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We're going to be continually updating this post with new information and fixes that could improve your performance.
The PC version of No Man’s Sky was released today, and this version of the game already seems a bit disappointing.
The good news is that the game supports a variety of resolutions, from 640 by 480 all the way up to 4K, and a good number of other graphical options and settings. Be aware that the game is locked at 30 frames per second upon launch, and you’ll have to manually bump that up if you want a smoother experience.
The controls are also fully remappable, and a mouse and keyboard will give you more options and finer controls than a standard gamepad, although the game also ships with gamepad support if you prefer to play in that manner.
On paper, this is a full-featured PC release with all the little fiddly bits that we were hoping for. In practice, it doesn’t seem to be quite ready for prime time.
I’m playing on a system with an Intel Core i7-6700 CPU, 16 GB of RAM and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080. It’s a test system that’s on loan, and it’s a bit overpowered to play a game that was first released on the PlayStation 4. And I’m still seeing issues with frame rates. It doesn't help that you have to restart the game every time you adjust the graphics settings or Alt-Tab out of the application.
For reference, here are No Man's Sky's minimum specifications:
- OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions)
- Processor: Intel Core i3
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 480, AMD Radeon 7870
- Storage: 10 GB available space
The game hitches and the frame rate drops at random moments, and it’s obvious enough to be distracting. The PS4 version doesn’t quite look as good as the game being played at 3440 by 1440, but it’s a much smoother experience.
I also tabbed out of the game to make these notes, and it doesn’t seem like I can tab back into the game. Other people on social media are having similar problems; the game is having issues with stuttering and low frame rates.
Sadly the PC launch of No Man's Sky is unacceptable. People are pissed. It wont launch, dips and freezes. They need to patch it ASAP.
— Destin Legarie (@DestinLegarie) August 12, 2016
The game currently has 882 reviews on Steam, with a "mostly negative" rating.
Our advice? Wait a bit to see if performance is improved in the near future before purchasing. The PS4 version of the game runs much better, as painful as that is to say.
Hello Games is currently working on patching the PS4 version of the game, which had its own share of issues.
Update: The game has already been patched, and the official Twitter account has offered some tips to get No Man's Sky running smoothly.
Biggest issue reported so far is players without the Visual C++ Redist 2010. First PC patch released already! Update and restart if needed
— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) August 12, 2016
Number two issue so far is players who have out of date GFX drivers, or none installed. Please install latest drivers from AMD and nVidia.
— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) August 12, 2016
Number three please make sure your GFX card is above the min spec. OpenGL 4.5 is required to play No Man's Sky
— Sean Murray (@NoMansSky) August 12, 2016
We've tried all these solutions, and are still seeing some performance issues.
Other folks are having better luck with the game's performance by maxing the framerate cap and disabling v-sync.
If you have any tips for getting the game to run better, please post them in the comments.