If No Man’s Sky crashes, freezes, or shows a black screen on iPhone, first confirm your exact iPhone model and iOS version against the current App Store listing. Then try reversible steps—force close and reopen the game, restart the iPhone, and check for updates—before considering deletion. The iOS version was still forthcoming on October 13, 2026, so its real-world crash causes and verified fixes were not yet established.
Check whether your iPhone meets the published requirements
The official descriptions differ on the oldest supported iPhone. Hello Games’ October 12, 2026 announcement says the game is playable on iPhone 11 and above. The US App Store listing specifies iOS 26.0 or later and includes iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR in its compatibility list. Neither source resolves the discrepancy, so check the live listing for your exact model and software version rather than assuming that a crash proves the game is defective.
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The iOS release was announced for October 28, while the US App Store listing showed “Expected Oct 29, 2026” at the time checked. These dates differ by one day; consult the live listing for current availability. Hello Games describes the port as including more than forty major updates, but multiplayer is not supported on iOS. Planetary Settlements require iPhone 15 Pro or above. Those feature limits are distinct from the general compatibility question.
Identify what the game is doing
- It closes or will not open: Try Apple’s general app recovery steps below.
- It freezes during play: Start with the same reversible steps. The official sources available do not identify a particular location, save, or graphics setting as a known iPhone crash trigger.
- It remains on a black screen at launch: After basic recovery, you can try the Game Center workaround in the next section. It is a general Hello Games suggestion for an iPhone or iPad game-launch symptom, not a verified fix for No Man’s Sky’s iOS version.
Try the reversible iPhone recovery steps first
Apple recommends force closing and reopening an unresponsive app, restarting the device, and checking for app and iOS updates. Follow that order so you can see whether a simple refresh resolves the problem before making a change that could affect app data.
#1 Best Overall
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- Force close and reopen No Man’s Sky. Open the app switcher, find the game, swipe its preview away, then reopen it from the Home Screen or App Library.
- Restart your iPhone. After it powers back on, open the game again.
- Check for a game update. Open the App Store and check the game’s product page for an available update.
- Check for an iOS update. If there is no game update, go to Settings > General > Software Update and install an available update compatible with your device.
These are Apple’s general recommendations for an app that closes unexpectedly, stops responding, or will not open; they do not establish a No Man’s Sky-specific cause. See Apple’s app troubleshooting guidance.
For a black screen at launch, try the Game Center workaround
Hello Games published a general workaround for games stuck on a black screen when launching on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Its article dates from 2020, so treat this as a symptom-specific attempt—not confirmation that it fixes No Man’s Sky on iOS.
Rank #2
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- Inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage, which is not noticeable when the device is held at arm's length.
- Force close the game.
- Open Settings > Game Center and sign out.
- Launch the game. If a Game Center sign-in prompt appears, cancel it.
- If the game opens, relaunch it and sign back in to Game Center.
If Game Center is not accessible in Settings, Hello Games’ article suggests hard resetting the device and trying again. The full instructions are in Hello Games’ black-screen guidance.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsConsider deletion and reinstallation only after checking save-data risk
Apple lists deleting and redownloading an app as a possible next step, but warns that deleting an app may remove data stored in it. The sources available do not establish how No Man’s Sky saves sync on iOS or whether a particular save can be recovered, so do not assume your progress is backed up.
Rank #3
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
The US App Store listing reports a download size of 3.8 GB. Check available storage before redownloading. This size is not evidence that low storage causes No Man’s Sky crashes.
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If the game still crashes or freezes after these steps, contact Hello Games through its Help Centre. Its support request form is the route for reporting an issue or requesting help. Include practical details that can help explain the problem:
Rank #4
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- Your exact iPhone model and iOS version.
- The game version, if shown.
- What you were doing immediately before the crash or freeze.
- Whether the problem happens again after reopening the game.
- A screenshot or crash details, if available.
There are no crash-frequency statistics or iPhone performance benchmarks in the official sources cited here. Because the release was still forthcoming on October 13, 2026, crash patterns, validated post-launch workarounds, and fixes in later updates were not yet established.
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Quick Recap
Best Value
- This phone is unlocked and compatible with any carrier of choice on GSM and CDMA networks (e.g. AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, Cricket, Metro, Tracfone, Mint Mobile, etc.).
- Tested for battery health and guaranteed to have a minimum battery capacity of 80%.
- Successfully passed a full diagnostic test which ensures like-new functionality and removal of any prior-user personal information.
- The device does not come with headphones or a SIM card. It does include a generic (Mfi certified) charging cable.
- Inspected and guaranteed to have minimal cosmetic damage, which is not noticeable when the device is held at arm's length.
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