Remember when Palworld crashed onto Steam and everyone lost their minds over "Pokémon with guns"? Well, looks like the creature-collecting fever isn't cooling down anytime soon. Auroria, backed by gaming giant Tencent, just dropped a massive update for their space-themed take on the formula – but there's a catch that's got iPhone users feeling left out in the cold.
If you've played Auroria, the first thing that hits you is how it's pulling from gaming's biggest hits. The core loop feels familiar - you're crafting bases in procedurally generated space environments that'd make No Man's Sky players feel right at home, while managing a collection of creatures that seems pretty freshly inspired by Palworld's success. The Steam page isn't shy about it either, specifically calling out that players will "survive with your pals" - a choice of words that's pretty on the nose given Palworld's January explosion onto the gaming scene.
The latest update just landed for Android users across Southeast Asia and South Asia, packing what the devs are calling a "revamped quest system" and a fresh batch of characters to collect. They've also tweaked the UI to run smoother on mobile devices. But if you're clutching an iPhone right now, I've got some bad news – the iOS version is still cooking in the development oven, with no clear release date in sight.
For PC players keeping score, Auroria's still sitting in that mysterious "coming soon" limbo on Steam. The game's also planned for various Steam Deck alternatives, though details are about as clear as space fog right now.
What's particularly interesting is how this fits into the bigger picture of major Chinese developers like Tencent moving into the monster-collecting space. With Palworld shaking up the genre's conventions, it feels like we're watching the start of a whole new wave of games trying to capture that same lightning in a bottle.
If you're itching to try Auroria and happen to be outside the current release regions, some players are reporting success using VPNs to access the Android version – though as always, proceed with caution on that front.
The real question hanging over Auroria isn't just whether it can stand out - it's whether the mobile-first approach makes sense for a game this ambitious. Other developers have tried threading this needle before - look at how Tower of Fantasy aimed for that Genshin Impact magic but struggled to nail the balance between mobile accessibility and depth. With the Android version now live in Southeast Asia and South Asia, we'll get our first real look at whether Auroria's space exploration gamble pays off. The iOS version's delay might actually be a blessing in disguise, giving the developers time to fine-tune based on these initial rollouts.
