Last updated on December 11th, 2025 at 10:48 am
Beyond a Steel Sky – Adventure Game Review
Beyond a Steel Sky is a Adventure game from Revolution Software Limited, first launched in 25th June 2020.
It’s rated 12+ and currently has 905+ ratings on the App Store.
What Makes Beyond a Steel Sky Stand Out
From Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword series, with art direction by Dave Gibbons, legendary comic book artist behind ‘Watchmen’, comes ‘Beyond a Steel Sky’, the long awaited sequel to the cult classic ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’.
You are Robert Foster. A child has been abducted in a brutal attack. You have vowed to bring him home. But the trail has led you from your community of desert wasteland dwellers, to Union City, one of the last remaining mega-cities in a world ravaged by shattering wars, and political meltdown.
Fortified and impenetrable, it is a utopia in which people live happily under the surveillance and control of a benign AI. But all is far from what it seems…
‘Beyond a Steel Sky’ is a dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller in which engaging puzzles drive a fast-paced narrative set in a dynamic gameworld that responds to – and is subverted by – the player’s actions.
• An adventure set within a dynamic world, populated by willful characters driven by motivations that the player can subvert. In combination with a unique hacking tool, multiple solutions to puzzles emerge from player choices.
• Unravel dark conspiracies, defeat a terrifying antagonist in this dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller, which explores contemporary themes: social control, AI, and total surveillance.
• Intelligent puzzles are interwoven with an intriguing dramatic narrative to deliver a compelling gameplay experience.
• A beautifully detailed, comic-book styled world, from the mind of legendary comic artist Dave Gibbons.
This Adventure game offers engaging gameplay and regular updates for mobile players.
Player Feedback
As a newer release, Beyond a Steel Sky is building its player community. Early feedback suggests .
Recent Updates & Development
Latest Update: 11th February 2022
Recent improvements include:
• Improved performance for lower specification devices
• Improved controls
• Improved stability
• Several bugfixes
• Added Polish subtitles
Download & Availability
Beyond a Steel Sky is available through the official App Store for iOS devices.
Get Beyond a Steel Sky on App Store
Requirements: Requires iPhone 5s / iPad Air / iPad Air (Cellular) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina) / iPad Mini 2 (Retina, Cellular) / iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus / iPad Air 2 / iPad Air 2 (Cellular) / iPad Mini 3 or later.
Compatible with iPhone and iPad devices.
Player Experience Highlights
Community Insight:
This is what Ive been looking for! A futuristic Cyber Punk type adventure quest game. We need more.
We love this game! Literally our favorite one so far.
This is more fire then the invention of fire.
This is one of the best games Ive ever played on our phone! We hope this has a part 2. The way this game blew our mind is incredibly insane. 10/10 100% will recommend.
We went back and forth on whether to give four or five stars. Settled on five because its a wonderful game. Immersive, fun, well written.seriously one of the top ten fake we have ever played on an iPhone. With respect, we would offer the developers a few respectful critiques: 1. The dialogue can be slow. You need a skip button. 2. The controls are a bit clunky. We know Im on an iPhone, but it should be a lot easier to run. 3. Loading takes forever and a day. 4. Actually, thats it. Im out of complaints. Back to our original point, great game. Every app has an issues and the ones stated above are just an attempt to communicate suggestions to the developer.
This game is so awesome. We hope they make more games like this murder mysteries would be awesome. Some love stories would be cool too even some stories that have to do with like ancient history would be awesome. This game is 1 million star level game. We absolutely love it.
Wow, we are amazed by this game. This is the first game we have found that blends an open-world gameplay with strategic moves so nicely. We love this game as much as we loved Skyrim.
Last time we wrote a review on the App Store it was probably 5 years ago but this game deserves some time since it was the best game we played in years.
This game is the best game we have found on the Apple Arcade. The story is very good and is very interesting. The graphics in this game is very cool and beautiful, the characters in this game have unique personalities.The puzzles were hard but we personally liked that. Overall we love this game and hope to see more games like this in the Apple Arcade and is free.
