No Man's Sky comes to iPhone and iPad on October 28 as App Store Indie Games Week begins
Hello Games is bringing the full No Man's Sky universe to iPhone 11 and later and iPad Air (3rd generation) and later. Preorders are open now; the full unlock is a $19.99 in-app purchase.
Hello Games is bringing No Man's Sky to iPhone and iPad on October 28, and Apple opened App Store preorders today as part of Indie Games Week. According to Apple's Newsroom and Hello Games founder Sean Murray, this is the full game, not a cut-down mobile spin-off, with more than a decade of free updates included.
Murray said on X that the port runs on iPhone 11 and up, supports MetalFX, rebuilt touch controls, controllers, mouse and keyboard on iPad, TV casting, and a download of about 4GB. Outlets including AppleInsider, MacStories, Polygon, and Engadget report the same core details: iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, installation under 5GB, and a free-to-try launch with a $19.99 full-game unlock.
What ships on day one
The iOS and iPadOS versions include major updates through the recent Cosmos expansion, which adds player-commanded space stations, plus earlier milestones such as Voyagers. Players can explore the procedural universe, build bases, and fly ships with the same content trajectory Hello Games has shipped on other platforms.
Some features are held back at launch, matching how the game first arrived on Nintendo Switch. Multiplayer, Settlements, cross-save, and cross-play are not available on day one. Murray said Hello Games expanded Switch support later based on feedback and player numbers, and plans to support iOS "in a similar way."
Built for phones, not just flagships
Murray told press that someone on the team claimed they could get No Man's Sky running on an iPhone shortly after the 2023 Mac launch, and that the studio treated it as an "impossible" challenge rather than limiting the port to the newest devices. Polygon reports that optimization work tied to Hello Games' in-development follow-up, Light No Fire, also helped the shared engine fit mobile memory and performance budgets.
Usability was as hard as the technical work. The game has on-planet controls, flight, first- and third-person views, vehicles, and mechs. Hello Games rebuilt the touch UI from scratch and says it also tuned battery life and thermal behavior for longer sessions.
Indie Games Week context
Apple is using Indie Games Week to spotlight seven indie titles debuting or preordering on iPhone and iPad. Other games available now include Sifu, Vampire Crawlers, Little Kitty, Big City, Dome Keeper, Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall, and 9 Kings. Carson Oliver, Apple's head of App Store Worldwide, said indie games "push the boundaries of creativity" and that the App Store gives those teams a global stage.
No Man's Sky first launched in 2016, reached Mac in June 2023, and has kept shipping free expansions for a decade. Preorders are live on the App Store; the mobile debut is October 28.
Will you play No Man's Sky on iPhone or iPad?
Yes, day-one purchase0 votes0%
I'll try the free download first0 votes0%
Only if multiplayer or Settlements arrive later0 votes0%
No, I already play on another platform0 votes0%
0 votesPoll closed
Sources
- Apple Newsroom, "App Store Indie Games Week kicks off today," October 12, 2026
- AppleInsider, Malcolm Owen, "Just about all of 'No Man's Sky' is coming to iPhone and iPad," October 12, 2026
- MacStories, John Voorhees, October 12, 2026
- Polygon, Giovanni Colantonio, "No Man's Sky is getting an 'impossible' mobile port, thanks to Light No Fire," October 12, 2026
- Engadget, Kris Holt, October 12, 2026
- Sean Murray / Hello Games on X, October 12, 2026