Hello Games did release ‘No Man’s Sky‘ back in 2016 as an open-world action-adventure survival kind of video game all set in space. Apart from the PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Mac, and Xbox Cloud Gaming, the game is also available for Steam Deck. Though the title is doing really well for most platforms, it seems that several players are facing the No Man’s Sky Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing issue on Steam Deck unexpectedly.

Now, if you’re also one of the victims to encounter such an issue then make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide to fix it. Here we’ve shared a couple of possible workarounds for you that should come in handy. It’s actually worth mentioning that Steam Deck is a powerful PC gaming handheld console that’s portable to carry easily. But in some cases, in-game settings or conflicts with other aspects on Steam Deck may trigger lags or stutters a lot.

Fix: No Man’s Sky Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing on Steam Deck

There are multiple reasons available that can occur the game to stutter, lag, or freeze issues on Steam Deck such as system glitches, outdated system software, outdated game version, issues with the cloud sync, the Proton version on Steam Deck, and more. Luckily, you can jump into the methods below and follow them one by one until the problem gets fixed. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Reboot Steam Deck

It’s highly suggested to reboot your Steam Deck via the Software Updates option to ensure no temporary system glitch is available. Sometimes, a temporary system glitch or cache data issue can trouble you. To do so:

  • Press the Steam button from the left side of the Steam Deck.
  • Select Power > Choose Restart.
  • Once the device reboots, check for the issue again.

2. Force Reboot Steam Deck

You should force restart the Steam Deck manually by following the steps below if you still face the same issue. It’s better to force reboot Steam Deck if it’s powered on but unresponsive or stutters a lot. To do this:

  • Press and hold the Power button for at least 3 seconds. If it remains unresponsive, try long-pressing the Power button for around 10 seconds to reboot the system again forcefully.

3. Check for SteamOS Updates

An outdated SteamOS version can trouble you greatly regarding bugs, stability issues, security issues, etc. It’s better to check for SteamOS updates on Steam Deck manually by following the steps below.

  • Press the Steam button on the left side of the Steam Deck.
  • Go to Settings > Head over to the System tab.
  • Select Check for Updates on the right side.
  • If there is an update available, tap on Apply.
  • Now, wait for the software update to complete.
  • Then tap on Restart to apply changes.

4. Check for No Man’s Sky Updates

It can also be possible that the outdated game version is conflicting with the system to run properly due to some bugs. You should check for the game update by following the steps below.

  • Open your Steam Library > Under the No Man’s Sky library page, select Manage.
  • Choose Properties > Select the Updates tab.
  • Make sure to select Automatic updates > Reboot the Steam Deck.
  • It’ll automatically install whenever a new update is available for No Man’s Sky.

5. Check Internal Storage Space

You should also check for the available data storage space on your Steam Deck because low disk space can cause several issues with the No Man’s Sky launching and performance. Just press the Steam button on Steam Deck > Go to Settings > Choose Storage. If the available storage space becomes low, delete or uninstall unnecessary apps/games from the console to free up some space.

6. Reinsert the MicroSD Card

The chances are high that a corrupted MicroSD card on the Steam Deck may also trigger multiple issues with the No Man’s Sky game while launching it. So, it’s better to fully format the MicroSD card before using it with your Steam Deck. To format a microSD card:

  • Make sure to properly insert the MicroSD card into the memory slot on the bottom side.
  • Press the Steam button on Steam Deck > Go to Settings.
  • Choose System > Select Format SD Card.
  • It may take a couple of minutes to complete the format.

Please Note: Any UHS-I (class 3 or better) microSD card is supported. Steam Deck does not support UHS-II. If your MicroSD card is older enough or gets corrupted often, it’s time to get a new One.

7. Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization

If you’ve disabled the Steam Cloud Synchronization feature on your Steam Deck, turn it on to properly cloud sync the game with servers. To do so:

  • Press the Steam button > Select the Steam menu at the top-left corner.
  • Go to Settings from the list > Navigate to the Cloud tab.
  • Checkmark the Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization box.
  • Select OK to save the changes.
  • Once done, restart the Steam Deck to apply changes.

8. Force Change Proton Version on Steam Deck

It’s highly recommended to forcefully change the Proton version on the Steam Deck by following the steps below because it can greatly impact the game launching or performance.

  • Open Steam > Select No Man’s Sky from Library.
  • Go to Settings of the game > Go to Properties.
  • Choose the Compatibility option in the left sidebar.
  • Make sure to select the checkbox > Choose Proton Experimental.
  • You can now select the version you want to use.

9. Ensure No Man’s Sky is Verified on Steam Deck

Check whether your Deck is verified or not for the No Man’s Sky game to play seamlessly without further modifications. The Steam ‘Deck Verified’ system has four categories to indicate how well games will work on it. If a game is Playable or Unsupported, you can see what requirements of Verified are not currently met by referring to the Steam Deck Compatibility section on the game’s Steam Store page.

  • Verified: The game works great on Steam Deck by default. No additional modification is necessary.
  • Playable: The game works, but the user may require manual configuration. This could include adjusting controller configurations or using a mouse or touchscreen to navigate a launcher.
  • Unsupported: The game is currently not considered playable on Steam Deck.
  • Unknown: We haven’t tested this game for compatibility yet. Feel free to try it, but we don’t have any information about how it works.

10. Reinstall No Man’s Sky

If the above methods didn’t work for you, then it’s better to uninstall and reinstall the No Man’s Sky game on your Steam Deck by following the steps below. The chances are high that reinstalling the game might fix several conflicts or issues with launching and stuttering.

  • Press the Steam button on Steam Deck to open Settings.
  • Scroll down in the sidebar > Select Storage.
  • Select the No Man’s Sky game that you want to uninstall.
  • Now, press the X key to Uninstall the game.
  • Wait for the game to be deleted completely.
  • Once done, reinstall the No Man’s Sky game via the Steam Store again.

11. Factory Reset Steam Deck

You should also perform the factory reset method on Steam Deck to delete all the data and settings to the default state. It can also help you to fix crashing issues with the game. To do so:

  • Press the Steam button on Steam Deck to open Settings.
  • Under the System menu, scroll to the bottom > Select Factory Reset.
  • If prompted, make sure to confirm & proceed.
  • The process may take some time to complete.
  • Once done, make sure to go through the initial setup process for the first time.

12. Contact Steam Deck

If none of the methods worked for you well enough then make sure to contact Steam Support to create a support ticket for the same. The chances are high that Steam support will assist you further on it.

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.