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Expeditions in No Man’s Sky are shared journeys, not a single jointly owned checklist. You and friends can travel the same route, meet at rendezvous points and form cross-platform groups, but each player records milestones on their own save. Cross-play determines whether you can play together; Hello Games Cloud cross-save moves one of your saved games between linked devices; expedition rewards and expedition equipment use separate in-game systems. The original Nintendo Switch has no multiplayer, while Switch 2 supports multiplayer and cross-play (with Nintendo Switch Online required for multiplayer).
This guide explains how to join an expedition party, choose between a new-game and existing-save start, transfer a save between platforms, return expedition belongings, and avoid the common assumption that a friend’s progress automatically completes yours.
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Yes. Players can enter the same expedition, group across supported platforms and encounter one another along the route. Expeditions divide objectives into phases and place players on shared rendezvous paths, so you can coordinate travel, combat and discoveries. However, the expedition does not become one shared progression ledger: completing a milestone for yourself does not mark that milestone complete for your friend.
Hello Games describes expeditions as social journeys with shared locations and encounters. Seeing another traveller in the Space Anomaly, in space or on a planet is an ambient encounter; it is not proof that you are in the same group or that the other player’s objectives will be credited to your account. Treat every milestone as an individual requirement unless the game explicitly shows your own completion.
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The original Expeditions announcement explains the route, phase and rendezvous structure: Hello Games’ Expeditions update.
How do I join a friend’s expedition across platforms?
Cross-play lets supported platform players create a party, but both players should be in expedition sessions when they intend to undertake the expedition together. Waypoint keeps expedition and Permadeath games in their own matchmaking and base-sharing pool, separate from ordinary modes. Joining a friend in Normal mode does not place you in the expedition pool.
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- Open the multiplayer or Network Options screen. The 2020 cross-play update allows cross-platform groups to be created or joined from the front end or in-game.
- Add your friend if needed. Choose the No Man’s Sky Friends option and enter the friend’s unique code. You can manage those entries from Network Options.
- Start or load the expedition. Select the expedition entry route you intend to use. If one player is still in an ordinary-mode session, have both leave that session and load the expedition before expecting expedition matchmaking or base sharing.
- Accept the group invitation and verify the mode. The party list and expedition interface should show that you are in the expedition session. If you can see the player but cannot share expedition interactions, leave the group and re-enter after both saves are in expedition mode.
The official cross-play announcement covers cross-platform groups, friend codes and ambient encounters: Introducing cross-play for No Man’s Sky. The matchmaking separation is specified in the Waypoint update notes.
What is the difference between cross-play and cross-save?
Cross-play is a session feature: it lets separate players meet and cooperate. Cross-save is a personal storage feature: it lets one selected saved game move between your linked platforms. Neither system makes a friend’s milestone completion yours.
| Feature | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-play | Creates or joins multiplayer groups across supported platforms and allows shared encounters. | It does not merge two players’ saves or synchronize milestone checklists. |
| Hello Games Cloud cross-save | Uploads a selected personal save and lets you download it on another linked platform. | It does not transfer another player’s expedition progress or turn multiplayer into shared progression. |
| Expedition reward redemption | Makes major rewards earned in an expedition redeemable on other saves through the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion. | It is not a copy of the entire expedition save or inventory. |
| Omega expedition terminal | Moves selected equipment and items between an expedition begun from an existing save and that save’s primary game. | It is not a general inventory-transfer service between arbitrary independent saves. |
Keeping these four functions separate prevents the most common “cross-save” misunderstanding: a cloud save moves your own file, while expedition rewards and belongings follow their own rules.
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How can I start an expedition from a new game or an existing save?
You have two entry routes. A new game can start an expedition as a separate expedition save. Since the Omega 4.5 overhaul, an existing save can also enter through the Space Anomaly’s expedition terminal. Hello Games states: “Expeditions can now be started from an existing save, as well continuing to be accessible by starting a new game.”
