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Hello Games’ space exploration game No Man’s Sky arrives on iPhone and iPad on October 29, 2026 Japan time. The opening stretch is free to play, and unlocking the full game is a one-time 3,000 yen (about US$20, converted at 153 yen to the US dollar). It lands on the App Store with all 10 years of work since the 2016 launch baked in, covering more than 40 major updates.
On the hardware side, it supports iPhone 11 and later and iPad Air third generation and later. The App Store lists the download at 3.8GB. A game that runs into the tens of gigabytes on PC fits into under 5GB on a phone. That’s exactly why Hello Games can call this a port that cuts no corners.
This article covers the release date and price, supported devices, the features that aren’t in on day one, and what I expect to change on iPhone as someone who has been carrying this game around on a Steam Deck.
One-time purchase, no in-app spending beyond it. In the context of mobile games, that sentence alone is news.
When does No Man’s Sky launch on iOS? October 29 Japan time
The release date is October 29, 2026 Japan time. The Japanese App Store page lists pre-orders with that date. Overseas it was announced as October 28, and Game Spark initially reported the 28th before correcting it to the 29th in Japan time. It’s a time zone issue, so Japanese users can just remember the 29th.
The story behind the announcement is fun too. According to Game Spark, right after the Mac version was announced, the development team raised the technical challenge of “couldn’t we get this running on iPhone as well,” and the project started from there. Because there was a Mac version running on Apple Silicon, it could step down to iPhone hardware built on the same family of chips.
How much is No Man’s Sky on iOS? Free to start, 3,000 yen for the full unlock
The opening portion of the game is free to play, and continuing beyond it means unlocking the full game with a single 3,000 yen payment. On the App Store it’s listed as a free app with in-app purchases, but that full unlock is the only purchase on offer. No gacha, no stamina meters.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Release date | October 29, 2026 (Japan time) |
| Price | Free to start, 3,000 yen (about US$20) for the full unlock, one-time purchase |
| Supported devices | iPhone 11 and later, iPad Air third generation and later (A12 Bionic and later) |
| OS required | iOS 26.0 or later / iPadOS 26.0 or later |
| Download size | 3.8GB |
| Content included | More than 40 major updates released since the 2016 launch (including Voyagers in 2025 and COSMOS in September 2026) |
| Controls | Touch, various controllers, casting to a TV screen, and on iPad mouse and keyboard as well |
| Age rating | 13+ |
3,000 yen sits below the Steam version’s list price. And every update from the past 10 years is in there from day one. A game that got hammered for being empty when it launched in 2016 now lets you touch the opening for free before asking for 3,000 yen. Thinking about the decade it took to get here is genuinely a little moving.
If there’s a worry, it’s that the scope of the free portion isn’t spelled out. All it says is “the beginning of the game,” so where the paywall lands is something we’ll only know once it’s out.
Will it run on an iPhone 11? Supported devices and storage requirements
It supports iPhone 11 and later and iPad Air third generation and later, which in chip terms means A12 Bionic and up. The OS requirement is iOS 26.0 or later, which is recent, so even on a supported device you’ll need to be on the newest OS. The download is 3.8GB, which is actually light compared with recent big-budget mobile games.
Having the 2019 iPhone 11 on the support list is honestly impressive. A game that streams in infinitely generated planets without seams, running on a seven-year-old handset. How far the visuals and resolution have been dialed back is something we can only judge on real hardware, but Hello Games has already been through one round of downsizing with the Switch version, so they should know how to present it.
Controls aren’t limited to touch: controllers and casting to a TV are supported. On iPad you can use a mouse and keyboard too. As someone who has played this sprawled out with a Steam Deck, what I’m curious about is how much of that feel survives when you clip a controller onto an iPhone. Probably enough to finish mining one planet on the train to Ikebukuro.
Why aren’t multiplayer and settlements in at launch?
Multiplayer and planetary settlements are not supported as of launch day. According to Game Spark, the plan is reportedly to add support over time while watching player reaction, the same way the Switch version was handled.
The Switch version also shipped without multiplayer and had it added later via update, so there’s precedent. I see the iOS version as a matter of time too, but for now, buying it to roam the galaxy alongside friends is something to hold off on. For solo exploration there’s nothing to miss, since all 10 years of content are in there.
On the other hand, the App Store description says other players, traders, and pirates exist in a shared galaxy and that discoveries can be shared to the universal map. Worth understanding asynchronous sharing features and real-time multiplayer as two separate things.
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Summary: No Man’s Sky iOS release date, price, and supported devices
The iOS version of No Man’s Sky launches October 29, 2026 Japan time. The opening is free, and unlocking the full game is a one-time 3,000 yen (about US$20). It supports iPhone 11 and later and iPad Air third generation and later, requires iOS 26.0 or later, and takes up 3.8GB. More than 40 major updates spanning 10 years are included from day one, while multiplayer and settlements are planned for a later date.
It took 10 years to go from “the game with nothing in it” to “everything in it for 3,000 yen on a phone.” Between that and the clean single-payment structure, this is a title that breaks every rule of mobile gaming. Unless you’re waiting on multiplayer, there’s no downside to trying the opening on the 29th.
My faves can stay in 2D, but space I want to see on real hardware. On the 29th, I’m mining my first planet on an iPhone.
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Nokko Oda
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