Nova Drift

Ship-crafting arcade combat

Ratings

Age

9+

Action

Languages

English

Latest Version 1.2.370

Thu Mar 26 2026

Features:

- Improved virtual joystick controls: You can now thrust on the outer edges of the joystick. With this feature enabled, a thrust button is no longer needed. This can be disabled in Settings

- When you first run the game, you'll now be asked which controls you prefer: Virtual joystick or arrow keys

- Added a Save and Quit feature: Resume your game-in-progress anytime! Note that when using Resume, your score will not be submitted to online leaderboards

- Increased the Menu and Settings spacing and font sizes so it's easier to use with touch controls

- Added an opacity setting for touch controls

- Added a snapping toggle for touch controls

- When auto-firing, we now display the virtual button as "pressed"

Fixes:

- Added a fix for the double roll cost issue which was occurring on some iPhone models

- The game now always shows virtual buttons in the Customize Touch Controls screen, even if using a gamepad

- You can now navigate Settings sections with the gamepad shoulder buttons

- Added a small virtual joystick deadzone

- Fixed the thin text seen in some places (like the upgrade and pause screens)

- Fixed construct buttons hit areas not being centered when resetting the controls to defaults

- Fixed some text overlap with certain languages

Nova Drift is an interstellar roguelike that blends the mechanical depth of an ARPG with the fast-paced action of a classic arcade shooter. Every run allows you to build a completely unique ship. Will you become a hulking fortress behind a wall of shields, or a glass cannon that leaves a trail of burning mines? With over 200 modular upgrades and a deep 'recursive' mod system, the tactical possibilities are literally infinite. Survive the void, evolve your craft, and challenge the cosmic bosses.

Dinsun Expert Review

Our Expert Score

92/100

Nova Drift on mobile is a revelation. It takes the deep, systemic complexity of a PC roguelike and translates it to touchscreens without losing an ounce of its soul. The 'one-stick' control scheme is genius—your ship automatically moves forward, and you simply guide its arc, making it feel more like steering a projectile than a car.

The sheer variety of builds is what makes this a 90+ score for me. One run you're a tiny stealth ship that explodes every time it cloaks; the next, you're a massive carrier with a dozen automated turrets. The visual feedback, especially the screen-shaking explosions and neon trails, is some of the best on the App Store. It is a must-play for anyone who likes shooters or theory-crafting.

Dinsun reviewed on: Fri Feb 27 2026

Features

Dynamic Roguelike Gameplay

200+ Modular Ship Upgrades

Procedural Enemy Waves

Stunning Neon Visuals

Deep Meta-Progression

Tips & Walkthrough

The 'Hidden Power' Secret

If you skip taking a weapon mod early on, you can select 'Hidden Power'. This disables your main weapon but massively buffs your shields, hull, and thruster damage—perfect for a 'ramming' build.

Gameplays

Recursive Modding

Certain mods can be taken multiple times. For example, stacking 'Galvanized' increases your resistance exponentially, allowing you to survive inside the core of a dying star.

Screenshot

Q&A

Yes, Nova Drift features full MFi controller support, though the touch controls are highly optimized.

Ratings & Reviews

Major bug..

Tue Mar 10 2026 App_Addict101

Played a full round on my iPad using a controller. Went into the settings and scrolled to visual and game froze. I closed the app (completely exited out) and reopened. The main screen pops up the disappears immediately leaving me with a black screen. I uninstalled and reinstalled and still getting the black screen. I already gave y’all an amazing review but now I’m ticked off. How does a game get released in this state!? Fix ASAP! I tried the Lite version and after 20 minutes decided to purchase the full game. Very fun gameplay with tons of awesome upgrade possibilities. There are a few minor things that could use an update to make the “quality of life” a bit better. 1. Would be nice to have a playable tutorial. Especially when it comes to controlling your drones and turrets. It only tells you the buttons but doesn’t say what d-pad direction = what formation. 2. Would like to see a “traditional” twin stick shooter button layout. While I did get used to the current setup, it would be easier to control if the left stick was your thruster/movement and right stick was the aiming. So maybe add the option to choose between the 2 setups. There is 1 bug I’ve encountered on my iPad. When using a controller, exiting from the settings and unlocks menu completely closes the app. Very annoying! These tweaks would definitely make the game more enjoyable but by no means make it not fun to play as is. Looking forward to unlocking all of the abilities!