We have no words.. Well we do but anyway. This is our favorite game out of all of the games Ive ever played. The graphics, the tasks, and the storyline are amazing. If anyone ever asks for game suggestions, we are 100% telling them about this game. Its not too short or too long, the game is perfect. If we could give this game 1,000,000 stars we would. Its hard for us to find games on here that we actually like, but we loved this one. Please download this game! You will not regret it. Its funny, chaotic, challenging, sad, and so fun to play. Thanks to the creators for making this game! 100% definitely recommend!! – Blair.
The game is really great other rumors will say bad things about glitches, but we have completed this game over five times and encountered no problems. If youre thinking of downloading this, just know the game is a tiny bit slow, but we like that. Movement system is a tad weird, but it works once you get used to it. The game takes a tiny bit longer than other games to load but thats probably because this game was made to play on the Apple TV. Also, we would not recommend installing this game if you do not have the latest iOS. But overall, this is an amazing game with a great design and a great storyline so if youre into puzzle/adventure games this is probably our number one recommendation. Thank you so much Apple, this game is amazing.
Its an epic adventure of course.
It took us a while to get started due to the clunky UI, but honestly the game meets you halfway. Theres nothing super noble you need to do, so the UI is enough. We used hints a couple of times when the injective wasnt the clearest, but that wasnt the end of the world. The story is immersive. We ended up playing it on our iPad while we were stuck in bed with Covid (boo) and it really passed the time during our sick week when we were feeling terrible. Im really glad we tried this game. It felt like a future noir comic book that allowed us to solve the puzzles with the protagonist.
We got this game and then the same day we beat it. We really enjoyed this game its hard to find games like this.
We love this game. We wish that it was some modes that you can play as well but can you please add this in another update but the game graphics is amazing. Thank you for blessing us with this game. And we like the controller vibration setting.
We are endlessly impressed that this is a mobile game. It was fun, engaging, graphically appealing, well animated, incredibly voice acted, and well written. This would have been good as a PC or console game, but its insanely stunning as a mobile game. Our only frustration was some of the running around, because some controls were finicky but overall, 10/10 game.
We liked the game we think there should be a prequel (a game which was made after this one but takes place before this game dose) we want us to be able to go in and see what it was like BEFORE Joey the savior took over.
"Beyond a Steel Sky," developed by Revolution Software, is a remarkable sequel to the 1994 cult classic "Beneath a Steel Sky." This modern follow-up successfully bridges the gap between the past and present, offering both nostalgic charm and contemporary advancements that make it a standout in the adventure game genre. Heres an in-depth review of what makes "Beyond a Steel Sky" a compelling and worthwhile gaming experience. ### Narrative and World-Building Engaging Storyline: At the heart of "Beyond a Steel Sky" lies a captivating narrative that draws players in from the very beginning. The game continues the story of Robert Foster, who returns to the dystopian Union City to rescue a kidnapped child. The plot is infused with a perfect blend of humor, intrigue, and emotional depth. The storyline is not only engaging but also thought-provoking, exploring themes of control, freedom, and the human condition. The games narrative is enriched with well-crafted dialogue and strong voice acting, ensuring players remain invested in the unfolding drama. Richly Detailed World: Union City is meticulously designed, providing a futuristic vision that is both fascinating and eerily plausible. The world-building in "Beyond a Steel Sky" is top-notch, with every corner of Union City filled with details that enhance the immersive experience. From the towering skyscrapers to the bustling marketplaces and the downtrodden areas inhabited by the less fortunate, each setting feels alive and relevant to the story. The games environmental storytelling is exceptional, offering players a deep sense of place and history. ### Visuals and Design Striking Art Style: The game employs a cel-shaded art style that is both visually striking and evocative of its predecessors comic book aesthetic. This choice of visual design not only pays homage to the original game but also distinguishes "Beyond a Steel Sky" from other titles in the genre. The vibrant, colorful world is contrasted beautifully with the darker undertones of the dystopian setting, creating a visually compelling experience. Character designs are unique and memorable, adding to the overall charm of the game. Atmospheric Presentation: The art direction extends beyond just the visual style. The game's use of lighting, shadows, and color palettes significantly enhances the atmosphere, making Union City feel both vibrant and oppressive. This careful attention to detail in the visual presentation ensures that players are consistently engaged with the world around them. ### Puzzles and