About Destiny: Rising
Destiny has spent years building a reputation around fast-paced shooting and science-fiction worlds. Destiny: Rising takes those ideas and moves them onto mobile, creating a new way to experience the franchise without simply trying to squeeze the existing games onto a smaller screen.
This is the first mobile game in the Destiny franchise, and it has been designed around the format from the beginning. You can play in either first- or third-person, with touchscreen controls or a compatible controller, and switch between different heroes rather than sticking with a single character throughout the game.
Those heroes are a big part of the experience. Each has their own personality, story, abilities, and combat style, so choosing who to take into a mission isn't just about picking a different-looking character. You'll need to work out which abilities suit the situation and, when playing with other people, how different characters work together.
There's a familiar mix of PvE and PvP content, too. Campaign missions sit alongside six-player co-op Strikes and other repeatable activities, while competitive modes give you somewhere to put those carefully assembled teams to the test.
Then there are the weapons. There are plenty to collect, with different traits and combinations that let you experiment with how you approach combat. The result is recognizably Destiny, but it isn't simply Destiny on a phone. The character-driven structure and mobile-focused controls give Rising its own identity.
Why Should I Play Destiny: Rising?
Shooting is still at the heart of Destiny: Rising, but the way you approach it depends heavily on which character you're playing. Each hero has their own skills and combat style, meaning there isn't one universal way to handle every encounter.
You can play from either a first-person or third-person perspective. First-person will feel familiar to anyone who has spent time with the main Destiny games, while third-person puts more of the character and their abilities on display. You can also use touchscreen controls or connect a compatible controller if you prefer physical buttons.
The campaign provides a more traditional way to experience the game's story, but there's plenty to do outside of it. Six-player Strikes bring cooperative play into the mix, while other PvE activities give you reasons to keep coming back after you've finished individual missions.
PvP is there for players who'd rather compete against other people. The different modes give you a chance to test weapons and character combinations against actual opponents rather than AI enemies.
Weapons themselves are another major part of progression. You'll find different types with their own traits and characteristics, allowing you to experiment with combinations that suit the way you like to play. A weapon that works well with one character or ability setup might not be quite as useful with another.
The multiplayer side goes beyond combat, too. You can form clans, spend time in shared spaces, and join up with friends before heading into missions. That gives the game something to offer between battles rather than making every part of the experience revolve around shooting.
For existing Destiny players, familiar faces and ideas provide an obvious connection to the wider franchise. At the same time, Rising introduces new characters and its own story, so newcomers aren't necessarily expected to know everything that happened in the previous games before they can start playing.
Is Destiny: Rising Free-to-play?
Destiny: Rising is free to download and play on mobile, with optional in-game purchases. The game follows a free-to-play model rather than requiring players to purchase the app before accessing its campaign, multiplayer modes, and other core features. As with other games using this model, some additional content and progression options can be tied to optional purchases.
Where Can I Download Destiny: Rising?
Destiny: Rising is designed for mobile devices and is available on Android and iOS. The game supports touchscreen controls, but players can also use compatible controllers. That is particularly useful for a shooter, where some players may find physical controls easier for aiming and movement than a virtual touchscreen layout.
Because Rising is an online-focused game, an internet connection is required for its multiplayer features and other connected services. The hardware requirements will also vary between devices, so older phones may not provide the same experience as newer models.
What Games Should I Play If I Enjoy Destiny: Rising?
Goddess of Victory: Nikke is another mobile sci-fi game built around a roster of playable characters with different abilities and roles. It puts a strong emphasis on collecting and upgrading those characters, although its combat system is quite different from Destiny: Rising. NIKKE is the better fit if the character-collection side appeals to you most, while Rising is much closer to a traditional shooter.
Delta Force is worth considering if you're primarily interested in the gunplay. It's a military shooter with large-scale multiplayer combat and other competitive modes, giving it a much more grounded setting than Destiny: Rising. Rising, meanwhile, mixes shooting with character abilities, sci-fi powers, and a larger RPG-style progression system.
Shadowgun Legends is perhaps the closest match in terms of being a mobile sci-fi shooter. It features first-person combat, missions, weapons, character progression, and multiplayer activities. Destiny: Rising adds a more character-focused structure and gives players the option of third-person combat, while Shadowgun Legends keeps things closer to the traditional first-person shooter format.