# Space Borders: Alien Encounter — user reviews > 110 indexed App Store user reviews of Space Borders by Amasis Brauch, rated 4.70/5 from 167 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-borders-alien-encounter/id490625226/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-borders-alien-encounter/id490625226.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 148 · 4★ 6 · 3★ 2 · 2★ 5 · 1★ 6 ## What do users think of Space Borders? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🎮 Excellent RTS gameplay mechanics - 💰 No pay-to-win or microtransactions - 🎨 Charming 2D graphics and visual style - ⚙️ Deep fleet customization options - 📱 Works smoothly on older devices - 🎯 Challenging and rewarding campaign - 🔄 Multiple game modes (Campaign, Survival, Conquest, Sandbox) - 🎬 Engaging sci-fi storyline - 👨‍💻 Responsive developer with regular updates - 🎪 Great value for single purchase price - 🏆 Unique space RTS on mobile platform - 🎮 Intuitive touch controls for mobile **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent app crashes during missions - 💾 No save/checkpoint system for long missions - 🎨 Cartoony graphics in newer versions - 🤖 Poor AI behavior - ⏱️ Missions are very long without breaks - 🎮 Unresponsive controls at times - 📊 Limited fleet size capacity - 🔧 Game balance issues with resource management - ☁️ No cloud save functionality - 🎯 Difficulty spike in early game - 🐛 Save data rollback issues after updates **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes mid-mission with no progress recovery - Save file corruption and rollback after updates - Mission failure without clear cause or visibility - Resource disappearance between campaign episodes - Harvester ships launching into enemy fire - Ships spinning uncontrollably when near targets - Occasional lag with action controls - Controls requiring multiple inputs to register - Crashes on iOS 11 with iPhone 7 - Game-breaking resource management allowing soft-lock - End-mission crashes before hyperspace exit **Most requested features** - Multiplayer or online gameplay - Sequel or major expansion - Additional campaign missions and episodes - More ship types and varieties - More turret and weapon options - Larger fleet size capacity - Cloud save/iCloud synchronization - Checkpoint system for long missions - Ability to save and place destroyed ship debris in sandbox - 3D graphics upgrade - Larger maps and scaled battles - Local multiplayer support - Drones and sentry gun units - Base building mechanics - Planet-based gameplay - Larger hangar sizes - More varied campaign storylines - Speed-up options accessible from play screen - Ability to unlock sandbox mode without beating conquest ## Newest reviews (16 of 110) ### 5/5 — This game is amazing *2021-12-12* Great touch space fleet RTS ### 5/5 — Worth the investment *2021-11-15* Great campaign, insanely good add one to for what you pay you get a campaign,survival,mining ops and a conquest mode. As for the gameplay itself is very well thought out, you can’t just dive in and pewpew everything you have to think how to advance each bit and how to engage the enemy, As I said worth the investment and sounds like there is more to come so what more could you want. ### 5/5 — So far best offline space strategy game *2021-09-14* I love this game but only play every now and then I wish there was more content/ships that would be awesome but all In all 10/10 ### 5/5 — I love this game *2021-07-12, version 3.3.2* I love this game and I need more 😂 …like maybe a multiplayer rts style game. My dream is to play a online game similar to twilight imperium. Anyways, this game brings my imagination of the book Enders game to life. ### 5/5 — Best Game Out There *2021-06-01* I've played this game since its first revision and it's great to see the dev keeping the game alive with updates. Honestly this is the most under rated game out there. A true hidden gem. I would love some DLC that would add a 3 or 4 slot cruiser type ship and more campaign stories. ### 5/5 — Great game! *2021-05-25, version 3.3* Well done! ### 5/5 — It’s been awhile butttt *2021-02-26* I know it’s been awhile but this gave is still great so a new update would be amazing ### 5/5 — Best RTS Game on IOS EVER! *2020-11-10* I LOVE this game so much! For a small price you get 9 incredible and in depth missions, a fleet you command across said missions to combat a powerful foe, multiple different modes including a conquest mode DLC which adds a lot more content, and tons of FUN and DESTRUCTION and Replayability! The conquest mode DLC is only 1 dollar but in my opinion it’s worth more than that. OH and a sandbox mode where you can do just about anything you want!! It even runs incredibly on my very old iPad mini 2 at 60fps! Best RTS game on IOS EVER! I Can’t wait for a sequel :) ### 5/5 — Great game. *2020-08-25, version 3.3* This is the best mobile game I have ever played, it deserves more attention. ### 5/5 — Worthy game, with Worthwhile DLC *2020-07-29* The game is great. The campaign was of a decent length, but as a survival mode is unlocked at completion, the game has more playability than first seen. No micro transactions, apart from the worthwhile DLC. Keep up the awesome work😀😀😀😀😀😀 ### 5/5 — Great RTS Game *2020-06-22, version 3.3* This is the types of games we need more of on iOS. Great gameplay, love the conquest mode. The campaign is challenging and makes you learn the little ins and outs. But once you learn em it’s game on! Very enjoyable game. ### 5/5 — Damned good game *2020-05-25, version 3.3* One of the best pve fleet sims I’ve played since homeworld ### 5/5 — A really good game *2020-05-07* This is a fun game that has kept me entertained for a few hours. I’d recommend that if you like space rts games (home world etc...), you consider playing this game, well worth the money. ### 5/5 — Really enjoy the game - true RTS game without all the MMO garbage *2020-03-02, version 3.3* Real RTS game and you don’t have to put up with stupid MMO communities or some clan coming to destroy what you have. ### 5/5 — Great game *2019-06-16, version 3.3* This game is the best never played perfect game like this they did a good job of this hope make a good update about this soon ### 5/5 — LOVING IT *2019-02-17* I have completed this game and beaten the 3 beast in conquest mode. Over all fun game you should make an online game or something new since I have 2 of the best ship and I have 2m credits spare. Also I am redoing the campaign since I notice the last mission was different since the last time I have check. