No Man’s Sky Launches Latest Experimental Branch

No Man’s Sky has rolled out a brand-new experimental branch for Steam players, focusing on ironing out some multiplayer and performance hiccups. Although these tweaks are relatively minor, they aim to enhance the overall gameplay for those diving into No Man’s Sky in 2024.

Despite its rocky debut back in 2016, Hello Games has consistently pushed out updates to polish and expand the game, impressively turning its reputation around. The ongoing efforts have rightfully earned No Man’s Sky a noteworthy redemption narrative in the gaming world. Even as 2024 progresses, players have enjoyed several free updates like "Worlds Part 1," which brought planet revamps with features like volumetric clouds, improved water effects, and new flora-packed planets to discover.

As we near the close of 2024, Hello Games is ramping up some fresh updates. On November 28, they unveiled a new experimental branch for Steam users, targeting several technical issues. Key fixes zero in on multiplayer connection troubles on the PS4 and some crashing problems when playing the PS4 version on a PS5. They’re also fine-tuning ship inventory glitches and enhancing performance on Mac, alongside refining wind calculations for more lifelike environments.

How to Access the New Experimental Branch in No Man’s Sky

If you’re itching to try the new experimental build, here’s a quick guide: Right-click No Man’s Sky in your Steam Library and hit Properties. Head to the Betas tab, enter "3xperimental" as the access code, and click Check Code. From there, you can select the experimental branch.

Hello Games strongly advises users participating in the experimental build to back up their save files, just in case any unforeseen issues surface. They suggest creating “a local copy of the st_[userid] folder” located at %appdata%\HelloGames\NMS\ on PC or ~/Library/Application Support/HelloGames/NMS/ on Mac. Players are also warned against using experimental save data in the main branch if they choose to exit the testing phase. The plan is to roll out these updates to other platforms as soon as possible.

Hello Games’ dedication to keeping No Man’s Sky fresh and engaging is indeed commendable, as evidenced by a thriving player base on Steam. Recently, the game’s reviews have even hit a "Very Positive" status on the platform, reflecting the substantial improvements since its inception.

Looking ahead to the holiday season, Hello Games is setting the stage for some exciting content in No Man’s Sky. They’re planning to re-run five expeditions every fortnight, with the event Omega already live.

No Man’s Sky Experimental Branch November 28 – What’s New

• Fixed a rare problem that could cause ship inventories to merge improperly.
• Enhanced wind calculations to improve environmental immersion.
• Addressed multiplayer connection failures on PS4.
• Resolved crashes occurring with the PS4 version on a PS5.
• Fixed a focus issue on Mac that led to performance drops.

Get ready to embark on this ongoing journey, full of discoveries and enhancements, as you explore the vast universe of No Man’s Sky—it’s a continual adventure that keeps getting better!