Gameplay Clever Puzzle Design: "Beyond a Steel Sky" excels in its puzzle design, offering challenges that are both inventive and well-integrated into the narrative. The puzzles require players to think creatively and often involve interacting with the environment in unique ways. They strike a good balance between being challenging yet fair, ensuring that players remain engaged without becoming frustrated. The games difficulty curve is well-paced, gradually introducing more complex puzzles as the story progresses. Innovative Hacking Mechanic: A standout feature in the gameplay is the hacking mechanic. This system allows players to manipulate the game world in various ways, providing multiple solutions to certain puzzles. This mechanic adds a layer of depth to the gameplay, encouraging players to experiment and think outside the box. It also contributes to the game's replayability, as different approaches can lead to different outcomes. Intuitive Interface: The user interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for players to navigate through the game and interact with objects and characters. The control scheme is straightforward, ensuring that players can focus on solving puzzles and exploring the world without being hindered by cumbersome mechanics. ### Technical Performance Smooth Performance: From a technical perspective, "Beyond a Steel Sky" performs admirably across various platforms. The game runs smoothly with minimal bugs or glitches, ensuring a seamless experience for players. The developers have clearly put in significant effort to optimize the game, which is evident in its stable performance and quick load times. Sound Design and Music: The sound design is another highlight, with a soundtrack that complements the games atmosphere perfectly. The music is well-composed, enhancing the emotional impact of key scenes and adding to the overall immersion. Sound effects are crisp and effective, further bringing the world of Union City to life. ### Nostalgia and Innovation A Faithful Sequel: For fans of the original "Beneath a Steel Sky," this sequel offers a satisfying return to a beloved universe. The game is filled with nods to its predecessor, from familiar characters to subtle references in the dialogue and environment. This sense of continuity is handled with care, ensuring that long-time fans feel right at home. Accessible to Newcomers: Despite its strong ties to the original, "Beyond a Steel Sky" is also designed to be accessible to new players. The story is self-contained enough that those unfamiliar with the first game can still fully enjoy the experience. The game provides enough context and background to make the world and its characters understandable without prior knowledge, making it a perfect entry point for newcomers to the series. ### Conclusion In conclusion, "Beyond a Steel Sky" is a masterfully crafted adventure game that offers a rich and engaging experience. Its compelling narrative, striking visuals, and clever gameplay mechanics make it a standout title that should not be missed. The game successfully combines nostalgia with modern advancements, appealing to both longtime fans of the original and newcomers alike. Whether youre drawn to its story, its puzzles, or its beautiful world, "Beyond a Steel Sky" is a journey worth embarking on.
As we are a person who enjoys puzzle and adventure games such as Minecraft and Tears of the Kingdom, we naturally am drawn to games like this on arcade. But this game completely tips the scales. The graphics are absolutely insane, every moment is well thought out and planned. Even though we havent played beneath a steel sky, we think they do an excellent job of giving you background. 9.99999/10, our favorite arcade game.
We love this game so far. Just an amazing experience. We sure hope you all come out with more games like this! One con: Some of the load times between levels can take 20 minutes. We have an iPhone 14 Pro Max 256 GB with plenty of space left over.
Beyond a steel sky is great game but small things like making the graphics better but in opinion it is a great game and such a good storylines.
So the game is actually overall very good, but we would like some like new mechanics, or like some more mechanics like at like climbing, crouching, falling sliding.
Only have played for about 8 minutes and am so impressed we stopped playing just to give it a 5 star review. Apple, please produce more games like this for Arcade. We only have the free trial as of now but would gladly pay if more quality games of this caliber were available to play.
For someone that was curious about spending money for Apple Arcade we were ver curious on if we would get value from the subscription. We dont own a video game console and we dont want to spend hundreds of dollars on something we would only play on occasion. However, this game got us hooked. We were playing this game through 1am in the morning. This game was fun, challenging and the story was well written. This makes our subscription to Apple Arcade worth it and we just want people to know that this video game is a gem and that we should support people who make these immersive games that we take for granted. We would easily pay $49 for this game. Well done to the team who made this game.
Excellent graphics, decent storyline, plenty of voice acting (not your standard text based choices game), puzzles to solve. Not buggy at all. Would definitely recommend you give it a try.
