Game mode

The subject of this article is from the ExoMech update.
The information from this article is is up-to-date as of 10 June, 2020.

Mode Select Screen

Game modes provide different ways to play No Man's Sky.

Summary

There are four modes available for game play. Each provides a different experience, different opportunities, and different restrictions.

Normal mode

This is the original mode of play in the initial release of the game in August 2016. It is labeled as a "chill exploration experience". Original gameplay style with regular difficulty, standard technology and building costs.

Death in normal mode involves returning to the location of death to retrieve lost inventory items. If the player dies in space, they must retrieve it with their ship, and one or more parts of the ship might need to be repaired. If the player dies on foot, they must return to the planetside location to retrieve their items.

Survival mode

This mode of play provides a "more challenging survival experience". The player is expected to survive with limited resources, increased hazards, and stronger, more aggressive enemies.

The player's first ship is located some distance away from the spawn point. This requires careful resource management to even reach the ship, let alone repair damage.

Death in Survival mode results in loss of your current inventory, whether in-ship, or on foot. If you die in your ship, you respawn on the nearest planet, a brief distance from your crashed ship. All inventory items on the ship are lost, and one or more components must be repaired.

Permadeath mode

All Progress wiped upon death. Face the risk of permanent character death with the increased hazards and dangers of Survival Mode gameplay.

While other modes have two save slots, one for auto save and one for manual save, in permadeath there is only one save slot which contains the last save (either auto or manual).

Creative mode

This mode of play is a more relaxed version with the ability to "explore and create freely". The player is allowed to indulge their creativity and construction skills, with unlimited health and resources, and zero building costs. It is important to note that trophies will NOT unlock in Creative Mode.

All warp drive upgrades are given to the player, as well as the Terrain Manipulator blueprint.

Comparison

	Creative	Normal	Survival	Permadeath
Starting Position	Near Habitable Base	Away from ship	Away from ship	Away from ship
Fauna and Sentinel Threat Level	Default	Default	More aggressive	More aggressive
Death	Impossible	Inventory retrievable	Inventory is lost, tech breaks	Permanent
Starship Destruction	Impossible	Inventory retrievable	Ship crashes on planet	Permanent
Trophies/Achievements	Not available	Available	Available, one exclusive.	Available, one exclusive.
Costs	None	Default	Increased	Increased
Story	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Black Holes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Resources	Infinite	Default	Decreased	Decreased

Additional information

• Each mode provides a separate save structure.
• Per platform (PC/PS4/Xbox), all uploaded data is shared between all modes, including Communications Stations.
• Player bases are only visible from the same mode.
• Base building is included under creative mode, as are all Exocraft, and Freighters.
• Game language files contain hints at a future mode titled "Ambient Mode". It appears to be a free exploration experience with the player controlling a disembodied camera.
• It is possible to return to the game mode select screen from the options menu.
• If a player manages to reach the center of the galaxy in Permadeath before they do so in Survival, both Take a Deep Breath and To Live Forever milestones are unlocked.

Release history

• Foundation - Creative and Survival modes were added.
• Atlas Rises - the universe seed is now identical across all modes. All generated stars, planets, names are the same.
• Pathfinder - Permadeath was added.