Updated at: 22-02-2023 - By: Gemaga

You should take advantage of the fact that you can alter the game’s settings in No Man’s Sky. All the best add-ons for No Man’s Sky in 2018 are compiled here.

The latest update, Beyond, brought a new social space, rebalanced gameplay, and simplified online multiplayer, all of which show that No Man’s Sky is constantly improving thanks to developer Hello Games’ frequent updates.

The vanilla NMS experience may look and play better now than it did when it was first released, but modders are still hard at work improving the game in every way possible.

In this article, we will discuss the top PC add-ons for No Man’s Sky that will greatly improve your experience in the game. Keep checking back as we will be adding more games as time goes on, and if you want more suggestions, check out our other curated lists:

More Realistic Visuals

Most people will remember NMS for its visually striking, retro-futuristic aesthetic, achieved through a combination of a highly stylized visual style and the game’s use of oversaturated colors in both the foreground and background.

However, after putting in dozens, if not hundreds of hours into the game, you may find yourself yearning for a more natural presentation that isn’t quite so jarring and contrast-heavy.

To reduce the visual overload of NMS’s universe, the Deep Space mod completely revamps the game’s visuals. In addition to lowering the game’s saturation, this mod gives atmospheric effects like clouds, fog, and nebulae a softer, more realistic appearance.

It also reduces the amount of edge lighting on plants and animals, which helps to create calmer settings.

Top 20 Best No Man's Sky Mods You Should Be Playing With – FandomSpot

More Interesting Planets

Each planet in NMS is generated through a series of algorithms. This allows for a lot of variety, but it also means that planets feel a little too random sometimes.

Installing the Better Planet Generation mod can restore the awe felt when discovering a planet with a completely different physical layout from any other in the game.

This modification makes use of new data tables to increase the variety and scale of planet-based objects in a consistent manner.

While this does increase the randomness of planet generation, the algorithm used by the mod ensures that large areas of a planet will contain similar fauna, flora, and rocks. This results in planets with a wide variety of ecosystems and potentially dangerous conditions.

Better Flight

Because of the limitations of your ship’s controls, intergalactic travel in NMS can be a real pain at times. Dazaster’s Ship Flight for Synthesis mod is among the best of many that alter flight behavior.

You’ll be able to fly faster and boost higher, and you’ll also be able to hover and land flat. It makes it easier to turn and faster in combat and the pulse drive.

There are also some extras you can choose to activate, like a ship camera that gives off a 90s-style visual effect and engine trails that are clearly visible during boosts.

Speed Up Interactions

Holding down the action button for an excessively long time when interacting with an item or NPC is one of the most irritating aspects of video games.

While this makes perfect sense for multi-purpose buttons, it can be a nightmare for routine tasks like opening your inventory.

Installing the Fast Actions mod will greatly increase the speed at which NMS recognizes button presses for actions like navigating menus, creating and disassembling technology, transferring materials, communicating with NPCs, and more.

It has two customizable settings, Instant Actions and Fast Actions, with the latter being a happy medium between the two extremes of the input spectrum.

Create a Planet Map

As you explore the galaxy, you might find a planet that particularly speaks to you or that you want to show off to your pals. The lack of support in the base game forces players to resort to third-party add-ons.

When you use a mod like No Man’s Connect, your current game’s coordinates are uploaded to a server and made available to other players.

The end result is a searchable database of everyone’s coordinates, complete with a name and brief description that can be used to travel to specific locations anywhere in the galaxy. As an added bonus, the mod gives you a galaxy map that shows your location in relation to the galactic core.

Turn NMS into an RPG

The dedication of Hello Games to enhancing NMS is well-documented, with numerous post-launch additions of fan-requested features. However, there are still some areas of the game that could use some work, and that’s where modders come in.

The Dragonfly Exocraft, a land speeder with rebalanced controls and extra storage space, is one of the many additions made possible by NMS Fantasy Synthesis, a suite of game-altering mods.

Launch For Free

Modding allows players to circumvent some of the tedium that comes standard in most video games. In vanilla NMS, this means never having to worry about being stranded on a planet by having an adequate supply of Starship Launch Fuel.

Although it’s only a minor annoyance, it can be especially bothersome in games where you have to juggle a lot of different items. Installation of the Free Launch mod will eliminate the need for launch fuel, simplifying the process.

Increase Inventory Stack Limit

Everyone has experienced the thrill of discovering a treasure trove of materials that can be used to purchase a long-desired enhancement or tool.

