Part of the series:
- No Man's Sky Beginner's Guide (2026): Start here for an overview of your first hours.
- Early Game Checklist: What to Do First: Scanning fits perfectly into the early-game loop covered here.
- No Man's Sky Creatures & Companions Guide: Learn what to do with the creatures you scan.
- Best Money-Making Methods Ranked by Game Stage: See how scanning compares to other income sources as you progress.
Quick Answer
- Hold F on PC (or L2 / LT on PlayStation / Xbox) to activate the Analysis Visor, then hold the button while your reticle rests on a creature, plant, or mineral to complete a scan.
- Each first-time scan pays out Units immediately. You don't need to do anything extra.
- Fauna (creatures) pay the most; rare and large animals pay significantly more than common ones.
- Scanner upgrade modules installed on your Multi-Tool can multiply scan payouts dramatically, making this one of the best early-game income sources.
- After scanning, open the Discoveries menu and upload your finds to earn bonus Nanite Clusters on top of Units.
- Scanning all fauna species on a planet unlocks a substantial completion bonus.
- Unscanned objects appear with a red indicator; already-scanned ones show white.
Overview
The Analysis Visor is a built-in function of your Multi-Tool that lets you examine the living and geological world around you. Every time you scan a species or mineral deposit for the first time, the game pays you a Unit reward on the spot. Repeat scans of the same species on the same planet pay nothing. The incentive is always to seek out new discoveries.
This mechanic rewards methodical exploration. A single planet, scanned thoroughly, can yield anywhere from several hundred thousand to a few million Units depending on how many species it holds and how upgraded your scanner is. Early in the game, before you have the resources to set up automated mining operations or complex crafting chains, scanning is among the most accessible income streams available. Requiring nothing more than patience and a bit of movement.
Activating the Analysis Visor
The Analysis Visor is a mode layered on top of your Multi-Tool. You don't need to switch weapons. Just hold the visor button while on foot.
| Platform | Activate Visor | Scan Target |
|---|---|---|
| PC (Keyboard & Mouse) | Hold F | Hold F while aiming |
| PlayStation (PS4/PS5) | Hold L2 | Hold L2 while aiming |
| Xbox | Hold LT | Hold LT while aiming |
Once the visor is active, a scan progress meter appears when your reticle lands on a valid target. Hold steady for a couple of seconds until the bar fills. That's the scan completing. If the progress bar doesn't appear, the object is either already scanned or out of effective range.
Red vs. white indicators: Unscanned fauna and flora show a red dot or highlight. Already-catalogued species show white. This makes it easy to tell at a glance whether a creature is worth tracking down.
What You Can Scan (and Why It Matters)
Fauna (Creatures)
Creatures are the highest-value scan targets. The Unit reward scales with the animal's rarity and size. Broadly speaking:
- Common fauna: the lowest payout per scan
- Uncommon fauna: noticeably more than common
- Rare fauna: significantly more than common, sometimes several times higher
Large predators and unusual-looking creatures tend to fall into rarer categories. Some planets have aggressive creatures that require patience or caution to scan safely. Consider upgrading your Hazard Protection or Life Support before tackling hostile biomes.
Scanning all fauna species on a planet unlocks a completion bonus paid out from the Discoveries menu. This is often the largest single Unit reward from a planet's biology, so it's worth hunting down every last creature if the species count is manageable.
Flora (Plants)
Plants are stationary and easy to scan in bulk, making them a reliable baseline income. Individual payouts are lower than fauna, but you can scan large numbers quickly while moving between creatures. Scanning plants also reveals harvest information, which resources they drop and in what quantity.
Minerals
Minerals round out the planet's scannable objects. Their payout is generally the lowest of the three categories, but they provide useful data on what resources are available in an area, and some deposits indicate valuable buried minerals worth extracting.
Scanner Upgrade Modules: The Real Multiplier
Without any upgrades, raw scan payouts are modest. What actually moves the numbers is installing Scanner Upgrade Modules (also called Analysis Visor Upgrades) in your Multi-Tool's technology slots.
These modules come in C, B, A, S, and X-class varieties. Each module can grant bonuses to fauna analysis rewards, flora analysis rewards, mineral analysis rewards, and scan radius, though lower-class modules may only roll one or two of these bonuses, while S and X-class modules are the only tiers capable of rolling all four simultaneously.
| Module Tier | Approximate Payout Bonus |
|---|---|
| C / B / A-class | Smaller percentage bonuses |
| S-class | Up to ~9,999% bonus to scan rewards |
| X-class | Up to ~10,999% bonus to scan rewards |
With three S-class scanner modules installed and adjacency bonuses active, typical scan payouts shift to roughly:
- Flora: 60,000–75,000 Units per new scan
- Common fauna: 130,000–150,000 Units per new scan
- Uncommon and rare fauna: substantially higher, scaling with rarity
A thoroughly scanned planet with quality upgrades can yield 1–3 million Units in a single sitting, which makes this among the most compelling early- to mid-game income methods before you have the infrastructure for passive resource generation.