New-game expedition
Choose the expedition when creating a new game. Under the original expedition rules, that separate save remains available after the event and becomes a Normal-mode save when the expedition ends. This route keeps the expedition independent from your established character, ship and inventory until the event is over.
Existing-save expedition
Load the save you want to preserve, travel to the Space Anomaly and use the expedition terminal. The terminal lets you pause the expedition and return to the primary save in that slot. It also enables the controlled item and technology exchange described below. This is the route to choose when you want an expedition attached to an established character rather than a permanently separate starting file.
The Omega overhaul and its terminal behavior are documented in Hello Games’ Omega update notes.
Do expedition milestones count for both players?
No. A group can share the route and help each other reach a location, but milestones are tracked per player. If a milestone requires a particular discovery, blueprint, scan, combat result or journey distance, each account must satisfy that condition on its own expedition save.
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- Use the group to coordinate rendezvous travel and divide practical tasks, but check your own milestone panel.
- Do not leave an expedition because a friend completed a phase and assume your phase is complete.
- Confirm rewards in your own expedition interface before ending or converting the save.
This individual accounting also applies when players use different platforms. Cross-play changes who can share a session; it does not change ownership of objectives.
How do I move my expedition save between devices?
Use Hello Games Cloud when you want to continue your own expedition on another linked platform. This is a whole-save transfer, not a way to import a friend’s milestones.
- Link the platforms. Connect the relevant platform accounts through Hello Games Cloud. If the cross-save controls do not appear in-game, check the cloud toggles on the account connection page.
- Upload the desired local save. On a connected platform, the most recently launched save uploads automatically after launch. To upload a different local file, select it from the save list using its empty cloud icon.
- Stay within the storage limit. Hello Games’ current cross-save FAQ allows up to five saves in cross-platform cloud storage. That is a save-file limit, not a player or party limit.
- Open the other platform’s save selector. Choose Cross-Save Manager, select the cloud file and download it into local storage.
- Resolve conflicts deliberately. If file size or timestamp information conflicts, the game asks which version to keep. Choose the copy containing the expedition progress you want; do not overwrite it with an older local file by mistake.
Disconnecting every linked account deletes the server-side cloud data but leaves local platform saves untouched. The current instructions and five-save limit are in the Hello Games Cloud cross-save FAQ.
How do expedition rewards and belongings transfer to another save?
Rewards and physical belongings are two different systems. Major expedition rewards become account-level unlocks that you can redeem on other saves, while selected equipment and loot can move through the Omega terminal when the expedition was started from an existing save.
Redeeming major rewards
After unlocking a major expedition reward, visit the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion on the Space Anomaly from another save and redeem the unlocked item there. This is an entitlement to claim the reward again; it is not a copy of every item carried by the expedition character.
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Sending a cache into an existing-save expedition
Before entering an expedition through the terminal, choose the cache of items and packaged equipment you want available during the run. During the expedition, retrieve that cache at the Space Anomaly. The terminal also allows copying a primary starship or Multi-Tool during an active expedition, subject to the terminal’s selections.
Returning belongings after completion
When the existing-save expedition is complete, use the terminal to select the items and technology you want returned to the primary save. The Omega notes specify automatic return of earned units, nanites and Quicksilver, and sharing of discoveries and bases with that primary save. These rules apply to the primary save attached to that expedition slot, not to every independent save on your account.
The item, technology, ship and currency rules are detailed in the Omega update notes. The original expedition notes explain redemption through the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion: Expeditions update.
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Why can’t I join on Nintendo Switch?
