Key takeaways
- No Man's Sky launches on iPhone and iPad on October 28 and will be free to try, though the price of the full game hasn't been announced.
- It runs on iPhone 11 and later and on 3rd-generation iPad Air and later, and multiplayer isn't supported on any iOS device.
- Outlets disagree on download size (The Verge says 5GB, Neowin's headline says 4GB) and on whether planetary settlements are missing or limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later.
- The game supports newly designed touch controls, controllers, screen casting, and mouse and keyboard on iPad.
Hello Games and Apple have announced that No Man’s Sky will launch on iPhone and iPad on October 28, a little more than 10 years after the game first came out. The announcement landed the same day App Store Indie Games Week began. Most of the full game comes along. Multiplayer doesn’t.
If you own an Apple device and you’re wondering whether to bother, the details are spread across several reports that don’t fully agree. This pulls them into one checklist.
When does it launch, and what will it cost?
The date is October 28, per The Verge and Neowin. The game will be free to try at launch. The price of the full version hasn’t been stated.
That gap matters. Free to try could mean a short demo or a generous slice of the game, and nobody has said which. Hold off on assuming it’s a free game with optional extras. The launch year isn’t stated in the announcement coverage either, so treat the October 28 date as the one fixed point.
Which iPhones and iPads can run it?
The game runs on iPhone 11 and later, and on 3rd-generation iPad Air and later, according to both The Verge and Ars Technica. Anything older than those isn’t on the list.
Being supported and running well are different things, though. No one has reported how the game behaves on an iPhone 11, the oldest phone on the list, and Hello Games hasn’t published frame rates or graphics settings. If you’re on the edge of the list, wait for launch-week impressions before you commit storage and an evening to it.
If you’re shopping rather than just checking, the iPhone 15 Pro matters for one specific reason, covered next.
What’s missing from the iOS version
Multiplayer is the one gap every outlet agrees on. It isn’t supported on any iOS device. Beyond that, Hello Games says the port carries all the content and system updates added since the original launch, including last year’s Voyagers expansion.
Founder Sean Murray addressed the obvious worry in a blog post, quoted by The Verge:
“I guess I should say this is not No Man’s Sky Lite.”
Planetary settlements are where the reports split. The Verge lists them, along with multiplayer, as one of the only major features missing. Ars Technica says you can build and explore settlements, but only on iPhone 15 Pro and later. Both can’t be right, and Hello Games hasn’t cleared it up in anything I can point to. If settlements are why you’d play, don’t buy hardware on the strength of either claim yet.
The Cosmos update, which arrived in September, is the most recent free expansion. Whether it’s all in the iOS build at launch isn’t spelled out beyond the general claim that the port includes updates since launch.
Storage: 4GB or 5GB?
The Verge puts the download at about 5GB. Neowin’s headline says 4GB and its summary says under 4GB, while the web address of that same article says 5GB. So the figure is disputed, and I wouldn’t trust any single number until the App Store listing goes live.
The practical move is easy. Plan for the larger number, and remember a game’s installed footprint can differ from the download. Neither report says how much room saves or later updates will take. If your iPhone 11 is already near full, clear space before October 28 so you’re not deleting photos at launch.
A phone or tablet with more storage is the real fix if you keep several big games installed. That’s a bigger purchase than a single game justifies, so only consider it if storage is already a constant fight.
Controls, battery and heat
The iOS version has newly designed touch controls. It also supports game controllers, screen casting, and mouse and keyboard on iPad. Hello Games hasn’t said which controller models are supported, so check your pad’s iOS compatibility before assuming it’ll work.
Murray wrote that the studio put significant work into battery life and thermal behavior so people can play long sessions. That’s a claim, not a measurement. No Man’s Sky asks a lot of hardware, and it’s hard to know how an iPhone 11 will hold up after an hour until someone tests it. An iPad with a controller or keyboard is the obvious pick for long sessions, and it gives you a bigger screen to read the game’s menus on.
Ars Technica also points out that the game generates its galaxies on the device from a single seed, the same for every player, and that this now runs on phones. That’s the technical party trick. It’s also a reminder of why heat and battery are the things to watch.
Why it matters for you
If you’ve bounced off No Man’s Sky before, or never tried it, a free trial on a device you already own costs you little beyond storage space. The game launched about 10 years ago to a rocky reception, then got a long run of free updates that changed it. This version starts from that finished state, not from the original.
Hello Games compares the approach to the original Nintendo Switch release: ship it, listen to players, build from there. The studio later made a much expanded Switch 2 version. That’s an encouraging precedent, but it’s a precedent, not a promise.
My view: try it on the best Apple device you have, and wait on any hardware purchase. If you’re on an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, you’re the one least likely to hit a surprise. If you’re deciding between an older phone and an iPad Air (3rd generation) or newer, the tablet’s larger screen suits a game this dense, and it supports mouse and keyboard.
If you mainly play on a console or PC, note the iOS version has no multiplayer, and nothing has been said about syncing saves between platforms. This looks like a second home for the game, not a replacement for your main one.
What nobody has said yet
The biggest unknown is the full price and what the free trial covers. Then there’s save syncing with other platforms, which hasn’t been addressed, and real-world performance on older devices, which can’t be known before launch.
Support is another open point. Murray wrote:
“Based on feedback and player numbers we will support iOS in a similar way.”
Ars Technica reads that as a possible sign future updates may not all come to iOS if the player base is small. That’s Ars’s interpretation, not something Hello Games said. Even so, it’s worth knowing before you invest hundreds of hours.
Multiplayer’s absence is stated, but whether it will ever arrive on iOS hasn’t been addressed. And the download size and settlements discrepancies should resolve themselves when the App Store page appears.
No Man’s Sky is already available on Mac, PC, nearly all modern consoles and VR, so you have other ways in if the iOS version disappoints.
Tools & products mentioned
- iPhone 15 Pro on Amazon — Check current price
- iPhone 11 on Amazon — Check current price
- iPad Air (3rd generation) on Amazon — Check current price
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Frequently asked questions
When does No Man's Sky come out on iPhone and iPad?
October 28, according to The Verge and Neowin. Hello Games and Apple announced it the same day App Store Indie Games Week began.
Is No Man's Sky free on iPhone?
It will be free to try at launch, per The Verge. The price of the full version and the scope of the free trial haven't been announced.
What iPhones can run No Man's Sky?
iPhone 11 and later, plus 3rd-generation iPad Air and later. Ars Technica says planetary settlements are limited to iPhone 15 Pro and later, though The Verge lists settlements as missing.
Does No Man's Sky on iPhone have multiplayer?
No. Multiplayer isn't supported on any iOS device, according to The Verge, Neowin and Ars Technica.
How big is the No Man's Sky download on iOS?
Reports disagree. The Verge says about 5GB, while Neowin's headline says 4GB and its summary says under 4GB. Wait for the App Store listing.
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Sources
This article was compiled from reporting by the following outlets. Links go to the original reports.
- The Verge: No Man’s Sky is coming to the iPhone and iPad
- Neowin: No Man's Sky hits iPhone soon, and it's only 4GB in size
- Ars Technica: After a 10-year redemption arc, No Man's Sky is coming to the iPhone and iPad
- Ars Technica: After a 10-year redemption arc, No Man’s Sky is coming to the iPhone and iPad
