In No Man’s Sky, your ship is both transport and base, and giving it the right name helps you orient yourself across vast worlds. This guide explains how to call your ship, change its name, and register it in a fleet, including naming rules, limits, and practical tips for bases and squadmates. Everything here applies to current PC, PlayStation, and Xbox versions and reflects publicly documented game mechanics.
How Ship Naming Works at a Glance
You name your ship from the cockpit or the Ship Menu, and the name is saved locally and to your account when you’re online. Each player can also register up to ten ships to a Fleet for quick access and recognizable icons on the Galaxy Map. Squad ships in public sessions are not renamed by other players, and fleet names follow simple length and character rules.
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Name Length | Up to 48 characters (varies by platform) | Game documentation/Community tests |
| Fleet Capacity | 10 registered ships per account | In-game Fleet UI |
| Name Changes | Unlimited, from Ship Menu or cockpit | Patch notes and gameplay videos |
| Fleet Registration | Requires being in Space and accessing the Fleet menu | In-game flow |
| Squad Ship Names | Not overwritten by host; retain owner’s name | Multiplayer behavior notes |
Quick Rules and Limits
- Names up to 48 characters on most platforms; check your platform UI for exact limits.
- No profanity or slurs enforced by the game, but platform stores may remove content.
- You can change your ship name anytime from the Ship Menu or cockpit panel.
- Fleet names are limited and should be concise for clear map icons.
- Registered fleet ships remain visible on the Galaxy Map when not in your active squad.
Step-by-Step: How to Name and Register Your Ship
To rename your ship while flying, open the Ship Menu, select Naming, enter your new name, and confirm. On foot, approach the cockpit and interact to access the same naming panel. To register ships in a fleet, open the Ship Menu in Space, choose Fleet, then Register Ship to add up to ten vessels for quick launching and identification.
Changing Your Ship Name
In the Ship Menu, go to Naming, type your new name using the on-screen keyboard or controller, and confirm. The new name appears on the cockpit hull, the Ship Menu, and in fleet registration lists. There is no in-game cost, and you can make changes as often as you like.
Registering Ships in a Fleet
Open the Fleet submenu from Ship Menu, select an empty slot, and Register Ship. Fleet ships show a shared icon on the Galaxy Map, and you can launch any registered ship from the Fleet menu in Space. This is useful for organizing explorers, miners, and freighters under one group.
Practical Tips for Bases and Fleet Organization
Use consistent prefixes like [Exp] or [Miner] to identify roles at a glance. Keep names short enough to read as icons, especially on the Galaxy Map where space is limited. For bases, consider labeling exterior ships with their function, and communicate naming schemes with squadmates in public sessions to avoid confusion.
Multiplayer Considerations
In public star systems, other players’ ships keep their owner-assigned names; you won’t rename someone else’s ship. Fleet membership is account-based, so registered ships remain associated with your profile even when you’re not actively flying them. Be mindful that very long names can truncate on smaller HUD elements.
Summary and Best Practices
You can call your ship almost anything within platform length limits, change the name anytime, and register up to ten ships in a fleet for organized play. Short, descriptive names and consistent tagging make it easier to manage multiple bases and squad ships. These naming and registration mechanics are stable features across PC and console versions and are reliable for long-term orientation in No Man’s Sky.