Right away, you begin stockpiling as much as possible, but soon you discover that you can only stack so many items in your warehouse.

When playing NMS on survival difficulty, for example, you are only allowed a stack size of 250 products. If you want to make your life easier, you can use the Stack Multiplier mod to increase the stack limit to 9999.

Better Photo Mode

NMS is a stunningly designed game with exciting use of color and contrast. Even though a photo mode was added in the Pathfinder update so that players could snap pictures of breathtaking scenery and special moments, Hello Games hasn’t made any further improvements to the feature since then.

The shaky-cam effect is completely disabled and the photo mode camera’s range is increased to 1000u with the Camera Enhancements and Filters mod. There are also twenty additional filters available for use. This is the ideal add-on for those who use NMS to record memorable events.

Better Base Building

One of the best features Hello Games could have added to NMS is the ability to build bases, where players can design and construct their own unique communities that other players are welcome to explore. There are some restrictions, to be sure, but it’s great that modders are constantly working to make better tools for constructing bases.

Gumsk’s Base Building mod significantly alters the functionality of the feature, including the addition of a setting to increase the boundary size for bases to 150,000u, which is enough to reach the opposite side of any planet.

In addition, you can now alter the look of your products by choosing from a wider variety of colors and materials, as well as a wider range of cables and wires to position them.

No Man’s Connect — Online Location Manager

Re-visiting locations in a procedurally generated game is like looking for a needle in a haystack. This mod, made by user jaszhix, is regularly updated, can be used without an internet connection, and teleports players to previously registered locations on PC.

For those who want more flexibility when searching for the ideal companion animal or spaceship, this is a fantastic new feature.

Reduced Launch Cost

While the game’s crafting and resource meta has certainly progressed since release, it can be a pain to remember to always have enough launch fuel. Using this tweak made by user Lex – Io2k, you can save a lot of money on rocket fuel.

The newest version adds the option for the user to customize the amount of fuel savings achieved. This mod is compatible with the Reduced Warp Cost mod and offers three different reductions in the cost of warp travel (0, 5, and 10%).

Fast Actions By Lo2k

Every time you click an item during the crafting process, a brief animation will play. It doesn’t take long, but it can become costly if there’s a need for a large quantity of something. There are a number of other tasks in the game that take up precious seconds that could be better spent elsewhere. A few examples include making a transfer, boarding a ship, and collecting a few small plants.

If you’re looking for a simple way to improve your life, this is the mod for you. It merely shortens the amount of time needed to accomplish certain tasks. Making use of this mod will speed up the crafting process, but new players may still need some guidance.

Better Planet Generation

User This mod was made by WoodyMontana to help you make better, more interesting planets. Don’t look at it as an insult to the developers’ hard work, but rather as a way to enhance your gaming experience.

If your favorite part of NMS is exploring what the engine can make at random, then you should definitely install this mod, even though it hasn’t been updated since August 2021.

HD Clouds By Lo2k

Even though cloud textures were updated in the most recent patches, it was not a major rework. Textures of clouds in the atmosphere are being used for planets in deep space. A player must be relatively close to a planet before the dynamic clouds will appear. If that happens, the game will start using moving clouds.

This modification enhances the visual quality of objects at medium and long ranges. That way, the universe as a whole would look much nicer, and the planets would have a better chance of feeling alive and less repetitive.

Faster Analysis By Alechielke

The primary attraction of No Man’s Sky is its open world, and every new planet players visit presents them with a large amount of scanning to do. There will always be players who think this is the slowest or most boring part of the game. As luck would have it, Alechielke shared these sentiments, and the mod can now be used by players.

This upgrade makes it possible for the analysis visor to perform scans at a much higher rate. That in and of itself is already excellent news. The task is still there; with the mod enabled, it will take less time to complete. Those unfamiliar with scanning’s significance in No Man’s Sky would be wise to familiarize themselves with the game’s best practices.

Fine LOD By HoratioHafnaugels

Even though No Man’s Sky is an incredible game, it has a few flaws. As you walk around, you may notice that the ground textures are slow to load. Since the game may be constantly loading them, framerate drops may occur. In addition, there is the well-known problem of the water level. The water level appears to be significantly lower than it actually is.

However, the problem is easily solved by using the find LOD function. This modification improves the visual appeal of the game by allowing textures to load from a greater distance. This is an essential upgrade for PC gamers with the necessary hardware.

