# Hive® Game — Official Digital Edition > Digital edition of the award-winning abstract strategy board game Hive. (iPhone/iPad app by GiantStep Kft..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [GiantStep Kft.](https://appshunter.io/developer/557576540) - Category: Games, Entertainment, Board, Strategy - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.50/5 from 269 App Store ratings · 92 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 15.6 · 11 MB - Languages: American English, Hungarian, Dutch, European Spanish, Italian, German (Germany), Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, French (France) - Released: 2026-01-26 - Data updated: 2026-09-01 - Monetization: free with in-app purchases - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729/reviews.md ## What is Hive® Game? "What impresses me most about this Hive® app is how the AI plays with true strategic depth—enough to challenge even seasoned Hive veterans. The developers have captured the purity of the game beautifully: no clutter, no distractions, just clean design that lets the elegance of Hive shine through. A thoughtful, well-crafted adaptation." – John Yianni, creator of Hive® The award-winning tabletop classic Hive® is now in your pocket. Created with the blessing of the game’s designer, John Yianni, this app delivers a clean, focused, and beautifully polished digital Hive® experience. Hive® is a captivating strategy game often described as “nature’s chess.” There is no board — the game itself is built from the creatures you place. Your goal is simple: surround your opponent’s Queen Bee while keeping your own safe. Easy to learn, endlessly deep to master. OFFICIAL HIVE® EXPERIENCE Faithful to the vision of its original designer, this app captures the award-winning rules and timeless elegance of Hive® without compromise. THE COMPLETE HIVE® Play Hive® exactly as intended. Alongside the base game, all three official expansion pieces are included: Mosquito, Ladybug, and Pillbug. THE RUSTYBLADE™ AI Don’t settle for predictable opponents. RustyBlade™ is a bold, aggressive AI engine that plays with initiative and intent. It doesn’t aim for safe draws — it fights for victory. Expect intense, uncompromising strategic battles. PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS TOO New to Hive®? The fully adjustable difficulty lets RustyBlade™ become a patient training partner. Learn the ropes with a video tutorial by John Yianni (the creator of Hive), while the illustrated rulebook and Undo feature allow you to learn, experiment, and improve without pressure. ELEGANT & FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE A sleek design that adapts to your style. Choose your preferred board orientation (flat or pointy-top), select custom colors, and adjust wood grain intensity. Responsive controls, subtle animations, and haptic feedback ensure a smooth, immersive experience that brings the hive to life. UNIVERSAL PURCHASE Unlock the Elite Edition once and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. ELITE EDITION: - Full access to all official expansions: Mosquito, Ladybug, and Pillbug. - Test your skills against advanced RustyBlade™ AI difficulty levels. - Personalize your experience with premium backgrounds and visual settings. - Detailed player statistics. - Game Center support (friend-invite matches only). - Local network play over the same Wi-Fi network. - Family Sharing: Share the Elite experience with your family at no extra cost. The Hive is humming. The army is ready. Are you? Official Website: https://hivegameapp.com ## Key features - Official Hive® rules and design - Includes all three official expansions - Advanced RustyBlade™ AI - Adjustable difficulty for beginners - Video tutorial by game creator - Customizable visual settings - Local network play ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | Elite Edition | $9.99 | one-time | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 92) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hive-game/id6747834729/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Beeautiful (see what I did there?) *2026-08-26, version 1.5* This is a great implementation of the game. The developer has kept it simple, sensibly, although the game itself is anything but. I’ve got the AI on the easiest level and it’s very hard to beat. I haven’t bought the expansion yet because there’s a lot to learn from the basic game. It would be really helpful to be able to introduce the expansion pieces one by one but it appears that if you play an expanded game you have to play them all. Also it would be useful to be able to turn off the green placement guides but it’s no biggie. If I were developing this game further I’d want to animate the movement of the pieces according to their type rather than just appear in the new position. So the ant slides around the hive, the beetle climbs