How to manually save in No Man’s Sky

Saving in No Man’s Sky is an automatic process that happens in the background. Most of the time, you don’t need to worry about it. However, it’s always good to know how to manually save in No Man’s Sky for those moments when you just want to make absolutely sure that your progress isn’t lost. This guide explains how to do that.

How to trigger a save in No Man’s Sky

There are a few ways that you can force No Man’s Sky to manually save your progress. We compiled this list of the most reliable methods to help you maintain your momentum.

Exit your ship or Exocraft

No Man’s Sky’s autosave function will trigger whenever you leave your ship or an Exocraft, including the Nautilus and Minotaur. Your ship is your best manual save point because you can bring it pretty much anywhere by using the quick menu to cause it to fly to your location. All you have to do is get into your ship or Exocraft, then get out, and the game will automatically save your progress. If you quit and jump back in, you’ll load into the point at which you left your vehicle.

Related: How to install the Minotaur AI Pilot for your Exocraft in No Man’s Sky

Activate a Beacon or Waypoint

Beacons act as save points and activating them saves your game. You can find beacons on almost any planetary structure, provided they aren’t ruins or monoliths. Activate them while you’re exploring, and your game automatically saves. The same is true of Waypoints, though these are harder to stumble across. Each one will manually save your game, so head for a building if you have no other choice when you need to save and quit.

Portable Save Point

An odd combination of convenient and complicated, No Man’s Sky allows you to make a Portable Save Point in the game. It’s reusable, and all you have to do is set it down and activate it to save your progress. You should start the game with a Portable Save Point but can buy the blueprints for one from The Anomaly if you don’t. We’d call this the second easiest way to save, though it’s definitely the simpler option once you’ve built one and carry it around in your inventory. Just don’t leave it on a planet when you fly away, because you’ll never see it again.