How to Save Game in No Man's Sky
There is no save button in the menus - saving happens through gameplay. Three ways to do it, from fastest to most portable.
Fastest save: climb into your starship and climb back out. Every exit triggers a "Restore point saved" notification - that's your manual save. It works anywhere you can summon your ship.
The three save methods
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Exit your starship | Entering then exiting your ship writes a restore point. Works on planets, stations and the Anomaly - and exiting the Minotaur or Nautilon exocraft does it too. Summon the ship from the quick menu if it's parked far away. | The everyday save - do it after any big haul |
| Portable Save Point | A craftable device you carry in your inventory: 2x Metal Plating + 1x Di-Hydrogen Jelly. Blueprint comes from the Space Anomaly (or free from the fifth base computer mission). Place it, interact, pick it back up. | Saving deep on foot when the ship isn't around |
| Beacons & Waypoints | Found next to almost every planetary structure - outposts, depots, shelters, drop pods, crashed ships. Interacting with one triggers a save automatically. | Emergency saves while exploring structures |
What to know about how saves work
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Two kinds of saves | Restore points (manual saves you trigger) and autosaves (the game writes these periodically - don't rely on them after a long session). |
| One manual slot per save | Each new restore point overwrites the last. You can't keep multiple manual saves of one run - save when you're sure. |
| Made a mistake? | The options menu lets you load your last restore point or autosave - reload instead of saving to undo a bad trade or death. |
| Multiple playthroughs | Several separate save files can exist for different runs, selectable on boot - but within one run, it's one restore slot. |
| Beacon marking tip | You can place up to 5 beacons per planet and recolor them (Z in the build menu) - colors show as markers on your navigation. |
FAQ
Where is the save button in No Man's Sky?
There isn't one - you save by exiting your starship, using a portable Save Point, or activating a Beacon/Waypoint at structures.
Does No Man's Sky autosave?
Yes, periodically - but autosaves can lag far behind real progress. Always trigger a manual save after significant mining, trading or building.
How do I save on a planet without my ship?
Craft a portable Save Point (2 Metal Plating + 1 Di-Hydrogen Jelly) or find a Beacon at a nearby structure - your Analysis Visor can spot them.
Can I have multiple save files?
You can run separate playthroughs as different save files, but within one run there's only a single restore-point slot that keeps overwriting.
Does saving work the same on console and iOS?
Yes - the ship/beacon system is identical across PC, console and the new iOS version; only the menus look different.