Short answer: No Man’s Sky Expeditions put players on the same time-limited route, but each player still owns a separate expedition progression. Cross-play lets people on supported platforms form a group and meet at expedition locations; it does not automatically complete a friend’s milestones. Cross-save is a different system: Hello Games Cloud moves one of your saves between linked platforms. Expedition rewards, expedition equipment and a complete save therefore use three different transfer methods.
The practical rules are simple once those systems are separated. Both friends should enter expedition sessions, not assume an ordinary-mode group shares the expedition matchmaking pool. A new game can create a separate expedition save, while an existing save can launch an expedition from the Space Anomaly terminal. Original Nintendo Switch has no multiplayer; Switch 2 adds multiplayer and cross-play, with Nintendo Switch Online required for multiplayer.
Can my friend and I do a No Man’s Sky Expedition together?
Yes, if both players are on supported multiplayer platforms and both enter the same expedition session. You can travel together, meet at rendezvous points, share discoveries and bases, and help with activities. However, an expedition is a shared journey rather than one jointly owned checklist: your friend’s completed milestone does not mark that milestone complete in your save.
How to form a cross-platform group
- Launch No Man’s Sky and open the multiplayer or network controls from the front end, or enter the game and open Network Options.
- Add your friend as a No Man’s Sky Friend with the game’s unique friend code. The official cross-play announcement explains that cross-platform groups can be created or joined in-game or from the front end: Hello Games’ cross-play announcement.
- Form the group before starting the expedition, or accept the invitation while already in the game.
- Have every member enter the same expedition. One player using a Normal-mode session and another using an Expedition session should not expect the two matchmaking pools to merge.
- Use the expedition’s rendezvous locations as meeting points. You can also encounter other travellers in the Space Anomaly, in space and on planets, but an ambient encounter is not the same as joining a group.
Expedition matchmaking and base sharing remain separate from ordinary game modes. Hello Games states in the Waypoint update that “Expedition and Permadeath games will remain in their own pool for the purposes of matchmaking and base sharing.” Read the full rule in the Waypoint update notes.
Do expedition milestones count for both players?
No. The route, phases and rendezvous points are shared, but milestone completion is recorded per player. If you and a friend kill the same creature, reach the same system or install the same technology, each account must satisfy its own milestone conditions.
Playing together is still useful. A friend can provide materials, protect you during a difficult objective, point out a rendezvous location or share a base. Treat the group as cooperation around parallel checklists, not as a single party-wide progress bar. Before leaving a session, open your own Expedition milestone screen and verify that the objective is marked complete.
What is the difference between starting a new expedition and using an existing save?
There are two official entry routes. Starting a new game creates a separate expedition save; starting from an existing save runs the expedition through that save’s Space Anomaly terminal and lets you return to the primary save when you pause.
New-game expedition save
Choose the expedition from the new-game flow when it is available. The original expedition rules describe this as a separate save that remains available after the event and becomes a Normal-mode save when the expedition ends. Expeditions are time-limited, so a particular event may no longer be selectable after its closing date. No current October 2026 event schedule or end date is established here; check the in-game expedition screen rather than relying on an old calendar.
Existing-save expedition through the Space Anomaly
Since the Omega 4.5 overhaul, an expedition can be started from an existing save. Hello Games’ patch notes say: “Expeditions can now be started from an existing save, as well continuing to be accessible by starting a new game.” Enter the Space Anomaly, use the expedition terminal and choose the active expedition. You can pause the expedition at that terminal and return to the primary save in the same slot.
This route is the one that supports the controlled equipment and loot transfer described below. It does not turn every independent save into a shared inventory, and it does not make a friend’s milestone progress appear in your account. The detailed terminal changes are documented in the Omega update notes.
What does cross-play actually let you do?
Cross-play concerns interaction with other players. It allows supported-platform players to group, see one another and undertake an expedition together. It does not move a saved game, synchronize milestone checklists or grant ownership of another player’s rewards.
The official cross-play notes describe cross-platform groups and No Man’s Sky Friends, as well as encounters with other travellers in the Space Anomaly, space and on planets. Those are separate layers of multiplayer: seeing a traveller proves only that the network session is populated; a group invitation is required for an organized party.
Switch generation is decisive
Original Nintendo Switch has no multiplayer capability. Switch 2 adds multiplayer and cross-play with the Beacon-era updates, and Hello Games’ Switch 2 patch notes specify a Nintendo Switch Online membership for multiplayer. Cross-save availability should not be confused with multiplayer support: a Switch 1 save can be discussed in the context of cloud transfer without implying that the Switch 1 hardware can join friends.
Hello Games opened Beacon cross-save to the entire player base on June 4, 2025. A November 2024 article described an earlier limited beta, so that beta limitation is no longer a current description. The Beacon announcement records the broader rollout. Forsaken 7.10 announces an iOS version, but the published release information does not independently establish iOS expedition cross-play or cloud-save support; do not infer either feature solely from the statement that iOS receives the full game experience.
How does Hello Games Cloud cross-save work?
Cross-save moves your selected saved game between linked platforms. It is not a multiplayer feature and it does not copy a friend’s expedition milestones into your account. Hello Games’ current FAQ is at cloud.nomanssky.com/cross-save.
- Open the cross-save page and connect the platform accounts you want to use. The connection must be made to the same Hello Games account.
- Launch the game on a connected platform. The most recent local save uploads automatically after launch. If you want a different local save, use the save-selection screen and select the save with an empty cloud icon.
- On the other connected platform, open Cross-Save Manager from save selection and download the chosen cloud save into local storage.
- If the service detects a file-size or timestamp conflict, read the comparison prompt and choose which version to keep. Do not assume the newer-looking platform copy is the one you intended.
