I still cringe thinking about my third hour playing No Man’s Sky. I’d just tracked down a rare S-class multi-tool cabinet on a frozen radioactive planet, spammed the landing button 12 times as I careened toward the surface, and crashed straight into a glacial cliff 50 feet from my target. I wasted 20 minutes digging my ship out of the ice and repairing my broken thrusters before I could even grab the upgrade. If you’ve ever had a similarly frustrating run-in with bad landings, you’re not the only one. This guide breaks down how to land in No Man’s Sky smoothly every time, whether you’re a brand new player still figuring out your ship controls or a veteran explorer tackling high-risk dead planets.
Pre-Landing Prep: What to Check Before You Even Start Your Descent
Most landing failures happen long before you hit the atmosphere. Rushing your descent without checking a few key details is the easiest way to end up stuck in a cave or with a busted hull you can’t afford to repair. Taking 30 seconds to run through these checks will eliminate 90% of common landing headaches, even on the most unforgiving planets.
I don't skip these checks even after 200+ hours of play. Last month I tried to land on a volcanic planet without checking sentinel activity, and a group of pirate sentinels blew out one of my thrusters mid-descent, forcing me to crash land in a lake of lava. I lost almost all of my rare mineral cargo that run.
Step-by-Step Breakdown of How to Land in No Man’s Sky Safely
If you’re still getting used to ship controls, following this simple sequence will make landing feel second nature after just a few tries. You can use auto-land for most flat, clear zones, but learning to manual land is essential for reaching hard-to-access spots like ancient ruins hidden in mountain valleys or underwater depots.
First, slow your ship to low cruise speed once you’re within 1000 feet of the planet’s surface. Flying too fast will make it almost impossible to adjust your course if you spot an unexpected obstacle in your landing zone. Next, hover 100 to 150 feet above your intended landing spot and use your ship’s camera to pan around the area for any small obstacles you might have missed from higher up, like small cacti or floating crystal formations that can damage your hull on contact.
Once you’re sure the zone is clear, hold the landing button down instead of tapping it repeatedly. Tapping the button will often cancel the landing sequence if your ship detects even a minor obstacle, while holding it will let the system adjust for small, movable objects that don’t pose a real risk. You’ll know your landing is successful when your ship’s landing gear locks into place and you get the on-screen prompt to exit the cockpit.
That said, auto-land won’t work for zones with a slope higher than 20 degrees. If you get a “landing zone obstructed” warning three times in a row, you’re better off finding a slightly flatter spot nearby instead of forcing it. Forcing a landing on a steep slope almost always ends with your ship sliding down the hill or getting stuck half-buried in the terrain.
Common Landing Mistakes to Avoid for New and Veteran Players
Even players with hundreds of hours of playtime fall into these bad habits, and they almost always lead to unnecessary damage or lost time. The most common mistake I see is players trying to land directly on top of a trading post or space station landing pad without lining up first. Most trading post pads are small, and if you’re even a little off center, your ship will bounce off the pad and crash into the surrounding structure. Instead, hover 200 feet above the pad and line up your ship with the center of the pad before you start your descent.
Another common mistake is ignoring low fuel warnings mid-landing. If your ship’s thruster fuel drops below 5% while you’re descending, your ship will stall and fall the rest of the way to the surface, which almost always causes major hull damage. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge the entire time you’re landing, and if you notice it running low, pull up, refuel, and try again.
So many players also forget that landing near aggressive fauna is a bad idea. I once landed 20 feet from a giant hostile worm on a desert planet, and it ate half of my ship’s external cargo pods before I could even get out of the cockpit. If your scanner picks up large hostile life signs near your landing zone, move 500 feet away before you touch down. You don’t want to fight a giant predator while you’re still waiting for your ship’s systems to boot up after landing.
Advanced Landing Tips for Tricky, High-Risk Planets
Once you’ve mastered basic landings, you’ll eventually run into planets where standard landing rules don’t apply: water worlds, gas giant moons, storm-wracked dead planets, and planets with almost no flat terrain at all. For these worlds, a few extra tips will keep you from wasting hours trying to find a safe spot to touch down.
For water worlds, you can land directly on the surface of the water as long as your ship has watertight hull upgrades installed. Without that upgrade, your ship will take continuous water damage as soon as you land, and you’ll have to take off again immediately to avoid losing your ship entirely. If you don’t have the upgrade, look for small islands or floating ice chunks to land on instead.
For planets with extreme, constant storms, you only have a 20 to 30 second window between storm surges to land safely. Wait for a lull in the storm (you’ll see the on-screen weather warning fade temporarily) before you start your descent. If you start landing right as a surge hits, the wind will blow you off course, and you’ll likely crash into terrain you can’t see through the storm clouds.
If you’re trying to land in a mountainous area with almost no flat ground, you can use your ship’s mining laser to blast away small rock formations and flatten a small landing zone for yourself. Just make sure you’re hovering at least 50 feet above the ground while you mine, so you don’t accidentally hit the terrain with your ship. It only takes 30 seconds to clear a small enough spot to land, and it’s way faster than flying around for 10 minutes looking for a natural flat spot.
Landing doesn’t have to be the most frustrating part of exploring the No Man’s Sky universe. Once you get the hang of the basic sequence and learn to avoid common mistakes, you’ll be able to touch down safely on almost any planet in the galaxy without breaking a sweat. The best way to get comfortable is to practice: spend 10 minutes landing in different terrain types on your next play session, and you’ll pick up the rhythm faster than you think. Whether you’re chasing rare resources, tracking down hidden lore, or meeting up with friends on a remote planet, taking the time to learn how to land in No Man’s Sky properly will save you hours of frustration and wasted resources over the course of your playthrough.
