Featured image: in-game screenshot via Hello Games / No Man’s Sky on Steam
No Man’s Sky has now been on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and Mac, and it is about to add the one screen most of us carry everywhere. Hello Games has announced that the game lands on iPhone and iPad on October 28, 2026, and the studio’s message is blunt: this is the real game, not a pocket-sized spin-off.
That claim matters, because mobile ports of huge games have a long history of arriving gutted. Here is what we know so far about the price, the free trial, the supported devices and the features that did and did not make the trip. Where outlets disagree, I will say so instead of guessing.
The short version
- Release date: October 28, 2026, on iPhone and iPad (preorders are open)
- Price: free to try, then a one-time $19.99 unlock for the full game
- Content: the base game plus roughly a decade of updates, including the recent Cosmos update
- Requirements: iOS or iPadOS 26 and an A12 Bionic chip or newer, per the App Store listing
- Catch: multiplayer is reported as missing, and reports on planetary settlements conflict
What Hello Games actually announced
The headline is the date. Multiple outlets, including Gematsu and MobileGamer.biz, put the launch on October 28. One smaller outlet lists October 29, which is most likely a time zone quirk, so I am treating the 28th as the date.
The second headline is the scope. Coverage says the iOS version includes the base game and every previously released update, and it quotes studio founder Sean Murray saying that this is “not No Man’s Sky Lite.” For a game that has spent ten years being rebuilt, patched and expanded, that is a big promise to squeeze into a phone.
Free trial, then $19.99
The business model is the part that will surprise people who expected a subscription or microtransactions. According to AppleInsider and others, the game is free to download and try. The trial covers the opening of the game, and you unlock everything with a single $19.99 payment. No energy timers, no battle pass, just a demo and a purchase.
No Man’s Sky on iPhone and iPad at a glance
Sources: Hello Games announcement as reported by Gematsu, AppleInsider and the App Store listing.
At $19.99 the mobile price sits well below the console and PC list price of $59.99, though the game is discounted that often enough that most longtime fans will not care. The real comparison is against other premium mobile ports, and a one-time fee with the whole game attached is on the generous side.
Which devices can run it
Hello Games says the game runs on the iPhone 11 and later, and on the third-generation iPad Air and later. The App Store listing backs that up with an A12 Bionic requirement and iOS or iPadOS 26. M-series iPads and Macs get extra optimization, and MetalFX upscaling is supported, which is Apple’s answer to DLSS and FSR.
| Detail | What was reported |
|---|---|
| iPhone | iPhone 11 and later (A12 Bionic or newer) |
| iPad | iPad Air (3rd generation) and later |
| Software | iOS or iPadOS 26 or later |
| Input | Touch, game controllers, mouse and keyboard |
| Display | Can be cast to a TV |
| Download size | Roughly 4 to 5 GB depending on the outlet (the store listing shows about 3.8 GB) |
The download size is a good example of where early coverage disagrees. I would trust the App Store listing over a press summary, but expect the final figure to shift slightly once day-one patches land.
What is in, and what is not
This is where the “not Lite” claim gets tested. The things that define No Man’s Sky, flying between star systems, landing on procedurally generated planets, base building, trading and surviving, are all described as present. The gaps are on the social side.
The Verge, as relayed by several outlets, reports that multiplayer and planetary settlements are left out of the iOS version. Insider Gaming has a slightly different take, saying settlements are supported on the iPhone 15 Pro and above while multiplayer is not. Some coverage also mentions cross-save, which is hard to square with a missing multiplayer mode. Until Hello Games publishes a full feature list, treat the multiplayer and settlement details as unconfirmed.
| Feature | Status on iPhone and iPad |
|---|---|
| Base game and 10 years of updates | Included |
| Cosmos update | Included |
| Controller and keyboard support | Included |
| MetalFX upscaling | Supported |
| Planetary settlements | Conflicting reports |
| Multiplayer | Reported as not supported |
Why this port is a big deal for Apple
Apple has been pushing hard to prove that its chips can run console-class games, from Resident Evil to Assassin’s Creed. No Man’s Sky is a particularly good showcase because it is demanding in unusual ways: a huge draw distance, an entire planet generated on the fly and no loading screens between space and the ground. Reports say the port took about three years of optimization, with a lot of that effort spent on battery life and heat, the two things that kill any long phone gaming session.
The timing also lines up with a hardware cycle where Apple is leaning on silicon. If you are wondering how the newest phones are selling, we looked at how Apple cut iPhone 18 Pro production orders amid soft demand. A big premium game that actually uses the chip is the kind of thing that helps justify an upgrade, even though this one runs on phones as old as the iPhone 11.
The wider trend: console games on the go
This fits a broader shift in how people play. Sony is squeezing more out of existing hardware with AI upscaling on the base PS5, and Microsoft is rationing streaming with its new Xbox cloud gaming time limits. A native, offline-capable port that you buy once looks very different next to a metered stream, and that contrast may explain why more studios are looking at phones.
Should you get it?
If you have never played No Man’s Sky, the free trial removes any risk, and the $19.99 unlock is a fair price for one of the biggest games ever shipped. If you already own it on another platform, check whether cross-save is confirmed before you pay again. If multiplayer is the reason you play, wait for the full feature list.
My take is cautiously positive. Phone ports live or die on frame rate, heat and controls, and none of that can be judged until real players get their hands on it on October 28. But the pricing is honest, the device support reaches back to 2018 hardware, and the game itself is the complete version. That is more than most mobile ports can say.
Sources: Gematsu, AppleInsider, MobileGamer.biz, Insider Gaming, Pocket Gamer, App Store listing.
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