No Man's Sky Is Coming to iPhone and iPad on October 28

No Man's Sky Heads to iOS

Just over 10 years after its initial release, the space exploration and survival crafting game No Man's Sky is coming to iPhone and iPad. Apple and developer Hello Games announced the port today, with a launch date of October 28. The game will run on devices as far back as the iPhone 11 and the third-generation iPad Air.

Hello Games has been working on the iOS version for three years. The studio also recently released a well received macOS port of the game. The iOS release is part of what Apple is billing as indie games week, alongside other titles of note such as the cat exploration game Little Kitty, Big City and the strategy game 9 Kings.

What the Port Includes

The iOS version includes all of the content and systems updates that have been added to the game over the years. Those expansions famously carried No Man's Sky from a rocky launch reception to a widely beloved redemption story. The download will clock in at under 5GB, since the game's millions of planets are not assets stored in a folder but are generated on device as players explore.

For controls, the iPhone version supports touch input, game controllers, and casting to a TV. The iPad version supports both of those options plus mouse and keyboard input. Hello Games said touch controls ought to be a good fit for a menu heavy game like this one.

Limitations and Pricing

There are a couple of compromises, similar to what the Nintendo Switch version required. The ability to build and explore player made planetary settlements is limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and later, and multiplayer is not supported on any iOS device. Hello Games said it is excited to see player feedback on iOS and will support the port appropriately based on how many folks are playing, leaving the door open to not supporting all future content updates if the player base is not there to justify them.

No Man's Sky for iOS will launch on October 28. It will offer a free trial, and the final purchase price will be $19.99.

Sources: Ars Technica · Engadget