iOS game developer Snowman today announced that "Alto's Odyssey" will launch on the iOS and tvOS App Stores on Thursday, February 22. With the confirmation of a release date, Apple today shared a new card on the iOS App Store noting the launch, along with snippets of an interview with the game's developers (via TouchArcade). The game was originally set to debut in the summer of 2017 but got delayed because "it takes longer to build things right."

altos odyssey ios release
Alto's Odyssey is a sequel to the original 2015 game "Alto's Adventure," and will introduce a few new pieces of gameplay into the endless runner formula from the first game, like wall jumping, balloon bouncing, and more. Characters can be unlocked and each will have their own abilities, and players will be able to relax a bit with a "Zen Mode" that removes all coins, power ups, and scores to focus on exploration.

"We want to make sure both games feel connected," says Harry Nesbitt, lead artist and programmer for the eight-person Team Alto. "They're part of the same world, so they need to feel like they're painted with the same brush. But we also want to celebrate the new desert environment and explore everything it has to offer."

Instead of a snowy location, Alto's Odyssey takes place in a desert and players will control Alto through the franchise's "one-touch trick system" to chain combos and complete level goals. The sequel also has a Photo Mode, where players can pause the game and take pictures of their trips through the desert to share online with friends and family.


Alto's Odyssey is a universal iOS app, and supports the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, syncing progress across all devices. The game is up for pre-order today [Direct Link] ahead of its February 22 launch date, priced at $4.99 "with no ads or in-app purchases."

Top Rated Comments

HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
94 months ago
What??? Holding back a software release in the interests of getting it right? What universe are these devs from? Don't they know modern app business is release at first working beta or alpha, and then (maybe) perfect over countless bug fix updates?

Kudos to them for at least aiming at putting quality first! I wish others would at least try that kind of approach too.

And the first "chapter" (Adventure) of this game was/is quite great IMO!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
639051 Avatar
94 months ago
I've spent many an hour on the original. Looking forward to this!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
94 months ago
Instant buy for me. I didn’t even care about the price. I still play Alto’s Adventure, years after I finished all the challenges. It just kept getting better, even after they clearly didn’t have to. The tvOS version and the Zen Mode came as free updates gave the game an entire new life.

Odyssey looks gorgeous. I’ll spend many hours on this game for years to come.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradkrischel Avatar
94 months ago
I didn't realize the software was going to sellout on the app store
Pre-orders are not just for products that have a likelihood of selling out...(e.g. dvd & blu ray movies, console video games, etc.) Many of those do not sell out on release date either, but customers still pre-order because they want the item as soon as it becomes available. Pay ahead of time for a product you know you want, so you get it on release day without having to do anything else.

In this case, pre-ordering makes it so you don't have to remember to come back to the app store on the day it's released - it will be automatically downloaded to your phone when it becomes available on the app store. Same concept as the non-app store example described above - pay ahead, get it when it becomes available.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aluminum213 Avatar
94 months ago
Pre ordering an app? Haha
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
94 months ago
I'm still looking forward to Sky being released—you know, that cool looking game that was on display at the iPhone event in September? I looked up their Twitter and it looks like there was a limited release in New Zealand about two weeks ago. Anyone from NZ played it yet?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...