No Man’s Sky: How to Name Animals and Plants

Naming Animals, Plants, and Other Creatures – No Man’s Sky

After you’ve named your first planet in No Man’s Sky and feel like a true explorer, it’s time to go hunting for some of the universe’s varied fauna and flora. No, you’re not going to kill the animals (well, you can if you really want to). You’re going to discover them so you can slap some silly name to their likeness and everyone will know that it was you who found it. In order to name an animal or plant, you have to do a bit more than just see them, though. You have to scan them.

Once you repair your scanner at the beginning of the game, you’ll be able to gather information on the animals and plants you see. This places them into the Discoveries tab of the pause menu. From there, you can highlight any animal or plant you’ve discovered and press Triangle/Y to change their name and upload them to the Galactic Library. This will earn you a few credits and some discovery rights.

Like with planets, if you’re playing online, any player who comes across the creature or flora you named will see the name you gave it and your credit for discovering it. Pretty cool, right? It’s one of the different ways that No Man’s Sky allows players to leave their mark on the universe. Need more help with No Man’s Sky? Check out our robust wiki full of guides and tips!