Fast-Text-View Next Generation By UserPro66

To improve their gaming experience, many players have come up with ideas for new mods to improve upon existing ones. These cases include this modification. UserPro66 complained that the time it took for conversations with NPCs to display their texts, so he created a new mod to address the issue.

With this mod installed, NPC dialogue should appear almost instantly. Excellent improvement to life’s quality that comes from a seemingly insignificant tweak.

LowFlight By HytekGaming

This modification makes it possible for ships to explore planets from low altitudes. From within the spacecraft, players can examine the planet’s surface in great detail. Also, while inside, you can turn your head in any direction you like. It’s nice to be able to float a ship over a unique ecosystem and take pictures from afar.

Best No Man's Sky Mods 2023 [Ultimate List] - GamingScan

Moreover, this mod improves the experience by allowing players to steer the ship while submerged in water. A strange thing about this mod is that it makes you think the original game should have had it built in from the start.

Exosolar’s Expanse By Exosolar

Even though the science fiction dream of discovering new systems in space is incredible as it is, it could be even better. Some people would like a more realistic experience of space. Seeing all the different hues, stars, rocks, and nebulas in No Man’s Sky can make space seem crowded and bright.

With Exosolar’s mod, space in No Man’s Sky takes on a new look. An entirely black arena with faraway nebulae is an option for players. To break up the monotony of the infinite blackness, distant nebulae can be added.

 Exosolar’s Beyond Base Building By Exosolar

Conflict-free Zone The Sky base-building system was a huge hit with the players. Over 400 playable components allow players to design their ideal stronghold. However, many times the game considers the position of those parts invalid, frustrating many inventive minds.

Thankfully, that’s been addressed with this mod, and players now have complete freedom to arrange virtually all components however they see fit. This modification makes it so that even the most imaginative base designs can be realized in-game, making the process of building a base much more enjoyable. You can build an excellent foundation by doing many nice things.

Dud’s Sky Colors By Jasondude7116

No Man’s Sky’s procedurally generated planets have enough variety to fill the galaxy, and they can have more if players want. The colors of grass, plants, sand, water, snow, and many other things are complemented by Dud’s sky.

One example is that icy planets won’t have to be completely white anymore. Uniquely hued flora are on the horizon. That just makes things more interesting by highlighting the fact that some planets have something no other planet does. There are some add-ons so good that players wonder why they weren’t included in the base game.

No Camera Shake By RyokuHasu

Conflict-free Zone There is a lot of blur in the sky. One could make the case that that’s too much. Many players are bothered by it, though the vast majority are not. Those susceptible to motion sickness will be the most negatively impacted by this, as the resulting camera shake will render the game unplayable.

With this patch, the camera in No Man’s Sky is completely stable. It was made by someone who planned to use it, as is the case with many modifications. In order to satisfy his gaming itch, RyokoHasu developed a custom mod.

Shorter Settlement Timers

A new feature in NMS’s most recent patch is settlements, which function like small towns that players can explore and eventually inhabit. The Shorter Settlement Timers mod, made by user trevix, cuts down players’ wait times by 10.

Since it is a brand-new modification, monitoring its development is highly recommended.

Free Launch

Now, in No Man’s Sky, you can enjoy Free Launch, much like the free lunch programs at some schools.

In all seriousness, the first update on this list is one of those minor adjustments that have far-reaching consequences.

Normally only available in Creative, this mod makes the boon of not having to spend 25%-50% of your precious fuel at launch available on all difficulties.

This is the game for you if you lack patience and don’t enjoy managing your resources.

Fewer Bigger Clouds

Clouds in No Man’s Sky seem to be everyone’s biggest complaint.

Clouds are a common feature of Earth and other planets with water and other elements, but they often obscure the view of the night sky.

If you’re having trouble with an overabundance of steam bodies in your atmosphere but don’t want to completely remove them, NexusMods user Trevix has a suggestion for you.

In order to improve the visual appeal, it will alter cloud distribution so that large marshmallow clouds appear instead of numerous smaller clouds at high altitudes.

Even though it’s easy, it has the potential to greatly enhance the experience for certain users.

No Teleporter

This is for the players who prefer to see every world without using fast travel.

DarkSideRC, the mod’s creator, has long felt that the inclusion of Teleporters at bases and stations makes the game too easy. So, he basically just made them into two save points.

With this patch, the game has a much more grounded, road-trip-like vibe, in my opinion.

It’s probably how the game is supposed to be played for maximum immersion, with me having to constantly hop between planets to reach my goals.

Cloud Erasers

When compared to Fewer Bigger Clouds, Cloud Erasers is more aggressive, but it also offers more customization options.

