Pirate systems in No Man's Sky: how to find an outlaw station
How to find a pirate controlled system in No Man's Sky, how many there are, and what an outlaw station offers: bounties, contraband and squadrons.
What is a pirate system?
Pirate systems came with the Outlaws update, on 13 April 2022. A pirate controlled system has no Sentinel interceptors in space and its own outlaw station, with its own crowd. There you find:
- the Bounty Master, with piracy missions and their own rewards;
- contraband, cheap at the outlaw station and worth more in regulated systems, where your cargo can be scanned on the way in;
- squadron pilots to hire as wingmen.
How many are there?
On one million systems predicted across Euclid, 7.9 % are pirate controlled: about one system in thirteen. In the catalogue of systems recorded in Euclid, they are close to 4 % (see the conflict page): players chart the systems along their road, and pirates are not on everyone's road.
Pirates have a race too
A pirate system still belongs to one of the three races. In the catalogue of Euclid, outlaw systems split almost evenly: about 108 Korvax, 108 Vy'keen and 89 Gek. See Gek, Korvax, Vy'keen.
How to find one
- On the galaxy map: install a conflict scanner, then look at the system descriptions. The pirate ones read Pirate Controlled in place of a conflict level.
- On this site: ask the Oracle for a "pirate system near" a region, or browse pirate controlled systems recorded by travellers.
Pirate systems sit apart from the usual conflict levels, low, medium and high. For trading in a safe, rich system instead, see Trade routes.
Record what you find
Found a pirate system with a good station? Contribute it, so others can find their way there.
Last updated: 1 November 2026