California Waves vs Pocket Surf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
California Waves
Experience the thrill of surfing massive waves with intuitive one-finger controls. Unlock over 30 unique boards and enjoy stunning visuals in this arcade-style surfing game. Ads can be removed with a single in-app purchase.
- One-finger control
- Stunning visuals
- Over 30 boards to unlock
- Arcade surfing gameplay
- Ad removal option
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Amped to surf the biggest waves? Ride the tube like never before, no ankle busters here! + Super easy one finger control. + Stunning visuals. + More than 30 boards to unlock! **** You can get all the surfboards for FREE! **** The game has only one In-app-purchase to remove the ads. Akaw!
Pocket Surf
Experience realistic surfing with intuitive controls and challenging gameplay. Progress from beginner to pro, unlocking new surfers and boards. Enjoy casual or competitive modes with unique waves and tricks.
- Unlockable surfers with unique stats
- Variety of surfboards with unique stats
- Perform advanced surfing tricks
- Casual and competitive game modes
- Unique waves varying in speed and size
- Missions and achievements for in-game currency
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Surf anywhere! Experience a realistic depiction of how surfing really is, all in your fingertips. -Start as a Beginner, end like a Pro. Pocket Surf offers challenging yet rewarding game-play, with the largest learning curve out of any other surfing game in the market. Controls are both Basic and Fluid, optimal for precise inputs. Programmed for maximum performance, nobody likes to play a game that lags. CURRENT FEATURES: - Unlockable Surfers, each surfer with unique stats. - Unique waves, all of them varying in speed and sizes. - Variety of Surf Boards, each board also contain unique stats, switch them up to figure out what you like. - Surfers are capable of performing, snaps, airs, pop shove-its, kick-flips and barrel rides! - Complete Missions and Achievements to obtain Sea Glass, which in turn be used for purchasing more Surf boards and Surfers at the Surf Shop. GAMEMODES: - Casual mode: For easy and timeless waves. Great for practicing and relaxing. - Competitive Mode: Formatted as a real surf contest, you will be challenged to score high in order to pass to the next heat. Pass 3 heats and you will be heavily awarded. NOTE: More features are to be added soon! "I know what people like and don't like in a game. My goal is to be able to offer something that most games fail to offer: entertaining yet challenging gameplay and ANTI Pay-To-Win components." - DevsDevelop
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pocket Surf at 4.8 against California Waves's 3.3. Pocket Surf also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pocket Surf holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Surf has 20 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of California Waves's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pocket Surf's.
California Waves ships an update every 7 months, Pocket Surf every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | California Waves | Pocket Surf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (3 ratings) | 4.8 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 20 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 100 MB | 217 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Henrique Silva | Devan Vazquez |
Customer experience
California Waves
Pocket Surf
In-app purchases
California Waves
No in-app purchases
Pocket Surf
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is California Waves free?
Is Pocket Surf free?
Which has better reviews, California Waves or Pocket Surf?
Do California Waves or Pocket Surf have ads?
Which is updated more often, California Waves or Pocket Surf?
Other comparisons