Where to get Scanner Upgrade Modules: They are purchased with Nanite Clusters from technology merchants at space stations. You can also obtain them from Operations Centres, and some pirate-system vendors stock X-class variants. Look for the S-class or X-class variants specifically. See the Multi-Tool guide for more on finding and upgrading your tool.
Adjacency bonuses: Place Scanner Upgrade Modules adjacent to each other and adjacent to the base Scanner technology (or the Waveform Recycler) in your Multi-Tool's tech slots. This stacks a bonus on top of the individual module percentages.
Important. The three-module cap: You can install up to three Scanner Upgrade Modules. Installing a fourth does not add further benefit. It actually disables all your scanner upgrades until you remove the extra module. Keep it at three.
How to Upload Discoveries for Nanites
Scanning pays Units immediately. Uploading your discoveries to the game's server pays Nanite Clusters: a separate currency used for purchasing upgrade modules and blueprints.
To upload:
- Open the Discoveries menu (press Esc on PC, or navigate via the main menu on consoles).
- Select a planet's fauna, flora, or mineral list.
- Upload individual entries, or use the mass upload option (the upward arrow icon) to push everything at once.
Note: Mass-uploading skips the naming step. If you want to give custom names to species, upload them one by one. Either way, the Nanite reward is the same.
Scanner upgrade modules boost your Unit rewards from scanning but do not increase Nanite rewards from uploading. Nanites are a flat amount based on discovery type and rarity.
Collecting Nanites through scanning and uploading is one of the foundational methods covered in the how to get Nanites fast guide.
Tips for Maximizing Your Scan Income
Prioritize fauna over flora early on. Creatures pay the most and grant a completion bonus. Flora is easy to mop up while moving.
Check the species count before committing. Some planets have ten or more fauna species; others have only three. The Discoveries menu shows the total count versus how many you've found. Low-count planets are faster to complete.
Use the Scanner's widened radius. Scanner upgrade modules also expand the detection radius, making it easier to locate hidden or burrowing creatures.
Scan during other activities. You're moving through the environment constantly as you mine, explore, or hunt for buried technology. Get into the habit of holding the visor button whenever something new enters your crosshairs.
Revisit planets you've already explored. If you've landed but didn't scan thoroughly, returning to scan overlooked species still pays out immediately on first scan.
Pair scanning with other income sources. Scanning works well alongside salvaged data farming. Both reward ground exploration and can be done on the same planet without conflicting.
FAQ
Do I need to build the Analysis Visor, or do I already have it?
In most cases the Analysis Visor comes pre-installed on your starting Multi-Tool. If for some reason it's missing (this can happen on older saves or certain game modes), you can craft one from the Multi-Tool technology menu for a small amount of resources. Check your Multi-Tool's installed technologies. If Analysis Visor appears in the list, you're good to go.
Do I earn Units every time I scan the same animal?
No. You only earn Units the first time you scan a given species on a given planet. Re-scanning the same creature type gives no reward. This is why the visor distinguishes unscanned (red) from already-scanned (white) targets.
How many scanner upgrade modules can I install?
You can install up to three Scanner Upgrade Modules in your Multi-Tool's technology inventory. Installing a fourth module does not add benefit. It disables all of your scanner upgrades until you remove the extra one. Keep it at three, placed adjacent to each other and to the Scanner base technology for the best adjacency bonus.
Does the Analysis Visor work underwater or in caves?
Yes. You can scan underwater fauna, cave creatures, and subterranean flora using the same mechanic. Some planets have unique aquatic species that only appear below the surface, and these count toward the planet's fauna completion total.
Do scanner upgrades affect all scan types (fauna, flora, minerals)?
S and X-class modules are capable of rolling bonuses to all three categories simultaneously. Lower-class modules may only boost one or two types. Read the module's description before purchasing to confirm what it enhances.
Is scanning still worth it in the late game?
It depends on your goals. Once you have a fully automated Activated Indium mining base or are crafting Stasis Devices for maximum profit, scanning individual species yields relatively modest returns. However, scanning remains excellent for:
- Collecting Nanites passively during exploration
- Completing planetary discoveries for lore and achievement purposes
- Earning steady income in the early and mid game without requiring significant infrastructure
Key Takeaways
- Put your early Nanites into Scanner Upgrade Modules before other tech if Units are the goal. Three S-class or X-class modules take flora scans to around 60,000 to 75,000 Units and common fauna past 130,000, which changes what a planet is worth.
- Stop at three modules. A fourth doesn't merely fail to help, it switches off every scanner upgrade you own until you pull it back out.
- Sit the modules against each other and against the base Scanner or the Waveform Recycler. The adjacency bonus stacks on top of each module's own percentage, and rearranging your tech grid costs nothing.
- Check the fauna count in the Discoveries menu before committing to a planet. Three species is a quick completion bonus; a planet with ten or more may not be worth the hunt.
- Sweep the creatures first and pick up plants as you walk between them. Fauna pays the most, and completion only tracks fauna.
- Finish every session in the Discoveries menu. Scanning pays Units, uploading pays Nanite Clusters, and your modules do nothing for that second reward. Mass upload if you don't care about naming species, one at a time if you do.