No Man's Sky launches on iOS October 28, and Light No Fire helped make it happen

No Man's Sky is coming to iPhone and iPad on October 28, with pre-orders open now. Hello Games confirmed the iOS version includes all updates released over the game's decade-long lifespan, and it runs on devices as far back as the iPhone 11.

Studio co-founder Sean Murray described the port as a nearly three-year side project, saying the team wanted "console quality visuals and gameplay that you can play anywhere." The iOS version supports touch controls, controllers, and even mouse and keyboard. Murray also noted that the port brings "tons of tweaks and improvements" that will benefit players on all existing platforms — PC, PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox — not just mobile. Crucially, some of the performance work that made the iOS port possible came directly from Hello Games' next game, Light No Fire. "Things that we've been doing there where we've had to make things more performant, we're going, 'Oh, we can carry that across to all of this,'" Murray told Polygon. "It's all one shared engine."

No Man's Sky launched in 2016 to a famously rough reception, but Hello Games spent years rebuilding it through free updates — adding multiplayer, base building, VR support, and much more — turning it into one of gaming's most-cited redemption stories. Light No Fire, the studio's follow-up, was revealed in 2023 and is a co-op adventure set on a single procedurally generated fantasy planet. It's been quiet since that reveal, though Murray said last month the project is quite far along — while also making clear he's learned not to talk about things too early.

The iOS launch gives No Man's Sky yet another platform to land on, following its arrival on Switch and PlayStation VR2 in recent years. Whether the mobile version draws in a new audience or mostly serves existing fans who want the game in their pocket remains to be seen, but the technical crossover with Light No Fire suggests Hello Games' engine work is quietly setting up something bigger.