This has been the best game we have ever played in our entire life. Please please please and we cannot stress this enough please make another new game. We loved the concept of Union city. It would be really interesting to create a game of someone new to Union city who gets assessed and then told what job he/she will get, the housing, the wife/husband. Aspiration points, promotion, new housing with each promotion etc. Make it something like living in a dystopian city. Whenever the user engages with other people with different views or tries to say something against the city or does something wrong he/she gets sent to the reflection spa. Dont make it a heroic storyline make it something like the reality of life in a utopian/dystopian city.
This was the first deep adventure game that we introduced our boys to. We all enjoyed it as a family and had different players. For anyone who enjoyed the story and the game style developer has the prequel to this released back in the 90s called beneath a Steel Sky. Its also available on iPhone and iPad as well as gog.com. We also played it on Mac and iPad.
Honestly this game alone makes the Apple Arcade subscription worth it. The storyline, graphics, gameplay quality, its all so amazing. The only downside is that it can take a bit to load certain areas, but its like The Sims 3, if youre willing to wait a bit, youre in for a treat.
We were shocked with the how well the graphics were for a mobile game, even being up high in buildings you can see the detail in other buildings and on the ground. We love the story line, we love how a lot of things are interactive and everything else. All around a good game. But we will say its pretty hard, we binged played it and beat the game but without hints it wouldve been impossible. Because so of it just nobody would think of. So through out a few more objectives leading to what you need to do. Dont just be like save the children theres much more to it than that. But other than that its super fun and will keep your concentration for sure.
The story is engaging, the puzzles are challenging, the graphics and artwork are amazing. We also think the voice actor for the main character is properly cheeky which was nice for a little comedy. You dont have to have played Beneath the Steel Sky to follow the story, so that is good. We would LOVE a sequel set in this world. Any chance of that happening.
We look forward to more from this developer. Great story, very engaging. Loved it.
Ive played this game at least 5 times now and we never get tired of it.
Honestly we really enjoyed this game. Its probably the best mobile game so far. It was almost just like playing on a system. Easy controls, great storyline, and wasnt too long or too short. Really was just like a system game definitely unlock most other mobile games. Fantastic job.
We don't write a lot of reviews nor do we play a lot of games aside from time wasters (sudoku, chess, solitaire). Have to say this game brought us back to the days of when we were a kid playing desktop games and getting totally sucked in. We liked the story and how the puzzles were a good mix of challenging and easy to do. The ending was a bit funny and kind of dragged on a tad but it was really exciting up until the last objective. We're actually really amazed by the audio tracks knowing just how hard it is not only to write all that dialogue but also to have people perform them in a way that sounds believable and consistent. Definitely an audio on type of game. Great job to the development and creative team. Our only feedback is that we're getting older and the text sizes were sometimes a bit too small. Allowing for increasing text size would make the game much easier to play for us in the 40+ age range.
We felt a little like we were watching a really interesting mystery show/ movie while also being a participant in the show. We said several times Im too old for this! But we finished the game so we guess Im not as old as we think. Very enjoyable and playable.
We love everything about this game please come up with a part two.
Loved the story line. Had a lot of things that you could click on (didnt have to to advance) to tell a deeper story line. Some of the puzzles where not as challenging but that in itself was also nice. Our only complaint is that it wasnt long enough. It worth playing but fair warning you will have trouble putting it down until your iPad runs out of battery lol.
It may just be us, but we find it very hard to find games we enjoy on the Arcade. But this game? Wow am we surprised. Overall 8.5/10 Graphics: 7/10 – great for a mobile game, scenery and art style were beautiful, and facial expressions were almost always well done. Puzzles/Exploration: 8/10 – very intriguing and really gets your brain going. EVERY puzzle contributed to the storyline and mission. Some difficult portions, but the hint system doesnt just give the answer straight to you, it coaches you in the right direction depending on how long youve been trying at it. Its wonderful. Storyline/World Building: 9.5/10 – AMAZING world building and overall storyline. It keeps you hooked on finding the answers and the environment matches the storyline so well. Controls: 6/10 – Let us say that Im rating it on mobile controls. Its good for mobile, but sometimes a little touchy when youre trying to turn or pan the camera while youre running. It simply doesnt like it if you try to pan the camera behind you while you run the other direction, which was kind of annoying, but fine once you get used to it. Pacing: 9/10 – The speed of the storyline and game is very well put together. We would have liked it to be longer, just because we loved the gameplay. We have 9 or so hours of playtime into the game, and we loved every second of it. Thank you devs, we hope you make more.
