The reference to typically points to a specific release of the Fractal (4.1) update for No Man's Sky that has been modified to run without the Steam client using the Goldberg Steam Emulator . What is the Goldberg Steam Emulator?
: It tricks the game into thinking it is running through an authentic Steam client, allowing it to function without being logged into a Steam account.
: It can manage local saves, unlock achievements, and even enable multiplayer features over a Local Area Network (LAN) for compatible games.