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No Man's Sky NEXT guide, tips and new features in the NEXT update on Xbox One, PS4 and PC

Everything you need to know about No Man's Sky NEXT.

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Guide by Chris Tapsell Deputy Editor
Updated on
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No Man's Sky NEXT is finally here, and it's brought a range of changes with it.

Now the update's out in the wild, here's our new No Man's Sky guide hub, along with a selection of our NEXT tips and a quick rundown of everything new in No Man's Sky Next on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Please note that our No Man's Sky guides are in the process of being updated after the launch of No Man's Sky BEYOND - for now, this page may still have plenty of useful info, but bear in mind it's due a refresh! If you're looking for more on that big update though, our guide to what's new in the No Man's Sky BEYOND update and its release time on Xbox One, PC, PS4, our big list of No Man's Sky patch notes, or our guide to the new No Man's Sky multiplayer and Nexus hub are the best places to start!

No Man's Sky NEXT update differences and changes - what's new in the NEXT Update?

There's a pretty huge range of changes coming to No Man's Sky in the NEXT update, so here's a rundown of everything we know:

Visual and cosmetic changes

  • Massively improved lighting and atmospheric effects.
  • Increased draw distances.
  • A new cloud rendering system.
  • Improved textures and water.
  • A third-person perspective camera.
  • A new sense of scale, with a more "earth-like" planetary generation system that produces more mountains, valleys, flora, fauna and architectural "props".

Narrative, story and main quest changes

  • The entire opening mission has changed again to make it more accessible and better explain the game's systems.
  • You still have to gather resources for your downed ship however, and the emphasis is still on gathering and managing resources.
  • You get access to a new item, the terraformer, that lets you shape the earth around you at will, as well as base building and freighters early on.

Changes to ships and fleets

  • Freighters, introduced in a previous update, have been reworked again - you now get access to them much earlier on as a freebie, rather than you needing to pay huge sums of money for them.
  • You can find improved versions with better stats around the galaxy as you progress.
  • Freighters now have customisable areas in more prominant positions.
  • There's a new Frigate system: you can now buy Frigates and have up to 50 of them in a fleet that follows your Freighter around space.
  • Frigates have their own specialisations, and can be sent on procedurally generated missions which play out in real-time.
  • You can actually follow them across the galaxy, as they go to actual locations to performa actual tasts, or you can let them run remotely on their own.

System and mechanical changes

  • Base building has been reworked - "with a greater focus on construction using individual pieces (floors, walls, ceilings, etc.) to make more elaborate, more distinct rooms and layouts" in our reporter Matt Wales' words, and room pieces now automatically carve out the landscape to fit in nicely.
  • You can now build anywhere on a planet, rather than at set "habitable outpost" places.
  • You can now have multiple bases, at last!

Cycle back to our main hub for what's new in what's new in No Man's Sky Beyond and more basic info on the big update, otherwise take a look at our deep dive on No Man's Sky multiplayer explained for more on teaming up, our guide to base building, an introduction into electrical wiring and powering your base, to how to expand your Exosuit, Ship and Multi-tool inventory space, and Freighters and Frigates explained. Plus other handy stuff like how to repair your ship and get the Hermetic Seal, Pure Ferrite, Metal Plating and Di-Hydrogen Jelly, locations of theAtlas Pass v1, v2 and v3, a guide to No Man's Sky money and how to earn Units fast, plushow to get Antimatter and the Antimatter recipe, and even how to save the game in No Man's Sky, too. Finally, we have pages on how to reach the centre of the galaxy, how to get Chromatic Metal, and a Journey Milestones list, too.

Multiplayer changes

  • The headline addition in NEXT is of course multiplayer - you can now play in groups of up to four players, viewing their actual avatars.
  • You can customise your own avatar (yes you can play as Gek).
  • Special, "live" missions are coming soon, and completing them rewards you an in-game currency that lets you purchase things like exclusive emotes, ships, parts and vehicles.
  • There are no microtransactions.
  • You can mark points of interest to your group, drop resources directly into friends' inventories, and join players at will.

No Man's Sky NEXT guide

Here's a quick rundown of all our now-up-to-date No Man's Sky NEXT guides:

No Man's Sky tips and tricks

  • There are multiple ways to 'complete' No Man's Sky - You can follow the Atlas Path, to see where that ominous thing takes you and why. Or you could roam freely, completing all of your Journey Milestones and grabbing all of the games PlayStation Trophies or achievements along the way. Or, finally, you could book it straight to the centre of the galaxy, and see what all the fuss is about for yourself. We've explained all three methods in the links below.
  • Carry key resources on you in bulk at all times - We recommend you store Ferrite Dust, Carbon, Copper, Chromatic Metal, Di-hydrogen, Oxygen, Sodium, and Starship Launch Fuel on you at all times in bulk. With those resources you'll be able to refill you mining beams, hazard protection, and life support, as well as craft or open the odd bit of technology that comes up and refuel your Starship, too.
  • There's a faster way to travel on foot - You can now sprint (hooray!) by pressing in the right analog stick on consoles. As well as that, the old jetpack-punch method still works, and is a good way to keep moving fast when you run out of stamina. Try to melee and then immediately jetpack jump to dash forwards rapidly!
  • Technology gets bonuses when placed together - You might notice that your technology, which is permanently installed in stuff like your Starship, Exosuit and Multi-tool, has a coloured border around the square representing it in your inventory. Put the same coloured tech next to each other to get a small bonus to efficiency!

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