Exosolar, the company that made this possible, made it so you can pick and choose which clouds you want to get rid of. The small, high-up clouds can be easily removed from the game by installing the Cirrus Eraser add-on.

To get rid of the big, cotton candy clouds that form at lower altitudes, just install the Cumulus Eraser. Utilize both, if you like, and you’ll always have blue skies!

A crucial add-on for any gamer who likes to take pictures of their play.

Low Flight

What kind of idiots at Hello Games decided against including this in the original release?

To the credit of user HytekGaming, you can now float just above the ground if you so choose.

There was always this in even the earliest biplanes. Is there any reason why a spacecraft capable of hyperspace travel couldn’t soar through the air?

The game wasn’t made for you to explore the world from your cockpit, so it’s likely that you’ll run into obstacles like land, trees, and even animals.

Don’t fret though; this mod will prevent you from taking any harm from collisions while you’re in the atmosphere.

Spaced Out Asteroids

You can thank NexusMods user JustSpaceThings for the mod that will make navigating asteroids a breeze.

With Spaced Out Asteroids, you won’t have to worry about being bombarded by a swarm of rocks every time you visit an asteroid belt.

Now that there’s more room between them, flying through them is much less of a challenge.

However, you will need to put in more effort to obtain the same amount of resources through mining.

Certainly, it’s not a huge deal. The number of times I’ve seen this topic brought up in online forums makes me confident that at least some of you will find this information to be of use.

Immersive Space

When exploring the stars in No Man’s Sky, you may find that there are too many players on the screen, ruining the experience.

Pretty pictures of colorful nebulae and other space phenomena are appealing. Space, on the other hand, is supposed to make you feel alone because of its vastness and emptiness compared to Earth.

With this modification by Martius, the universe will have a deeper, less populated, and more realistic look and feel.

Some vibrant nebulae have been preserved. But because there aren’t a million of them anymore, each one has a fighting chance to be noticed.

It’s possible that the scene will seem more stunning than ever before.

Dark Warp

Dark Warp, made by user Damanique, is a mod in the same vein as other minimalistic, yet useful, ones.

This mod provides a more somber and understated warping effect than the original game’s dazzling Star Trek-style warp.

Because most visual updates involve the warp effects in some way, this mod is incompatible with the vast majority of them.

However, if you’re just getting started modding and want to make some simple tweaks, this is a great place to do so.

Deep Space V2

User Emmett Brown has created a mod for No Man’s Sky that promises to greatly improve the game’s space travel experience, making it more cinematic and immersive.

It reduces the brightness of stars and nebulae in order to make the universe feel more intimate, and it adjusts the color filters in order to make the planets you pass look more realistic.

Because of this, it also gets rid of space travel’s scanlines, DoF effects, and vignette.

Nada’s Starmap Upgrade

Most of your decisions while flying through space will be based on your position in relation to the Galaxy Map, which will help you plot a course and pinpoint your location within the vast sea of stars.

Skilled tinkerer Generally speaking, Exosolar found this procedure to be slow and inefficient.

And so he made a few adjustments to make it more entertaining and user-friendly.

You can now zoom in and out of the map screen with much less delay.

It also improves the distinction between the colors red, green, and blue in stars.

Although seemingly inconsequential, after using it for even a short period of time, you won’t want to go back.

Start No Tuto

The tutorial mission will get on your nerves after the third or fourth new game start.

You start out with a broken ship and rudimentary tools. Therefore, it is insult to injury to have the fundamentals reiterated to you.

DarkSideRC, a modder, had enough of the game’s tutorial mission and released this modification, which does exactly what its name suggests: it takes the mission out of the game entirely.

Fixing your ship and getting into space is still your responsibility. On the other hand, you can now get to work, and the story will pick up right where you left off in Chapter 2 once you reach orbit.

Big Things 4

Any player who spends enough time in the game’s starting universe will eventually notice that every planet has the same basic design.

In a nutshell, yes, both biomes and lifeforms are generated procedurally. Because of how limited the options are, however, it’s impossible to avoid seeing patterns of repetition.

The mod’s authors claim that making some trees, rocks, and plants significantly larger on some planets will restore that sense of wonder.

Every person now has an air of superiority about them that they didn’t have before.

You’ll forget about your troubles for a while as you get lost in the majesty of the towering trees and other forest giants that surround you, and remember once more how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of things.

Hard Start

The Hard Start mod is very similar to the Start No Tuto mod, which is also required for use with this one.

