After a decade of updates, No Man’s Sky is preparing to take its vast universe on the go. Hello Games will launch the space exploration adventure on iPhone and iPad on October 28, bringing years of new content to Apple’s mobile devices in a surprisingly compact package.

Preorders opened on October 12 as part of the App Store’s Indie Games Week event. Players will also be able to try the game for free at launch, making it easier for newcomers to discover its expansive universe.

Porting a game as ambitious as No Man’s Sky to mobile devices was no small undertaking. According to Hello Games founder Sean Murray, the project began as something of a challenge within the team, much like the studio’s previous efforts to bring the game to Nintendo Switch and virtual reality platforms.

The result is not a scaled-down mobile adaptation. The iPhone and iPad versions include more than 40 major updates released over the past decade, giving players access to a wealth of exploration, customization, and creative possibilities.

That includes major additions such as the Voyagers update, which introduced the ability to build and own large starships, as well as the recent COSMOS update, which allows players to own and manage their own space station.

However, some features will be missing at launch. Multiplayer and settlements will not be available in the initial iOS release, although Hello Games has suggested that future updates could bring them to mobile depending on player feedback and demand.

One of the biggest challenges when bringing a PC or console game to a phone is making its controls feel natural on a touchscreen. Hello Games has rebuilt the touch controls specifically for mobile devices, aiming to make exploring planets and navigating space comfortable on smaller screens.

Players will also have several alternative ways to play. Compatible controllers are supported, while iPad users can connect a mouse and keyboard. The game can even be cast to a television for a larger-screen experience.

The mobile version is designed to run on iPhone 11 models and newer, as well as the third-generation iPad Air and newer. That makes the game's technical achievement particularly notable, considering the scale of its universe and the number of updates it has received.

Storage space and battery life have also been priorities. The entire game comes in at less than 5GB, a relatively modest footprint for an adventure that includes a decade's worth of major content additions. Hello Games has also worked to limit battery consumption and manage device temperatures, allowing for longer play sessions without excessive heat or power drain.

When No Man’s Sky launched in 2016, its rocky debut left the game with plenty to prove. Over the following decade, Hello Games steadily expanded and improved the experience through a long series of substantial updates, transforming it into a much more ambitious space adventure.

Its arrival on iPhone and iPad offers another opportunity for players to experience that evolution, whether they are longtime explorers or newcomers curious about the game's vast universe.

With more than 40 major updates, customizable starships, space stations, and a download size under 5GB, No Man’s Sky is bringing a remarkably large adventure to mobile devices. The October 28 launch will reveal how well that experience translates to Apple's portable platforms.