Comparison

Radiant Grid vs Pocket8

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

Head to head
About

Radiant Grid

A calming puzzle game featuring 99 handcrafted levels with increasing difficulty. Players tap squares to light a path across a grid, following number clues to solve each challenge. Enjoy a soothing soundtrack and a beautiful, minimalist design.

Highlights
  • 99 challenging handcrafted levels
  • Mindful and relaxing gameplay
  • Ambient soundtrack
  • Simple tap controls
  • Increasing difficulty curve
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A mindful, relaxing puzzle game with 99 increasingly challenging, handcrafted levels. Simple to play but not so simple to complete! Immerse yourself in the soothing ambient soundtrack and focus on solving the grid. “Quite simply one of the most beautiful puzzle games I have ever played. The design is simple, yet aesthetically pleasing, and the soundtrack is a wonderful sonic wash that perfectly compliments the gameplay. The puzzles themselves are well pitched. The introductory rounds are small enough to lend themselves to both a studied approach or random tapping. They gradually ramp up the difficulty level, and with so many to work through, there is great value for money to be had." - an App Store customer from the UK. How to play: Start at the origin and tap the squares to light a path across the grid. There’s just one rule! The numbers scattered across the grid tell you how many squares you must light up around each one to solve the puzzle… and that’s where the skill comes in!

About

Pocket8

This app brings the PICO-8 fantasy console experience to your mobile device, offering access to thousands of community-made games. Enjoy customizable touch controls or gamepad support, and never lose progress with an instant save system.

Highlights
  • Browse and play community-made PICO-8 games
  • Customizable touch controls and gamepad support
  • Instant save states for unlimited progress saving
  • Portrait and landscape orientation support
  • Locked 60FPS gameplay
Features
Read full description

Experience PICO-8 Anywhere: Pocket8 brings the magic of the PICO-8 fantasy console to your pocket. Whether you’re on a commute or relaxing at home, thousands of indie games are a single tap away. A Massive Library in Your Pocket: Discover thousands of community-made games with integrated BBS exploration. From challenging platformers to relaxing puzzles, there’s always something new to play. Download your favorites and build a personal collection that goes offline wherever you do. Controls That Feel Right: Gaming on a touch screen can be a struggle. Pocket8 features high-precision controls that feel as good as a real handheld. Choose between a classic D-pad or virtual joystick, or swap the face buttons positioning to match your playstyle. Wanna go touch-less? Connect a controller and play with a bluetooth gamepad or keyboard. Play Without Interruption: Instant save system lets you freeze time and jump back in to the exact pixel where you left off. Manage an infinite amount of save states per cartridge. Features: Browse & Play: Explore the Lexaloffle BBS to find and download new games instantly. Pro-Style Controls: Fluid movement and adaptive controls. Gamepad and Keyboard support included. Portrait & Landscape: Play comfortably in any orientation. Save Anywhere: Never lose your progress with instant state saves. Pure Performance: Locked 60FPS gameplay for the ultimate retro experience.

Screenshots

Radiant Grid4 screens
Pocket84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pocket8 at Free against Radiant Grid's $1.99. Pocket8 also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 6 months) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). Radiant Grid's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 67%) and chart position (#190 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Pocket8 is free to download; Radiant Grid costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket8 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 10 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 85% of Radiant Grid's written reviews are positive against 67% of Pocket8's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Radiant Grid ships an update every 6 months, Pocket8 daily. Both last shipped on September 13, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Radiant Grid versus Pocket8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRadiant GridPocket8
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (15 ratings)4.6 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings15 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#190 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB24 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperOpen Planet SoftwareJevon Lipsey

Customer experience

Radiant Grid

All ratings15 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative15.0%

Pocket8

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Radiant Grid

No in-app purchases

None

Pocket8

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Radiant Grid free?
Radiant Grid costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pocket8 free?
Pocket8 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Radiant Grid or Pocket8?
Pocket8 is rated higher. Radiant Grid averages 4.2 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Pocket8 averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.
Do Radiant Grid or Pocket8 have ads?
Neither Radiant Grid nor Pocket8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Radiant Grid or Pocket8?
Radiant Grid ships an update every 6 months, and Pocket8 daily. Most recently, Radiant Grid was updated on September 13, 2026 and Pocket8 on September 13, 2026.

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