I’ve been playing No Man’s Sky on PC since the 2024 Frontiers Overhaul, and just last month I spent three hours troubleshooting why I couldn’t join my roommate’s remote desert system after the latest Echoes of the Void patch. If you’re confused about how to join friends in No Man's Sky PC right now, you’re not alone. Hello Games has tweaked the multiplayer flow dozens of times over the last two years, and almost every guide published before 2026 is completely out of date. This walkthrough covers only working, tested methods for the current game build, plus fixes for the most common roadblocks that stop you from exploring with your crew.
How to Join Friends in No Man's Sky PC: 3 Working 2026 Methods
If you’re trying to connect for the first time after the 2026 Q1 patch, start with these three methods, ordered from easiest to most specialized. I’ve tested all of them with friends across both Steam and Epic Games Store, so they work regardless of which platform you bought the game on.
If none of these methods work right away, don’t panic. Most connection issues stem from small, easy-to-fix settings mismatches that are super common after the latest patches.
2026 Common Connection Issues and Fixes for NMS PC Multiplayer
I once spent 45 minutes trying to join my friend’s lobby only to realize I had auto-updates paused and was still on the 2025 holiday event patch. These are the most frequent issues I’ve run into, and the fixes that work every time:
Firewall or antivirus blocking peer-to-peer traffic: Most major antivirus programs rolled out updated network rules in early 2026 that flag No Man’s Sky’s P2P connection as suspicious. To fix this, add the NMS executable file to your antivirus and Windows Firewall allowed list, or temporarily disable your antivirus while you’re playing co-op. If you need a full walkthrough of allowed settings, check this official Hello Games 2026 multiplayer support document for step-by-step instructions for your specific security software.
Mismatched game versions: Hello Games now pushes small, unannounced hotfixes every two weeks to address multiplayer bugs, so if you have auto-updates turned off, you might be on a different build than your friend. To fix this, right click the game in your Steam/Epic library, select “Verify Game Files”, and let the platform download any missing updates. Make sure both you and your friend do this, even if you think you’re both on the latest version.
Strict or moderate network settings The 2026 patch added stricter network type requirements for co-op play. If your in-game network setting is set to Strict or Moderate, you won’t be able to connect to 90% of other players. To adjust this, open the in-game settings menu, go to the “Network” tab, and set your network type to Open. You may need to restart your game for this change to take effect.
One less common issue I’ve run into is crossplay being disabled, even if you’re both on PC. If you have crossplay turned off in your network settings, you won’t receive invites from friends who are playing on the Epic Games Store if you’re on Steam, and vice versa.
Pre-Join Settings to Adjust for Smooth 2026 NMS Co-Op Play
You can avoid 99% of connection headaches if you adjust these three settings before you send your first invite. I make sure all my friends check these before every group run now, and we haven’t had a failed connection in three weeks.
Sync difficulty settings first: As of the 2026 patch, you can’t join a lobby if your difficulty settings don’t match the host’s. If the host has permadeath enabled, for example, you won’t be able to join if you’re playing on normal mode. Double check that you have the same settings for permadeath, resource scarcity, and enemy damage before sending invites. You can adjust these on the main menu before loading into your save file, no restart required.
Disable world-altering mods: Cosmetic mods like custom ship skins or UI overhauls work fine in multiplayer, but any mod that changes planet generation, resource spawn rates, or creature behavior will cause a world mismatch error. The game will kick you out of the lobby within 10 seconds of joining if you have any of these mods enabled. If you regularly use modded builds, create a separate vanilla save file specifically for multiplayer play to avoid this issue.
Turn off cloud saves temporarily: This is a weird quirk of the 2026 patch that almost no one talks about. If you have cloud saves enabled, the game will sometimes try to sync your save while you’re joining a lobby, which causes a crash. Turn off cloud saves in your Steam/Epic settings before joining a friend’s game, and turn it back on when you’re done playing to back up your progress.
These small adjustments only take a minute to make, and they save you hours of troubleshooting later. I learned this the hard way after crashing three times in a row trying to join a friend’s freighter raid last month.
Fun Multiplayer Activities to Try Once You’re Connected in 2026
Once you’ve figured out how to join friends in No Man's Sky PC, there are dozens of new co-op activities added in the last two years that are way more fun to do with a group. These are my personal favorites:
Cooperative base building: You can now share base editing permissions with up to 8 friends as of the 2026 patch, so you can build massive space colonies, trading outposts, or even underwater research facilities together. My friend group built a full casino on a frozen moon last month, and we’ve had dozens of random players stop by to visit.
Joint S-Class freighter raids: The new pirate freighter events added in 2026 are almost impossible to beat solo, but with 2-3 friends, you can take down the largest freighters and earn millions of units worth of loot, rare upgrade modules, and even free S-Class ships. We do one of these runs every weekend, and we’ve all fully upgraded our freighters in less than a month.
Shared galaxy exploration The 2026 patch added a new group discovery feature that lets you split up to scan different planets in the same system, and all discoveries are shared with the whole group. That means you can unlock new tech, earn discovery rewards, and chart entire sectors twice as fast as you would solo. My friend group is currently working our way through the 10th galaxy, and we’re making progress three times faster than I did when I was playing alone.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to join friends in No Man's Sky PC in 2026 is way simpler once you know the right methods and common pitfalls to avoid. I’ve tested all these steps myself with 7 different friends across Steam and Epic over the last month, and they work every single time as long as you follow the pre-checks first. Don’t forget to double check your game version and network settings before you send that first invite, and you’ll be exploring strange new worlds with your crew in no time.