on top etc. Anyway great job. ### 2/5 — One big issue and one small note *2026-08-17, version 1.4* Solo mode good except for the neon green indicators for every possible move placement on your turn… it takes out the human element of being able to miss potential plays / setups. This feels like an enormous crutch / tutorial level of hand holding while playing. It would be great to be able to turn this off so it plays like an actual tabled game. Update: The dev response to this review is incorrect and has misunderstood or not properly read the review and meaning. I am not talking about previous moves, but current ones. I am taking off another star, as the matchmaking / ability to play with someone else in any form simply does not work. I messaged the developer who instead of being understanding and receptive to the issue, was a little combative and simply told me to get a refund from Apple. ### 5/5 — Super zum Lernen. Nicht verschenkbar. *2026-08-01* Sehr schönes Spiel, gut implementiert. 2 Spieler auf einem Gerät und über Game Center. Gibt’s nicht oft. Und kein Abomodell!! Da stimmt einfach alles. Sehr schade, dass man die App nicht verschenken kann, sonst hättet ihr jetzt ein paar Kunden mehr. ### 3/5 — Great except… *2026-07-30* Great except for the neon green indicators for every possible move when pressing any potential tile… takes out the human element of being able to miss potential setups etc. Feels like an enormous crutch / tutorial level of hand holding. Would be great to be able to turn this off so it plays like an actual tabled game. **Developer response:** Go to Settings and turn Off the Show last move option to disable those green indicators. Looking forward to those 5 stars! :) ### 3/5 — I love the app, but, I would rather play with the updates. Will that be possible? *2026-07-27, version 1.3* I gave it a 3, only because I love using the updates. But if you add the updates; PILLBUG, LADY BUG, and MOSQUITO, I WOULD GIVE IT a 5 for sure. ### 5/5 — Fix icon edges *2026-07-25, version 1.3* Great game. Please fix the white app icon edges, it looks messy. ### 4/5 — Great if you already love Hive *2026-07-24, version 1.3* This is an app that takes the game seriously. Too seriously for my taste, but that’s Hive for you. I remember the first time I saw Hive at a game café. I thought, “oh, a nice game with insects.” Then I played it and it was immediately apparent that this deceptively simple game was a mathematically complex war-zone. “Oh no, I groaned, this isn’t just a fun little game. It’s a whole THING, isn’t it?” I pictured it already. Like Chess or Go or Poker. ELO ratings. Forums. Spreadsheets. “Tournament rules”. People are hardcore about this. Well, they are. And they do. And it is. This app (smartly?) caters to those people. The AI in one-player mode, even on the easiest setting, is not for the curious newbie thinking, “Hey, I’ll play a little game to pass the time during lunch.” It will kick your butt. It is meant to hone your skills. To rewire your brain. To slap you out of complacency and turn you into a Hive warrior. It won’t use any of this language. The game is Spartan in approach. It doesn’t congratulate you. Beating it is thankless. It took me 8 tries to beat it on “Egg” mode, the easiest mode, which is about two levels lower than the default “Worker” mode. And Worker Mode is only Level 3/7 difficulty. So I was playing the equivalent of “Super Easy” mode. 8 losses. It kept score. The statistics menu is announced in big letters on the opening screen. Granted, 3 of my losses were a result of my buying the add-on upgrade pieces and trying them out, pieces that only make the game more complex and confusing to beginners. Now wiser from being beaten over the head so much, I decided to take the game seriously. I planned my moves. I was proactive, not so much reactive. I noticed when the AI mirrored my moves, remembered how early it brought out the Queen Bee. I used my spider and Beetle to their full advantage. I doubled up and stacked pieces prudently. I won. I won! Huzzah! How glorious! I’d broken out of my egg shell. Now just to repeat this victory and tip the scales of my statistics back out from the shadow of shame. I rebooted the app because I wanted to continue playing white and going directly after a match to another causes the game to switch it up on you. I began my opening volley. So far so good. I tried to tighten up my game, remembering some bonehead moves that slowed down my progress last time. Within three moves the tide had turned. It seems the AI remembered how I’d won the last game, and it wasn’t going to allow that to happen again. This “Egg” was intent on being the first to hatch and suck out the yolks of anything it found in its hive. This game is survival of the fittest. Will I be playing it more? Sure, if I am feeling down and want to engage in some punishment. There is no elation in it