No Man’s Sky brings its entire universe to iPhone, with a decade of updates included
A universe generated on your phone
- Explore the full universe on iPhone and iPad
- Rebuilt touch controls support multiple play styles
- Pre-orders are open ahead of October 28th
No Man’s Sky has had one of the better comebacks going. A famously rough launch back in 2016, which was followed by ten years of free updates since. Its reputation has slowly gone from punchline to something people are properly fond of. No Man’s Sky's next stop is your phone.
Hello Games is bringing the full thing to iPhone and iPad, and before you think it, no, it’s not some Lite edition. You get the entire universe with over forty major updates baked in, from Cosmos a few weeks ago to last year’s Voyagers, which let you build your own big rig starships.
I’ve never actually played No Man’s Sky. I’ve meant to for years, and having it in my pocket is about the best excuse I’m going to get.
The universe is generated at runtime on whatever device you’re holding, so your iPhone is the one building planets as you fly towards them. The iPhone 11 came out in 2019, and for plenty of people it’s a phone for WhatsApp and photos of their dinner. Now it’s generating planets. Support goes back that far, along with the third-generation iPad Air.
The touch controls have been rebuilt from scratch. You’re on foot, flying, driving, piloting mechs, flipping between first and third person, and spending a fair while in menus crafting things. That’s a lot to fit under two thumbs. Controllers work if you’d prefer not to find out, and you can cast to a TV or use a mouse and keyboard on iPad. Under 5GB, too, for an entire universe.
Hello Games has also put a lot of work into battery life and heat, so longer sessions shouldn’t turn your phone into a hand warmer. The only slightly disappointing bit is that multiplayer and settlements won’t be there on day one. But that was the case with the Switch as well. iOS should get similar support based on the reception.
Pre-orders for No Man’s Sky are now open on iOS, with a launch following on October 28th. No news for Android as of yet.
Our list of the best mobile games of 2026 so far should see you through until launch day.
