Hello Games has announced that its expansive space exploration title, No Man's Sky, will launch on iOS devices on October 28. The port promises the complete No Man's Sky experience, including all major updates from the past several years, such as the recent Cosmos update. The development was an effort to bring the game to mobile without compromising content, a goal that the studio believes has been achieved.
According to Sean Murray on the Hello Games website, the project began as a technical challenge shortly after the game's Mac release. The team aimed to prove that the game could run effectively on mobile hardware. Despite the platform's limitations, Hello Games emphasizes that this is "not No Man's Sky Lite" and contains the core game. However, some concessions have been made, similar to the Nintendo Switch version. Planetary Settlements are supported on iPhone 15 Pro and above, and multiplayer functionality will not be available. Nevertheless, the game is playable on all iOS devices from iPhone 11 and 3rd gen iPad Airs and up, though these devices will not feature settlements.
The game has been significantly optimized, reportedly reduced to under 4GB, a stark contrast to its PC requirements. Hello Games also claims that the iOS version is designed for long play sessions without rapidly draining the battery. The user interface and controls have been redesigned for touchscreens, but the game will also support controllers and even mouse and keyboard inputs.
The iOS version of No Man's Sky will be available under a "free to try" model, with the final price for the full game yet to be revealed. No details regarding a potential Android release have been provided.