No Man’s Sky is a game about exploration, discovery and the natural beauty of the cosmos. It’s also a game about resource collection and a game about heading toward the center of the galaxy, well over a hundred thousand light-years away. Game creator Sean Murray has said that it’s a chill game. But it’s also a game with a single, overriding directive: Move on. How do you balance it? In practical terms, how long do you stay in a system—and when do you warp to the next one?

When Should You Warp To The Next System In No Man’s Sky?

Face it: No Man’s Sky doesn’t hold your hand that much in terms of strategy. That’s because, like other sandbox games such as Minecraft, the ostensible goal of the game—getting to the center of the galaxy—is almost beside the point. And, like Minecraft (but to an even greater degree), No Man’s Sky doesn’t have a very strong sense of advancement. You can find a new solar system just like you can find a new biome without feeling like you’re appreciably closer to the end of the game.

Shorter version: Most systems in No Man’s Sky don’t have anything particularly unique in them (this isn’t a dig, really—Minecraft is the same way). Each system is compelling primarily for its beauty, and only to a lesser extent for its resources (until you find a planet with albumen peals, anyway). At least early on, most resources are abundant at least on the solar system scale. So you won't lose much by hopping into hyperspace and warping to the next system early.

There’s no particular impetus to push forward faster and faster in No Man’s Sky. At least as far as most players have made it so far, the galaxy won’t change appreciably as you move a few thousand light years closer to the center. Even if you’re following the plot and have quests driving you forward, the game is a slow and measured build. Each system offers the same goodies as the next one. You may want to keep an eye out for an early AtlasPass, but other than that, systems don’t upgrade all that much in terms of what you can find.

So you can take your time warping from system to system in No Man’s Sky. Or you can really hurry things along, fueling up your warp drive as fast as possible. Honestly, it doesn’t change that much about the game. And that’s what Sean Murray means when he says it’s a “very, very chill game.” There’s no momentum. You get out of it what you make of it. Don’t expect more than that. Warp to the next system as fast or slow as you want—you’ll have the same experience either way.