Check which Switch generation you are using. Hello Games explicitly says the original Nintendo Switch lacks multiplayer. Switch 2 adds multiplayer and cross-play, and its patch notes require a Nintendo Switch Online membership for multiplayer. Cross-save availability should not be confused with multiplayer capability: a platform can move a personal save without being able to host or join a live group.
| Platform | Multiplayer for expeditions | Cross-play | Important requirement or limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original Nintendo Switch | Not available | Not available for multiplayer | Do not infer multiplayer from cross-save support. |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Available | Supported | Nintendo Switch Online is required for multiplayer, according to the developer’s patch notes. |
The Switch 2 multiplayer and cross-play change arrived with the Beacon update: No Man’s Sky: Beacon.
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How do expedition dates affect my save?
Expeditions are time-limited events, so an expedition may not be selectable when you return to the game. A new-game expedition save remains available under the original rules and converts to a Normal-mode save after the event. No currently running expedition or exact October 2026 end date is established here, so check the in-game expedition selector and current Hello Games announcements rather than relying on an old schedule.
If you are using an existing save, pause the expedition and return to the primary save through the Space Anomaly terminal before the event closes. That preserves the primary-save relationship while the event is available; it does not extend the event’s public availability.
What changed with recent updates?
Beacon opened cross-save to the entire player base on June 4, 2025. A November 7, 2024 announcement described an earlier limited beta, so beta-only availability language is outdated. Beacon also added Switch 2 multiplayer and cross-play while original Switch multiplayer remained absent.
The release log lists Forsaken 7.10 and patch 7.11 at the top of the October 30, 2026 update history. Forsaken adds iOS, but its published description does not independently establish iOS expedition cross-play or Hello Games Cloud support. Do not assume those capabilities solely because the iOS version is described as a full experience.
Which setup should I use?
| Your goal | Use this route | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Play the same expedition with a friend on another supported platform | Create a cross-platform group, then have both players load expedition sessions. | Milestones remain individual and expedition matchmaking is separate from ordinary modes. |
| Continue your own expedition on another device | Hello Games Cloud cross-save. | Upload or select your save, then download it through Cross-Save Manager; five cloud saves maximum. |
| Use your established ship, Multi-Tool or selected supplies in an expedition | Start from an existing save through the Omega terminal. | The terminal controls the cache and return selections. |
| Claim an expedition reward on a different character | Visit the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion. | This redeems the reward entitlement, not the expedition inventory. |
| Play multiplayer from a Switch | Use Switch 2 with Nintendo Switch Online. | Original Switch has no multiplayer even if save-transfer features are available. |
What should I check when cross-play or cross-save fails?
- Friend is visible but cannot join: verify both players are in expedition sessions, not one in Normal mode, because expedition matchmaking and base sharing use a separate pool.
- Friend code does not appear: open Network Options and confirm the platform account is connected and the game is updated.
- Cloud save is missing: check account-link and cloud toggles, then launch the platform containing the wanted save so it can upload.
- Wrong save appears on the second device: return to Cross-Save Manager and choose the cloud file deliberately; resolve timestamp or file-size conflicts before downloading.
- Switch multiplayer is unavailable: identify whether the console is the original Switch or Switch 2, and confirm Nintendo Switch Online on Switch 2.
- Expected reward is absent: visit the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion on the other save; reward redemption is separate from cloud-save downloading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see my friend in the Space Anomaly without being grouped?
Yes. Cross-platform ambient encounters can place travellers together in the Space Anomaly, in space or on planets. Seeing a player there does not create a party, synchronize objectives or grant access to that player’s expedition progress.
Does Hello Games Cloud keep every local save automatically?
No. The most recently launched save uploads automatically on a connected platform, while another local save must be selected with its empty cloud icon. Cloud storage holds up to five saves, so choose files intentionally before downloading on another device.
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Unlinking every connected account removes the server-side cloud copies. Local saves stored on each platform remain on those devices, but they will no longer be available through Hello Games Cloud until you link accounts again and upload a file.
Can an expedition reward be traded directly to a friend?
No. Major rewards are redeemed on another one of your saves through the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion. That entitlement system is separate from multiplayer gifting and from the Omega terminal’s selected-item return.
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