How to fix No Man’s Sky Version Mismatch error

Whether you’ve just downloaded a new No Man’s Sky patch or been hit by the notorious Version Mismatch error at random, don’t worry—it’s certainly not the end of the world.

No Man’s Sky (NMS) receives content and stability updates on a regular basis. While all this keeps the experience fresh and enjoyable for long-term players, recurring errors—like Version Mismatch—usually occur after switching to a new version of the game. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to fix this problem.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Version Mismatch error in NMS and how to fix it.

How to fix the Version Mismatch error in NMS

If you’re unable to join your friend’s lobby or vice versa due to the Version Mismatch error in NMS, do this:

1. Open your game library and check if NMS has a pending update for you. If yes, complete the update to fix the error.
2. If you don’t see a pending update or have just completed installing a patch, ask your friend to check for pending NMS updates and complete them if any.
3. If you or your friend(s) don’t see any pending updates, refreshing the game page or the library may help trigger an update that’s stuck. For example, if on Steam, close the app completely, force exit from the taskbar, and then launch it again.
4. If you’re on Steam, try verifying the integrity of files for NMS. To do so, simply open the game page on Steam, hit the cog icon on the right, then go to Properties, and under the Installed Files tab, hit Verify integrity of game files.
5. If you’re on a console (or PC), try reinstalling the game. This is probably the most foolproof way to make sure both you and your friends are on the same version without having to try a bunch of different fixes—but it might be a little time-consuming. Thankfully, the game isn’t that big (15gb approx.).

Patches and updates for NMS aren’t always released on all platforms at the same time. Major updates, like Voyagers, have universal releases, but the smaller maintenance patches often come out on one platform first. If your group has players on different platforms, it’s possible someone hasn’t received the update yet.

In that case, you can try the fixes we recommended to trigger an incoming update to show up—or wait until the patch is out on all platforms.

What causes ‘Version Mismatched’ error in NMS?

Players usually come across the Version Mismatch error in NMS when they try to party up and queue with friends. It may affect both cross-platform and native multiplayer parties and is likely to appear after a new update is deployed.

Like its name suggests, the Version Mismatch error shows up when the game versions of players trying to queue together don’t match. Simply put, you may see the error if you’re on an older patch while your friend is on the new one—or vice versa. NMS releases multiple minor patches for stability and maintenance, making this issue more common than you think.