If you’ve ever stood at a starship upgrade terminal staring at a 40 million unit price tag for a better hyperdrive, you know how frustrating it is to grind for cash in NMS. I’ve spent hundreds of hours bouncing between systems, testing every half-baked money making trick I found on forums, and most of them either don’t work anymore or require hours of prep for minimal payout. That’s why I put together this guide on how to get money fast in No Man's Sky, with only methods I’ve tested personally in the latest game update, no glitches or modded exploits required. All of these work for players who just finished the tutorial and veteran travelers looking to pad their bank account before a big expedition.
How to Get Money Fast in No Man's Sky With Passive Organic Farming
A lot of online guides will tell you to grind for hours to build an activated indium farm, but that’s overkill for most players. You don’t need a massive base or tons of rare resources to make passive cash from farming, especially if you’re just starting out. The easiest low-effort farm you can set up in under 30 minutes is a frost crystal farm on a frozen planet. First, scan for a frozen planet with mild weather (no constant blizzards that drain your life support) and large patches of wild frost crystals. Build a tiny base near the biggest patch you find, then place 10 to 15 hydroponic trays. You can craft frostwart seeds for just 50 ferrite dust and 10 frost crystals each, so you can get all your seeds planted in one trip.
Each frostwart plant takes 4 hours to mature, and produces 15 frost crystals per harvest. At 1,200 units per crystal, that’s 18,000 units per plant, or 270,000 units for a 15-tray farm. If you want to boost your profit even more, run the frost crystals through a refiner to make cryogenic pipes, which sell for 12,000 units each. That triples your total payout for almost no extra work. The only downside to this method is the wait time for crops to grow, so I always set up my farm right before I log off for the night. When I log back in the next day, I have a full harvest waiting for me before I even start playing. It’s easily the most low-effort way to make consistent cash without any active grind.
Scan Fauna and Flora For Quick, No-Prep Payouts
If you don’t want to build anything or wait for timers, scanning is the fastest way to get cash when you’re just starting out. Most players scan a couple creatures then move on, but that’s leaving millions of units on the table. This is one of the most underrated ways to hit your goals when you're learning how to get money fast in No Man's Sky.
Every time you fully scan all fauna on a planet, you get a 250,000 unit exploration guild bonus, plus individual payouts for rare creatures that can hit 50,000 units each. If you find a planet with 8 to 10 uncommon creatures, you can easily make 1 million units in 30 minutes just running around and scanning. You don’t even have to fight anything, just avoid aggressive creatures if you’re low on ammo. Don’t forget to scan every ancient artifact and ruin you find, too. Rare alien relics can sell for up to 150,000 units each, and you often find 3 or 4 of them in a single ruin site. I once made 1.2 million units in 20 minutes on a radioactive planet that had 8 rare creatures, no building or fighting required. It’s perfect for players who haven’t unlocked base building yet, or who just want to wander and explore while making cash.
Run Derelict Freighter Missions For Mid-Game Big Payouts
Once you have a decent starship and a little firepower, derelict freighters are one of the most consistent high-payout activities in the game. You can buy a derelict freighter beacon from the anomaly merchant for 5 million units, but you’ll make that back 3 times over on a single run. When you board the freighter, you’ll find tons of valuable cargo, plus rare upgrade modules you can sell or use for your own gear.
If you're looking for more active ways how to get money fast in No Man's Sky, this is a great pick. The most valuable items to grab on every derelict freighter run are:
- High-grade salvage: Each piece sells for 75,000 units on average, and you can find 20+ per run
- Alien technology modules: These sell for 120,000 units each, and are often hidden in locked storage crates
- Freighter upgrade modules: Even if you don’t own a freighter, these sell for 200,000+ units each to other players at the anomaly
The only catch is you have to fight off a few biological horrors, but if you bring a shotgun with plenty of ammo, they’re easy to take down. I usually run 2 derelict freighter runs a week to stock up on cash and upgrade parts, and it never takes more than an hour total. If you’re lucky enough to find a rare S-class derelict freighter you can claim, you can sell your old freighter for up to 30 million units, which is a huge one-time payout.
Trade High-Demand Commodities Between Systems For Risk-Free Profit
Trading is another low-effort method that doesn’t require any building or fighting, as long as you have a little starting capital. It’s a great option if you don't want to mess with farming or combat and still want to figure out how to get money fast in No Man's Sky. The trick is to look for systems that specialize in a specific product, buy it at a discount, then sell it in a system that has high demand for that product.
For example, if you find a Vy’keen mining system, you can buy activated metals for 30% below market value, then sell them in a Korvax manufacturing system for 70% above market value. That’s a 100% profit per run, and if you have a large cargo hold on your starship, you can make 5 to 10 million units per trip. Always check the trade terminal in the space station first to see what the system’s surplus and demand items are before you buy anything. You don’t have to jump 10 systems away to find a good deal, either. Most of the time, the system right next to the surplus system will have high demand for that product. I once made 8 million units in a 10 minute trip between two adjacent systems, no fighting or exploring required. It’s perfect for players who prefer to spend their time hopping between systems rather than sticking to one planet.
At the end of the day, you don’t have to spend 10 hours grinding rocks to afford the starship or base upgrades you want. All of these methods are flexible enough to fit your playstyle, whether you prefer building, exploring, fighting, or just bouncing between space stations. Now that you know how to get money fast in No Man's Sky, you can skip the tedious grind and focus on the parts of the game you actually enjoy, from exploring uncharted planets to taking on big expedition challenges. Don’t be afraid to mix and match methods too: I usually set up my farm before I run a derelict freighter mission, so I have crops ready to harvest when I get back, doubling my payout for the same amount of time.
