Comparison

Grayout vs Overwords

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

Overwords

A minimalist word-puzzle game where you stack words to expand the board. Overlapping letters fuse into new words, requiring careful planning for a calm, distraction-free experience. Enjoy pure gameplay with no ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Minimalist design
  • Distraction-free gameplay
  • Word stacking mechanics
  • Board expansion
  • Relaxing audio
  • 30 levels
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Overwords is a calm, minimalist word‑puzzle about stacking words. Pick a word, place it on the board, and let overlapping letters fuse into new words—plan carefully, expand the board. • Minimalist, distraction‑free design • 30 levels with free updates ahead • Relaxing audio landscape • No ads, no in‑app purchases—pure, gameplay‑first focus • Support a passionate solo developer Thanks for playing!

Screenshots

Grayout4 screens
Overwords4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Overwords at 4.7 against Grayout's 3.7. Overwords also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 3 weeks) and review sentiment (83% vs 63%). Grayout's advantage is ratings volume (61 vs 9) and iOS requirement (11.4 vs 13.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Overwords $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Overwords holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grayout has 61 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Grayout's written reviews are positive against 83% of Overwords's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Grayout ships an update every 3 weeks, Overwords daily. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Grayout versus Overwords: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGrayoutOverwords
Price$2.99$2.99
Rating3.7 (61 ratings)4.7 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.9% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings61 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#83 — better#181
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.4 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size37 MB118 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMrgan LLCMaciej Targoni

Customer experience

Grayout

All ratings61 ratings
Positive62.3%
Neutral11.5%
Negative26.2%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive62.9%
Neutral12.9%
Negative24.2%

Overwords

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral16.7%
Negative0.0%

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

Overwords

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Grayout

No in-app purchases

None

Overwords

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Grayout free?
Grayout costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Overwords free?
Overwords costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Grayout or Overwords?
Overwords is rated higher. Grayout averages 3.7 out of 5 from 61 ratings, while Overwords averages 4.7 from 9 ratings.
Do Grayout or Overwords have ads?
Neither Grayout nor Overwords shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Grayout or Overwords?
Grayout ships an update every 3 weeks, and Overwords daily. Most recently, Grayout was updated on October 18, 2026 and Overwords on October 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, Grayout or Overwords?
Grayout currently peaks at #83 in the App Store charts, and Overwords at #181. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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