors That Block Freighter Access (And How to Fix Them)
Even if you follow every step correctly, you’ll probably run into access issues every once in a while, especially if you’re playing on older console hardware or in a crowded multiplayer session. One of the most common issues is the hangar doors staying closed even when you’re moving slow and in the right spot. This usually happens if the freighter is currently moving through a planet’s atmosphere, or if there are other ships blocking the hangar entrance. Just pull back 100 units, wait 30 seconds, and approach again, and the doors should open.
Another frequent problem is the teleport to your own freighter failing repeatedly. This almost always happens because your freighter is still in a different star system, or you’re in an outlaw system that restricts long-distance teleports. You can fix this by opening your quick menu, navigating to the freighter summoning option, and calling it to your current system for a small unit fee. If you’re in an outlaw system, you’ll need to fly to the nearest regulated system first to use the teleport function. Never try to ram through freighter hulls even if you think you’re fast enough, that will just damage your ship and waste your repair resources for no reason.
For console players, if the docking prompt never pops up at all, try closing all open menus before you approach the freighter. Having the quick menu, inventory, or quest log open when you get close can cause the prompt to glitch out and not appear. You can also try restarting your game if the glitch persists, as that will reset all nearby ship spawns and access triggers.
What to Do After Accessing a Freighter for Maximum Value
Boarding a freighter is only the first step, and there are dozens of useful things you can do once you’re inside, depending on what type of freighter you’re on. For neutral system freighters, you can trade rare resources with the crew for lower prices than you’ll find at most space stations, accept high-paying delivery missions from the captain, or even find free upgrade modules scattered in public storage crates around the hangar. Just don’t open any crates marked as private, as that will make the entire crew hostile and they’ll attack you on sight.
For your own personal freighter, you can customize the interior to add base modules, storage units, crafting stations, and even display rooms for your favorite ships. Always check the captain's quarters first when boarding a neutral freighter, that's where you'll find the highest value trade offers and rare mission rewards that aren’t available from regular crew members. If you’re looting a pirate freighter, prioritize the locked cargo crates in the back of the hangar, as they hold the most valuable goods, including nanites, rare upgrade modules, and high-end trade goods you can sell for hundreds of thousands of units.
When you first claim a new freighter for yourself, there are three key tasks you should complete right away to make it as useful as possible:
- Place a teleporter module near the hangar entrance so you can fast travel directly to and from the entry point, avoiding long walks across the freighter interior
- Set up at least 10 large storage containers in a dedicated storage bay to hold excess resources you collect during exploration runs
- Speak to the freighter captain to unlock the frigate management menu, so you can start sending escort ships on resource-gathering expeditions right away
You don’t have to build out the entire interior right away, but these three steps will make your freighter functional from the first day you claim it, so you can start using it to support your exploration runs immediately.
Rules for Accessing Other Players' Freighters in Multiplayer
Multiplayer freighter access is one of the most confusing parts of NMS for new players, since the rules aren’t clearly explained anywhere in the game. First, you can only access another player’s freighter if they have their session set to friends only or public, and they haven’t disabled freighter access in their network settings. If you’re joining a friend’s session, it’s always polite to ask for permission before boarding their freighter, even if you know they have access enabled.
Once you’re inside another player’s freighter, don't modify their base builds or take items from their storage without explicit permission, that's a common etiquette rule most NMS players follow, and breaking it can get you blocked or kicked from the session. You can trade with the NPC crew on their freighter without asking, but you should never touch any player-placed items or storage units unless you’re given permission first. If you’re in a public session with random players, don’t be surprised if most people have freighter access turned off, as many players lock their vessels to prevent griefing and theft.
If you want to let other people access your freighter, you can toggle access permissions in your network settings, and even set specific rules for who can modify builds, access storage, or summon ships in your hangar. You can't claim another player's freighter for yourself, no matter how much you like its design, so don’t waste time trying to take over a vessel that belongs to someone else. If you find a design you love, you can look for the same model spawned as a system freighter in the same star system, and purchase it for yourself if you have enough units.
At the end of the day, freighters are one of the most underrated tools in No Man’s Sky for players who love to explore far and wide without running back to a fixed base every time their inventory fills up. Once you get the hang of how to enter freighter No Man's Sky ships without fumbling with controls or running into access errors, you’ll wonder how you ever played the game without relying on these giant mobile hubs. Don’t stress if you mess up a few docks at first, even veteran players occasionally zoom past a hangar or forget to summon their freighter to their current system before trying to teleport. Next time you spot a glowing freighter drifting through the nebula, you’ll know exactly how to get inside and make the most of every resource, mission, and upgrade it has to offer.