Everything we know about Destiny Rising: Closed alpha, platforms, more

After months of rumors and speculation, it’s now official that a Destiny mobile game is on the way. Destiny Rising was unveiled on October 14, 2024, and Guardians don’t have to wait long to jump in.

Destiny 2 has been in a bit of a rough spot this year, with players’ hopes for the franchise waning after the announcement of layoffs and key content changes. The huge pivots since Final Shape have left Guardians wondering just what Bungie has in store for the future of their beloved looter shooter.

Rumors then surfaced on the internet about a new mobile Destiny game in collaboration with NetEase. Now, we know Destiny Rising is officially going ahead. From gameplay details to its Closed Alpha, here’s everything you need to know.

What is Destiny Rising?

Destiny Rising is a spinoff project for mobile devices. It’s not directly tied to the core Destiny experience, so it won’t impact Bungie’s vision for the franchise moving forward. Rather, it’s a standalone game set in an alternate timeline that brings its own unique ideas to the fold.

Playable from either first-person or third-person POVs, you’re jumping in with new characters, new classes, getting new loot, and all the rest. With 11 characters to pick from already, you get to fend off familiar enemy forces with a huge roster.

Bungie / Netease

Destiny Rising can be played from a first or third-person perspective, like most shooters on handheld devices.

Platforms

Destiny Rising is indeed a mobile game, meaning you can’t play on console or on PC (at least not without an emulator). The game is slated to launch across iOS and Android devices, with devs recommending iPhone 8’s or newer along with Snapdragon 845 or newer to run it properly.

The full recommended specs are as follows

• Android Devices: 
  • Snapdragon 845 or newer
• iPhone:
  •  iPhone 8 or newer
• iPads: 
  • 1. iPad (8th generation) or newer
  • 2. iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation) or newer
  • 3. iPad Pro (10.5-inch)（2017） or newer
  • 4. iPad Pro (11-inch, 1st generation) or newer
  • 5. iPad mini (5th generation) or newer
  • 6. iPad Air (3rd generation) or newer

Destiny Rising Closed Alpha sign-up details

The first Closed Alpha test is set to get underway on November 1, 2024. However, this initial test is limited only to players in the US and Canada.

Currently, there’s no telling just how long the test may last, nor when it might expand to other regions.

To get a chance to play right away, you have to sign up here, though do keep in mind players will be randomly selected, so there’s no guarantee you’ll get in.

When is Destiny Rising set? Story details

We know for certain Destiny Rising is set in “an alternate universe” with its own timeline of events distinct from the canon we know today. That means it’s not a prequel nor sequel, nor taking place between any major expansions. It exists on its own.

The story follows humanity’s climb back from “ashes” in the wake of a mysterious alien invasion. Exactly what race has invaded remains unclear, though a number of familiar faces are present.

The gameplay trailer revealed early looks at Fallen, Hive, Vex, all the usual enemy types, not to mention Ghosts, Iron Lords, and all the friendly figures too.

Bungie / Netease

Destiny Rising takes place in an alternate universe detached from the main narrative.

Devs want Guardians to “piece together the big picture of this era” from smaller tales you encounter while playing, though some will be provided by iconic figures. Ikora Rey, for instance, is confirmed to make an appearance, as is Kabir.

Gameplay details

Destiny Rising is structured similarly to the core Destiny experience. That means story missions, six-player PVE activities, PVP (eventually), and even a handful of new modes too. It’s all part of the package.

Swapping between first-person and third-person POV, you’re largely running through rooms of enemies and lighting them up no different from how you normally would. You’ve got regular loadouts with multiple weapons at the ready along with Relics to really up the ante. While devs have picked a selection of the series’ most iconic Exotics to join the lineup, they’ve also made a number of new additions too.

As a free-to-play release, however, there’s no telling how monetization may impact the gameplay loop. We do know there’s a new weapon rarity calls called ‘Mystic,’ but exactly how these are obtained remains unclear at the time of writing.

Set in a different time before the establishment of Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks, classes look to be distinct with their own weapons types and powerful abilities, though not quite what we’ve grown accustomed to in Destiny 2.

Trailers

Destiny mobile game rumors – Full timeline

Back in 2022, there were rumors that developers NetEase would be working together with Bungie to create a Destiny mobile FPS game. According to The Game Post, the project had been in development for “well over two years now” when these reports were revealed. The game was internally codenamed “Viper”.

Destiny Rising first mentioned

Fast forward to 2024 after the massive Bungie layoffs, and as a result of this huge reduction in staff, Bungie decided to dial back the amount of content in Destiny 2 as well as canceled plans to create another spinoff title called “Payback”.

However, video game insider Kurakasis posted on X (formerly Twitter) that despite the major changes at the studio, the mobile game project is still very much underway and has not been canceled. If the rumors from back in 2022 are correct, the game has been in development for around four years.

Bungie’s involvement

Giant Bomb’s Jeff Grubb also revealed that not many people from Bungie are working on Destiny Rising, with a significant amount of the development being led by NetEase. Bungie was originally much more involved with the production of the game and even attempted to renegotiate the contract with NetEase to establish a co-development partnership. However, when these negotiations failed, Bungie stepped back from the project significantly.

According to Grubb, Bungie’s contribution mainly comes in the form of providing Narrative and Support, offering visual assets, and lending around five or six staff members to assist on the project.