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2025-11-13* I prefer the graphics from the earlier version over the cartoony backgrounds it has now. I’m not sure why the developers chose to change everything so drastically, but there should be an option where you can choose between the different graphic styles. **Developer response:** Sorry to hear you are disappointed by the changes we have made. We believe that the original background design was too distracting, i.e. mixed too much with the foreground. Maintaining a set of different backgrounds would make the game larger in size and more convoluted unfortunately. Perhaps you could still give it another shot, it’s probably really just a matter of getting used to the new look. ### 1/5 — Frustrating *2023-10-17, version 3.3.2* Horrible ai and lack of save ability make this game not worth playing. I wrote a much more detailed review but I don’t know where it went ### 1/5 — Looks like a good game, but *2022-07-02, version 3.3.2* The main Campaign doesn’t work. When you get to the third episode, all of the resources that you mined in the previous episode disappear and you are left defenseless in the face of enemy forces. This makes the game unplayable. ### 1/5 — Hard to control and unresponsive *2019-07-29, version 3.3* Hard to control ### 1/5 — Needs work... *2013-11-24* The game needs work. Should have a skirmish mode that let's you establish a base. The missions are also too long and boring. Often when you die at the end, you restart from the beginning. ### 2/5 — Crashing on iOS 11 on an iPhone 7 *2018-01-22* Let me start off by saying this looks like a great space RTS. It’s a game category that’s hard to find good games for on mobile platforms and I think Space Borders has a lot of potential. My largest complaint by far is the crashing. I might be 30 minutes into a single battle and the app will crash completely. There’s no option to restore progress either—you have to start over completely. After three crashes in a few hours I gave up. The other complaint I have is with the resources. It is possible, in the beginning of the game, to buy things you don’t need (like a mining ship) and then not be able to purchase any weapons. If you keep selling things back and taking a 50% cut there will come a point where you can’t actually purchase anything else or restore your inventory. You need weapons to get resources and the first few levels are pretty difficult even with a decent setup. There’s no hard reset save uninstalling and reinstalling the game. **Developer response:** Thank you for your feedback. I am currently looking into potential causes for the crashes you are experiencing. Hopefully, things will be patched up soon. Sorry for any inconveniences this might have caused. ### 3/5 — Hopeing for updates *2016-09-06, version 3.1* Please add drones and sentry guns I give you money will you add this plz ### 3/5 — Fun Concept, Needs Refinement *2016-04-26* This game is intended to be a 2D mobile version of Homeworld. This is a fun concept and the game has a lot of potential but it needs more refinement to live up to it. The controls are somewhat unintuitive and the introduction is complicated. With more user testing and a few more rounds of development this could be a great game. ### 3/5 — Very good, but frustrating end mission crashes *2016-03-03* Enjoyable gameplay but man is it frustrating when you spend over an hour clearing a mission and it crashes whilst mining before hyper jumping from the map. 3 times its happened now on various maps and seriously saps my enjoyment of the game. ### 3/5 — Controls need some tweaking, but decent diversion. *2014-02-23* Rather than assigning wingmen to a lead ship, why not create an actual wing. Time control could use more speeds from the play screen rather than in the settings menu. 2D game has limited resemblance to Homeworld, including the childish characters, limited voice over and no apparent plot. The tutorial is boring and would have been better handled via gradual missions. There appears to be occasional lag with the action controls, with having to give the same order two or three times. (iPad3). Harvesters are mindless and will launch into enemy fire even when there is a safe side to launch from. Occasionally ships will go into a spin when they are too close to an order target ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — :) *2026-03-26, version 3.3.2* Loved this game for years. I just wish you could save and place destroyed ship debris and other scenery pieces in sandbox mode. ### 5/5 — Kill time *2026-01-18* It’s a good fun game RTS to kill time but I only wished there were new updates and new added features and maybe expand more units and fleet etc plus tech to unlock ### 5/5 — Great game! *2024-08-13, version 3.3.2* Probably my favorite mobile space RTS games. More levels please! ### 5/5 — Excellent RTS *2023-12-21, version 3.3.2* An incredible example of how to do tablet based RTS, customizable ships with a facsimile of fleet formations and several modes of play make for a highly enjoyable, and replayable experience. ### 5/5 — Very good game *2023-02-20, version 3.3.2* Definitely worth the initial purchase and DLC purchase ### 5/5 — An antimatter turret and some mines. *2023-01-15* Four mines (1 max lvl deployment) can damage 5% of an enemy headquarter’s total health. The time between mine deployments is 60s. This means that it takes 80 mines, over 20 deployments, in 20 minutes to destroy an enemy headquarters. Did you know that an antimatter (or any other turret) counts as a ship? Did you know that in Conquest Mode you only need one ship and the capital ship doesn’t need to survive? Ask me how I know all this!!!! Ask meeeeee!!!! ### 5/5 — Nothing like this *2022-11-01, version 3.3.2* You’re not gonna find another space RTS on the Apple Store. Just get it already. Wish they made a sequel. ### 5/5 — Amazing Game *2022-07-02* This is by far the best RTS game i have played on mobile by far, great game mechanics, great design, and overall a very fun and exciting experience. I would love to see the developer add more in the future. Great game!! ### 5/5 — Great game *2022-03-25, version 3.3.2* Well worth the price ### 5/5 — An unexpectedly good game *2021-12-27* A nice short campaign, good space fleet battles if a bit slow, and no ads or other fluff. Plenty of replaying with the difficulty slider too. Graphically it looks a little bit simple, and in some ways it is but it’s a charming game all the same. --- *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 2026-08-31.*