Hello Games says this is the full universe, not a "Lite" version, and it is part of Apple's App Store Indie Games Week. The catch: the free download covers only the start of the game, and the full game costs $19.99.

Will it run on your device?

  • Supported devices: Hello Games says iPhone 11 and 3rd-generation iPad Air and later.
  • Software: the App Store listing says iOS or iPadOS 26.0 or later and an A12 Bionic chip or newer. Its device list also names iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, which Hello Games did not mention.
  • Size: the listing shows 3.8GB. Hello Games says under 4GB; Engadget reported under 5GB.
  • Release date: Hello Games says Oct. 28. The App Store page currently reads "Expected Oct 29, 2026," and we do not know why the two differ.

What "free to try" means

The App Store lists No Man's Sky as free with in-app purchases. The description says "Play the beginning of the game for free," and a one-time purchase unlocks the full game, including 10 years of updates. The US App Store listing showed that "Full Game Unlock" at $19.99 on Oct. 12. Hello Games has not said how much of the game the free part covers.

What is missing

  • Multiplayer: not supported, per Hello Games.
  • Settlements: supported only on iPhone 15 Pro and newer, per Hello Games. Engadget wrote that settlements are missing at the outset.
  • Future support: Hello Games says it will support iOS "based on how many folks are playing," after it "listened to players" on Switch.

Controls and extras

Hello Games says it rebuilt the touch controls from scratch. It also supports controllers and TV casting, plus mouse and keyboard on iPad.

The other Indie Games Week games

Apple's newsroom post says seven indie games, No Man's Sky among them, make their App Store debut this week, available to download or pre-order on iPhone and iPad. Engadget names the other six. Prices below are from each US App Store listing on Oct. 12:

  • Sifu: $7.99.
  • Vampire Crawlers: $9.99.
  • Dome Keeper: $9.99.
  • Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall: free, with two "Unlock Full Game" purchases listed, $4.99 and $6.99.
  • 9 Kings: free, with an $8.99 full-game unlock.
  • Little Kitty, Big City: free, with a $9.99 full-game unlock.

Why it matters

A free start lets you check how a large game runs on your own phone before paying the $19.99 listed on the US App Store, but the trial's length is unstated and the game needs iOS 26. We have not played it, so we cannot say how it performs.