Comparison

Grayout vs Word Thirds

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Grayout

Experience a unique text-based adventure game set in a dystopian medical facility. Navigate challenging conversations as a character with aphasia, struggling to communicate due to a disorder affecting language processing. This narrative-driven game explores themes of communication and internal struggle.

Highlights
  • Aphasiac text game mechanics
  • Narrative-driven gameplay
  • Interactive conversations
  • Word puzzle elements
  • Emotional simulation
  • Dystopian setting
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

“One of the most essential iOS games of the year. Proves just how interesting and vital gaming as a medium can be. 9/10” —Pocket Gamer “Grayout is exceptional as a game, as a compelling narrative, as an experiment in communication. It is simple, poignant, and horrifying.” —Gamezebo Grayout is an aphasiac text game set in a medical dystopia. It’s a prequel to the censorship game Blackbar. In Grayout, you play Alaine, a rebelious resident of the totalitarian community called The Neighborhood, who wakes up in a hospital research lab following an accident… or so she is told. The game is a series of conversations with hospital staff, made challenging by Alaine’s post-traumatic aphasia—a disorder that affects one’s ability to process language. Grayout simulates the experience of having a word on the tip of your tongue, the frustration of knowing what you mean but not how to say it, the feeling of being overwhelmed by the runaway thoughts inside your head and struggling to reign them in. This is a game for fans of text adventures, interactive fiction, word puzzles, story-driven games, and emotional simulations. “Marvelous.” —The Guardian, The best iPhone and iPad apps of 2015 “Liked Blackbar? This is harder but also cleverer. Lots more feels too. Prepare your brain.” —Sam Barlow of 'Her Story' We hope your stay in the Neighborhood Hospital is pleasant and brief. Get well.

About

Word Thirds

Features
Read full description

Word Thirds is a devilishly simple word game. Make as many six letter words with the letter tiles as you can within sixty seconds. If you like it, please also check out Brainiversity for more fun word and puzzle games! Enjoy, Johnno

Screenshots

Grayout4 screens
Word Thirds4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Grayout at every 3 weeks against Word Thirds's every 12 months. Grayout also leads on chart position (#82 vs unranked). Word Thirds's advantage is price ($0.69 vs $2.99). On ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Grayout costs $2.99 and Word Thirds $0.69 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grayout ships an update every 3 weeks, Word Thirds every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Grayout versus Word Thirds: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrayoutWord Thirds
Price$2.99$0.69 — better
Rating3.7 (61 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings61 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 12 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#82 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.4 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB66 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMrgan LLCRed Sprite Studios

Bugs and requests

Grayout

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game-breaking bug preventing progression
  • Text formatting errors on some screens
  • Typo in dialogue
  • Visual glitch after switching apps

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add a hint system
  • Improve sentence validation logic
  • Allow for more flexible sentence input
  • Add option to mute music
  • Improve UI for larger screens
Show 1 more
  • Consider AI for language parsing

Word Thirds

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Grayout

No in-app purchases

None

Word Thirds

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Grayout free?
Grayout costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Word Thirds free?
Word Thirds costs $0.69, with no in-app purchases.
Do Grayout or Word Thirds have ads?
Neither Grayout nor Word Thirds shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Grayout or Word Thirds?
Grayout ships an update every 3 weeks, and Word Thirds every 12 months. Most recently, Grayout was updated on October 24, 2026 and Word Thirds on October 23, 2026.

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