- If the cloud entry does not appear, revisit the account-connection page and check the cloud-save toggles before launching again.
The cloud service can hold up to five saves. That is a storage limit for your saved-game files, not a five-player party limit and not five expedition slots shared with friends. Disconnecting all linked accounts deletes the server-side cloud data, while local saves on the platforms remain untouched.
Can expedition belongings and rewards move to another save?
Yes, but the method depends on what you mean by “transfer.” Major reward entitlements, selected expedition equipment and a complete saved game are separate systems.
Move selected equipment through the Omega terminal
When an expedition is started from an existing save, the Omega terminal accepts a selected cache of items and packaged technology before you depart. During the expedition, retrieve that cache at the Space Anomaly. This is a controlled hand-off, not unrestricted access to every inventory in every save.
When you finish, the terminal lets you choose items and technology to return to the primary save. The Omega notes also specify automatic return of earned units, nanites and Quicksilver, plus sharing of discoveries and bases with that primary save. While an expedition is active, the notes separately allow copying a primary starship or Multi-Tool. These options apply to an expedition launched through the existing-save terminal; they are not a promise that arbitrary inventories can be moved between unrelated independent saves.
Redeem major expedition rewards on another save
Major rewards unlocked during an expedition become account-level unlocks that can be claimed on other saves. On the Space Anomaly, use the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion to redeem an unlocked reward. This process grants the reward entitlement; it does not copy the expedition save or transfer every item you carried during the event.
Move the entire expedition save with cross-save
If you need the expedition exactly as it exists—including its current location, inventory and progression—use Hello Games Cloud cross-save and download that whole save on the linked platform. The cloud operation and the Omega terminal operation should not be treated as interchangeable: one relocates a complete file, while the other manages selected expedition contents and reward returns.
Cross-play, cross-save and expedition transfer: what moves?
| System | Primary purpose | What moves | Important limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-play | Play with other travellers | Group access, encounters, cooperation and shared session activity | Does not synchronize milestone completion or move saves |
| Hello Games Cloud cross-save | Continue your game on another linked platform | One selected saved-game file; up to five cloud-stored saves | Requires linked accounts and supported platform features; it is not friend-progress sharing |
| Omega expedition terminal | Manage an expedition launched from an existing save | Selected cached items and technology; selected returns to the primary save; automatic units, nanites and Quicksilver return | Applies to that existing-save expedition flow, not arbitrary independent-save inventories |
| Quicksilver Synthesis Companion | Claim major expedition unlocks elsewhere | Unlocked reward entitlements | Does not copy the expedition’s full inventory or progress |
Why can’t I join my friend’s expedition?
Most failed joins come from using different modes, an uncompleted friend connection or a platform limitation. Work through these checks in order:
- Confirm the mode: both players should be inside the same active expedition, not one in Normal mode and one in an expedition session.
- Check the friend entry: add the No Man’s Sky Friend code in Network Options, then send or accept the group invitation from the front end or in-game menu.
- Verify platform capability: original Switch cannot host or join multiplayer. Switch 2 multiplayer requires Nintendo Switch Online.
- Check the event window: an expedition that has ended cannot be entered through its event flow; an old separate expedition save may instead be available as a Normal-mode save.
- Update the game: cross-play and cross-save behavior depends on the current platform build. Beacon-era features are not the same as the earlier limited beta.
If you can see your friend in the Anomaly but cannot share the expedition, you are likely observing an ambient encounter rather than belonging to the same group or matchmaking pool. Leave the session, form the group first and have both players enter the expedition again.
What should I check before moving an expedition between platforms?
- Confirm that the destination platform account is linked to the same Hello Games account.
- Launch on the source platform so the intended save uploads; do not rely on an older cloud timestamp.
- Count your cloud files before uploading if you are near the five-save limit.
- Keep a local copy on the source platform until the destination save has been downloaded and opened successfully.
- For an Omega expedition, use the terminal to return selected items before abandoning or changing the expedition slot.
- Redeem major rewards through the Quicksilver Synthesis Companion on the destination save instead of expecting them to appear as ordinary inventory items.
Which updates changed these rules?
Omega 4.5 introduced the existing-save expedition terminal and its controlled equipment flow. Waypoint established the separate expedition and Permadeath matchmaking/base-sharing pool. The 2020 cross-play update introduced cross-platform groups and No Man’s Sky Friends. Beacon expanded cross-save availability to the full player base in June 2025 and added Switch 2 multiplayer and cross-play. The release log lists Forsaken 7.10 and patch 7.11 at the top of the October 30, 2026 update history; those version numbers identify releases, not performance or player-count statistics.
Because expedition events are scheduled windows, always read the event notice shown by the current game build. A precise live October 2026 end date is not established by the published material used here, so an archived announcement should not be treated as a current timetable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep playing an expedition after its event closes?
A separate expedition save remains available under the original rules and converts to a Normal-mode save after the event. That preserves the save, but it does not reopen the timed expedition’s milestone track for new entries.
Does Nintendo Switch Online affect cross-save downloads?
Nintendo Switch Online is specifically required for Switch 2 multiplayer. Cross-save is an account-and-cloud function, so multiplayer subscription requirements should not be used as proof that a cloud save is unavailable; check the linked-account and cloud settings instead.
Can an iOS player join a console expedition?
The Forsaken announcement describes a full iOS version, but the published information does not establish iOS expedition cross-play or Hello Games Cloud support. Treat iOS compatibility as unconfirmed until Hello Games documents those features for that release.
What happens to my local files if I unlink every platform account?
Hello Games says disconnecting all linked accounts removes the server-side cloud data. Local saves stored on the individual platforms are left in place, so unlinking is not the same as deleting those local files.