Hello Games is bringing "No Man's Sky" to iOS and iPadOS, with preorders for the mobile version starting ahead of its October 28 release date.
"No Man's Sky" is a game that has been around since August 2016, and only became available on Mac as recently as June 2023. Now, over a decade after the initial release, "No Man's Sky" is finally landing on iPhone and iPad.
The sci-fi adventure game is set in a procedurally-generated universe, filled with countless solar systems, planets, and space stations. Starting on the outer rim, players can explore unique planets, build bases, and upgrade their ships as they try to reach the center of the universe.
While it's finally traversing the software landscape to iOS and iPadOS, the release isn't a cut-down version designed for mobile users. Instead, it's the same full universe that players on other platforms already enjoy.
That includes recent updates such as COSMOS, and the 2025 Voyagers update that introduced customizable big-rig starships.
No Man's Sky on an iPad, with interface - Image Credit: Hello Games
However, there are some small concessions, in line with the Nintendo Switch version of the game, following player feedback. There wasn't multiplayer or "settlements" on Day 1, which will be the same on iOS from launch.
It also introduces a new set of touch controls to work with the mobile displays. Players can still elect to play with controllers, mouse and keyboard on an iPad, and casting to a television for big-screen gaming.
As an ambitious game, it does take a hefty amount of storage space, but not as much as you'd think. The developers say that installation is less than 5 gigabytes, despite the sheer scale of the in-game universe.
Years in the making
While it is a ten-year-old game, there were inklings of a move to iPhone and iPad a few years ago.
The WWDC 2022 launch of the Metal 3 API and the MetalFX framework was accompanied by discussion of how it would be used to improve the performance of "No Man's Sky" on Mac. MetalFX is used to manage upscaling, as well as drawing extra frames to improve frame rates.
In a June 2023 interview with AppleInsider for the Mac version's launch, Hello Games CEO Sean Murray talked about how Mac and iOS was something the studio always considers. The move to Metal had taken almost two years at that point, with Apple assisting one year into the effort.
Murray was enthusiastic about the App Store and its reach to new users who may not have heard of his company's games.
However, developing for Mac and iPad are very different tasks. "Suddenly you have to consider a new user interface, battery life, things like that," Murry said, adding that you have to consider how that audience "like to play their games."
At the time, he didn't directly say a mobile edition of "No Man's Sky" was on the way, but hinted at it.
Moving to Vulkan enabled Hello Games to work with Metal, and likewise the move to VR opened up the possibility of developing for the Nintendo Switch and mobile hardware. Murray ended the thought by saying he was excited to see where Metal might lead to, and that it was "just our next step in a longer journey."
The game is available to preorder from the App Store on Monday, October 12 as part of Apple's App Store Indie Games Week. The full release is on October 28, with a free-to-try element at launch.
Unlocking the full game will cost $19.99.