Awesome

Fri Mar 13 2026 MoFingies

Really enjoying this game so far. Runs have had a lot of variation, and it’s easy to get stuck in that “one more run” mindset. First few runs were pretty rough learning the controls, and getting an idea of the different upgrade options available (so far, I still have a TON to unlock). After about an hour, I was hooked. Each run gave me ideas for builds to consider in the future, and each unlock opens up more ways to play. All in all, this game definitely scratches an itch for me. I love the graphics, all the upgrade options, and just how powerful you end up feeling when a run goes well. The endless mode really opens things up for me”hardcore” high score chasing, while the “Default” mode helps limit the time spent by having an endpoint. I do kind of wish that we could start on the “default” mode, and have the option to keep the run going, but I can understand why it must be selected beforehand (since it adds an XP bonus). DEFINITELY Recommend if you are looking for a fun, skill/strategy-based high score-chasing game.

Great game overall

Mon Mar 09 2026 Mossysaurus

I love this game on my PC, but the controls and UI in the touch screen setting could use some work. The UI is over all too small. Trying to select menu options is difficult because of how small and close together they are. I’ve already selected the wrong upgrade multiple times because of how small it is. Same with the menu options. I do really like how I can customize the touch screen controls and that did help. I do wish I could make them more translucent so I could see the field of play better. I have lost myself already. Overall good game, just needs some UI adjustments for the phone screens.

Veteran Nova Drift Fan

Tue Mar 10 2026 BiteDApple!

If you like roguelikes, build experimentation, and arcade space shooters, Nova Drift is absolutely worth playing. I’ve been playing this game since I first discovered it in early access on Steam back when I was in high school. Now I’m in my 20s, and I’m really happy to finally see it on mobile. I always thought this was the kind of game I’d sink even more hours into if it was on my phone, and that’s exactly what’s happening. What makes the game stand out is the combination of its style and gameplay. The art is beautiful, the music is great, and the overall vibe is strangely calming even while things get intense on screen. The best part is the build system. The roguelike upgrades give you tons of choices and trade-offs when building your ship. Some runs turn into insanely strong builds, while others become chaotic experiments that somehow still work. Every run feels different, and discovering new combinations is always fun. It’s the kind of game where you say you’ll do one quick run, and suddenly you’ve been playing for way longer than you expected. Really glad this game made its way to mobile.

Extremely fun and unique

Fri Mar 20 2026 Hello :D

Nova Drift just has SO much to offer, with tons of unlocks and upgrades, as well various enemies and bosses. You completely control how you play the game, from shooting tons of projectiles with a fast fire rate, to turning your shield into a DEATH WEAPON! I’ve only had the game for a week and it’s amazing! I highly recommend buying this if you like rougelikes where every run is different.

SUPER CRASHING. A week later still not fixed. Default controls are terrible.

Mon Mar 23 2026 MajesticLobster

Titles says it all. Three crashes in a row before getting to game play. M5 13” IPad Pro. Please fix, that’s a pretty bad bug. Steps for using airplane mode in specific ways by the developers is unreasonable and lazy. Fix it. Edit: same crashes today. Incredibly unprofessional and lazy testing. Edit 2: to the developer: on my iPad Pro I only use a controller. Touch interface is limited my iPhone Air. I have no desire to use touch controls on my iPad and only play very simple games on my phone. All premium titles. No interest at all in so called free games. Edit 3: Maybe nothing but wasted money and time . As life passes daily we all get close to the end. Happily there are plenty of other games. May completely forget this one. Refund requested. No time for this when I have so many games to choose from. As a stage four cancer survivor I know the meaning of time. It should not be wasted since none of us knows how much we have.

Love it but blast radius doesn’t work and hidden power doesn’t refund??

Wed Mar 25 2026 Lexi gunn

I LOVE THE GAME (love you chimeric) but I made a singular strike flack, so big booms, visually it’ll show a blast a quarter the screen but it’ll only kill what the projectile hit, just a small bug, but amazing game nonetheless Hidden power let me keep magnitude, and didn’t refund it for whatever reason

TERRIBLE CONTROLS

Wed Mar 11 2026 Cnsmith1984

I really wish I could love this game, but the controls on touch screen are awful. Maybe that’s how the game is supposed to be, but I can’t get used to it at all. It’s so needlessly frustrating & convoluted. I get games where getting used to the controls is part of the gameplay, but this is on a whole nother level. I tinkered with all the options hoping I would find something that worked to know avail. I hope they at least make it so we have the option for a more traditional control setup, as it is now, it’s just unplayable for me, sadly.