The game’s setup is altered to make things more engaging for seasoned players.

The process of fixing a ship becomes second nature after a lot of play time.

The addition of this part means that your ship is now completely broken and your multitool is in even worse shape than before. Scrub, I hope you find a way to get off this planet soon.

Busier Space

There are those who find the overwhelming presence of stars and planets in No Man’s Sky to be a major distraction from the experience, while others find that the comparatively low levels of player and NPC activity throughout the galaxy are the real deal-breaker.

More ships are created in every direction as Space becomes busier. And I do mean significantly so.

It will seem as if intelligent life has already begun its journey to the stars.

Space pirates and chance space battles are also impacted by the change, making each encounter much more dangerous.

NoFade FPS Booster

This mod by Lo2k may be what you need if your frame rate in No Man’s Sky is inconsistent even though your system meets the minimum requirements.

It gets rid of the fade effect, which otherwise would have helped camouflage objects that suddenly appeared on the horizon as background noise.

This mod will occasionally throw in a reminder that you’re in a game by having things appear in the distance. If it means gaining 30 percent more frames per second, though, this gamer is willing to forego some immersion.

Creatures Revamped

Popular add-ons for No Man’s Sky focus on improving the game’s procedural generation, especially of the various creatures you’ll encounter on your galactic travels.

The spawn rates and variety of creatures can be modified with this add-on by user Pamehabai6.

It does this by reintroducing many unused assets found in the vanilla game’s files and by allowing previously locked traits to appear in the same creatures.

You’ll find a more contested landscape and unique creatures you won’t find in the vanilla game now that each biome isn’t dominated by just one or two dominant species.

Top 20 Best No Man's Sky Mods You Should Be Playing With – FandomSpot

Shaidak’s Generation

Although we remain in the same general field, our attention here will be directed more toward biomes. And it’s here that you’ll find Shaidak’s Generation, a tweak that expands the flora and mineral composition of the world’s biomes.

As you progress deeper into a biome with lots of plants, you’ll notice that the plants around you grow taller, giving the impression that you’re in the middle of a dense jungle.

The fact that Shaidak took the time to ensure the mod still felt like NMS and not World of Warcraft in space is what sets it apart from the competition.

Exosolar’s Stratos

The NMS skies lack variety, which is odd for a game focused on the thrill of discovering new worlds.

Each of the game’s skies is a slight deviation from one of six (6) preset color palettes for the sky.

Exosolar, a game modder, added an additional 2028 color palettes to the game.

In practice, this means that the sky will never look the same twice. There is an effect on the night sky and frozen planets as well.

To ensure that you get the most out of your sky-gazing experience, the mod also adds color to the fog, lessens the brightness of the sun, and enhances the quality of shadows. A new set of lights and hues have been installed in the one place you’ll be looking the most.

Project Atlas

You should consider looking into Project Atlas if you’ve seen everything the “vanilla” game has to offer and are craving a radical change.

This modification completely reworks biome generation, giving each world its own special flavor.

You can’t possibly encounter two planets that are even remotely “the same,” given the vast number of possible biomes and biome combinations.

NMS Fantasy Synthesis

If, on the other hand, a total overhaul of No Man’s Sky is what you’re after, you should definitely check out this collection of modding work by user Redmas spanning over two years.

This massive mod improves nearly every aspect of the game, from the sky to the sea, with better clouds, darker nights, more blue water, and numerous gameplay tweaks to streamline the experience.

The generation of creatures and ecosystems has also been revised to adhere to a more fantastical style. In general, I really like this.

If you start a new game right after installing this mod, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing a completely different game.

To get you started on the brand new content as soon as possible, the game will randomly assign you a ship and a multi-tool. If you are a fan of No Man’s Sky, you should spend some time experimenting with this.

FAQS:

What is the rarest thing in no man’s sky?

The Gold GUPPY ship with the Cowled Rear Thruster is the rarest item in all of No Man’s Sky. It’s the last piece of a puzzle consisting of three extremely rare and exotic ships.

Can you be a pirate in no man’s sky?

Being a Pirate for the Day

Participating in piracy, such as by attacking a freighter or other ships in a space fleet, is an option for players. If the player does this, Sentinel Drone Starships will be alerted and will begin attacking.

Can you fly to the sun in no man’s sky?

Anywhere you can see, whether it’s a mountain far off or a planet looming over the horizon, is within reach. Every star in the sky is a sun that you can visit, and interplanetary travel is as easy as flying from one planet’s surface to another.