One of the best games out there! Story line is perfect! Theres not one thing we didnt like about this game! We just loved it! Thanks for sharing this game with the world.
Wow just wow! This game is mind blowing amazing! The storyline is superb,graphics are top notch and voice actors are perfect.we have never played a mobile game that was this detailed and brilliant, we were so sucked into this game that we didnt want it to endI am deff going to replay it multiple times and recommend it to friends,family,any gamer we come across.If your reading reviews and deciding if you should play this or notPLAY IT, you wont be disappointed! Please..Please..Make more like this.
This was maybe the first game that had us following the story line, along with the mechanics of getting through the puzzles and goals. Great story, with human issues. We thought the graphics were great, the puzzles somewhat challenging, and the gameplay intuitive. There were some spots with clunky graphics, and two particular spots where the hot spots to click on for solutions were darned near impossible to find, to the point where we suspected our version was buggy. But after several attempts, and after a day of separation, we got through without deleting the game. Close calls both times! Anyway, this was the best Arcade game we've played. It's worth a look.
This game makes us want to go back to PC games to get more games like this. We still cannot believe there is a full version RPG games that does not require a battle to progress, and is totally fun and captivating. Though the scenes and journey seemed endless, when it did end, we wanted more. The clue system is also great. The graphics and gameplay are amazing. Apple Arcade needs more of these types of games. This is the first 5 star game we have played on an Apple device.
This game is incredible! The story line is well written. The graphics are amazing. The puzzles are just the right amount of difficult where its fun without being too frustrating. It lasted so much longer than we expected! We clocked about 11 hours of play time to finish it. We may even spend money to play the first game just to get some back story for this one. Its soo good! Thank you for making such an awesome game.
This was an unforgettable experience the graphics are great and the 10 hours of gameplay 8 to 10 hours just melted Pass us by being compelled by amazing story line with what would seem like a nothing court case to turn in this massive conspiracy theory theory right before our eyes and we were just blown away when we finish the game we were surprised of how short the 10 hours felt and we were compelled to two want to play it again share with our friends we thought this was gonna be like a game where we like play like 10 minutes of it and then we have to like pay but no it was a 10 hour click adventure game which we loved every second of playing and we would totally recommend this to anyone.
We started Beyond a Steel Sky a few month ago. At first it seemed that this game was so basic and just like any other game. We were looking for something creative and out of the ordinary. We were also having trouble with completing tasks like finding area code E1594. Or confronting the council at the Citadel. But we managed to beat the game anyway. We left the game alone after that. A couple months later, we dicided to play the game again and BOY WAS we WRONG. It was amazing!! We knew what to do and it just seemed more entertaining. We played it again and again and it never got tiresome. We are planning on playing this game again for the 8th time. NO CAP. So plz play this game because its worth it. Also there should be another beyond steel sky because we want another story and game like this one :).
Gggnjug , this is the second game in this series. The first game is called Beneath a steel sky which we are yet to play, and this game (Beyond a steel sky) is the second game in the series. You should play the first game, we dont know if its exactly good because we havent exactly played it ourselves but just throwing that out there for ya.
Such a great game a good mix of 1900s mix and new game technology love it finished the game in 3 days not a bad gameplay just wish there was more to explore is all wish u could explore the whole city in a different mode like adventure mode or something. But over all great story line and gameplay.
We swear if they do not make more to this game or a second game Im going to die this game was amazing.
Fantastic story. Great art. Complicated enough without being so difficult you give up. Perfect in every way. Saw a post about being buggy but we didnt experience a single bug. Perhaps they have been fixed. Please make more games like this.
They need to make a third one. The story is that good.
User feedback from Apple App Store
App Details
- Version: 1.5.29150
- Size: 3,071.38 MB
- iOS: 13.0 or later
- Languages: AR, NL, EN, FR, DE, IT, JA, KO, PT, RU, ZH, ES, ZH, TR
- Content Advisory: Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence, Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References, Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor, Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes, Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
- Developer: Revolution Software Limited
Last updated: 11th February 2022 | Genre: Adventure | Developer: Revolution Software Limited