for relatively non-competitive people such as myself. But if you love Hive and you want to become a Hive champion, you couldn’t ask for a better boot camp. I take that back. It’s not a boot camp. Boot camps actually teach you or st least tell you what to do. This is a test of skill and you can test yourself over and over again. One thing I don’t get is what the difference between “Flat Top” and “pointy top” are in the settings. On an iPad they look exactly the same. ### 5/5 — Yay hive is back *2026-07-24, version 1.3* I’m so glad to see Hive back on phones. It’s one of the best board games and this new apps ai has shown me I am really really bad at this game. But that’s good because now I have to actually learn. Great game and the fact that you can play the base game for free without restrictions shows a real respect for the players .. there’s no annoying ads or freemium garbage.. I’ll gladly pay to unlock the full game for that reason alone (plus I want my ladybug) ### 1/5 — Do not buy for muliplayer *2026-07-22, version 1.3* Extremely disappointed. Paid to upgrade so I could play online vs friends that don’t live close. Online matchmaking is a joke and never worked. Contacted support and they pawned off the blame on Apple. ### 5/5 — Lit *2026-07-21, version 1.3* Lowkey this game is hard ## Frequently asked questions about Hive® Game ### What is Hive® Game? Hive® Game is the official digital edition of the award-winning abstract strategy board game. It features a clean design, faithful adaptation of the original rules, and includes all official expansions. The goal is to surround your opponent's Queen Bee while protecting your own. ### What are the key features of the Hive® Game app? Key features include the complete Hive® experience with all official expansions (Mosquito, Ladybug, Pillbug), the advanced RustyBlade™ AI for challenging gameplay, adjustable difficulty levels, a video tutorial by the game's creator, and customizable visual settings for a personalized experience. ### How much does the Hive® Game app cost? The app offers a free download with the option to unlock the Elite Edition through an in-app purchase. This purchase provides full access to all expansions, advanced AI difficulties, premium visual settings, detailed player statistics, and more. ### What devices is Hive® Game compatible with? The app is designed as a universal purchase, meaning you can enjoy the Elite Edition on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It also supports local network play over the same Wi-Fi network. ### Who is the Hive® Game app designed for? This app is perfect for both beginners and seasoned veterans of Hive®. Beginners can learn the game with a video tutorial, illustrated rulebook, and adjustable AI difficulty, while experienced players can test their strategic depth against the advanced AI and play with friends. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.5 — 2026-08-23 Freer start at beginner level ### 1.4 — 2026-08-07 New zoom system ### 1.3 — 2026-06-07 Added hint system ### 1.2 — 2026-05-25 Easier AI at beginner level. ### 1.0.8 — 2026-04-13 New iCloud-based statistics. ## Apps similar to Hive® Game | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Cascadia Digital](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cascadia-digital/id6449233571) | 4.9 (1,065) | $9.99 | Games | | [Humbug 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/humbug-2/id6753792967) | 4.8 (328) | Free | Games | | [Witchcraft!](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/witchcraft/id6758669803) | 4.8 (87) | $2.99 | Games | | [Gambonanza](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gambonanza/id6747752407) | 4.9 (2,617) | $5.99 | Games | | [Ark Nova](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ark-nova/id6449233549) | 4.8 (1,166) | $10.99 | Games | | [Nature Board Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nature-board-game/id6738703558) | 4.7 (115) | Free | Games | ## More apps by GiantStep Kft. - [Native Invoice](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/native-invoice/id1557682334) All apps by GiantStep Kft.: https://appshunter.io/developer/557576540 ## Related topics [hive](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hive) · [hive game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hive-game) · [abstract strategy](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/abstract-strategy) · [hiverlab](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hiverlab) · [hive online](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hive-online) · [busy bees hive](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/busy-bees-hive) · [hive notes](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/hive-notes) · [bee hive game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/bee-hive-game) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*