What FPS target should I use for No Man's Sky on Steam Deck?

Our baseline target is 40 FPS. It is a starting point rather than a guaranteed benchmark; patches, device settings, thermals, and game areas can change performance.

How much storage does No Man's Sky need?

Plan for about 20GB plus extra free space for updates, shader caches, saves, and launcher overhead.

How can I improve battery life in No Man's Sky?

Use a stable frame cap, reduce screen brightness, lower the device power target when practical, and lower expensive effects before sacrificing texture clarity.

Steam Deck settings guide · Updated July 2026

No Man's Sky Steam Deck settings

A practical starting point for No Man's Sky on Steam Deck. These are baseline tuning notes; we update pages as patch notes, public specs, and credible performance reports change.

Official No Man's Sky Steam store header art — Editorial game image: Steam store header image. Source: Steam store page. Trademarks and artwork belong to their owners.

Target

40 FPS

Preset

Balanced Exploration

Battery planning

2h–3h

Install size

20GB

Recommended baseline

Cap 40 for smoother battery play; reduce planet quality if stuttering.

Start from the game’s low or medium preset and make one change at a time. A stable cap generally feels better on a handheld screen than a higher average with uneven frame pacing. Keep enough free storage for updates and shader-cache growth; nearly full drives can make patching and troubleshooting harder.

What to change first

Set the frame cap. Choose the target above before chasing higher graphics settings.
Lower shadows, volumetrics, and crowd density. These often cost more performance than texture quality.
Use upscaling carefully. Start with a quality mode, then move toward balanced only if the cap is unstable.
Tune power after the game is stable. Reduce TDP/power gradually while watching frame pacing.
Test demanding areas. Menus and opening scenes are not representative of the whole game.

Lab note: We do not invent benchmark numbers. This page is a source/spec/community-informed baseline until direct test notes are explicitly documented.

Battery and storage planning

The battery range above is a planning estimate, not a manufacturer promise. Brightness, refresh rate, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth accessories, battery health, power profile, and game updates can all change runtime. For storage, reserve additional space beyond the listed install size so patches do not force emergency deletions.

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Useful handheld gear

Disclosure: shopping links are marked sponsored. We only claim hands-on testing when a page explicitly documents it. Otherwise these are spec-based product/search shortlists.

Expanding game storage

microSD cards

Start here before replacing internal storage.

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Long flights and travel

USB-C power banks

Look for USB-C PD output strong enough for your handheld.

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Frequently asked questions

What FPS target should I use?

Start with 40 FPS. If demanding areas repeatedly fall below the cap, lower expensive settings or choose the next lower stable target rather than accepting constant swings.

How much free storage should I keep?

Plan for the listed 20GB install plus room for updates, shader caches, saves, screenshots, and temporary patch files.

What improves battery life first?

Use a stable cap, lower brightness, reduce the device power target when practical, and cut expensive effects before making the whole image blurry.