Comparison

Riptide GP vs Speed Demons

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

Head to head
About

Riptide GP

Experience high-speed, illicit hydrojet racing with death-defying stunts and intense competition. Race through dynamic environments, upgrade your vehicles, and battle opponents worldwide in this action-arcade water racer.

Highlights
  • Thrill-ride race tracks with shortcuts and obstacles
  • Deep career mode with upgrades and customization
  • 8-player online multiplayer matches
  • Ghost-racing challenge mode
  • Transforming hydrojet vehicles
  • Dynamic water physics and effects
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"App Store Best of 2016"! Experience the future of illicit hydrojet racing, where armored riders kick out death-defying stunts over massive waterfalls, dodge cops through public waterways, and boost at breakneck speeds across surging waves. You are a hydrojet rider, framed and cast out from the Riptide GP league, forced to race illegally through city waterways, flooded ruins, and churning factory machinery in an effort to reclaim your reputation and your title. Play through the single player career to unlock new vehicles, playable characters, and customization features as you take down bosses and build your crew. Then, take your skills online for the ultimate test as you battle opponents around the world in 8-player online matches. Challenge your friends for leaderboard supremacy in the ghost-racing challenge mode. Featuring thrill-ride race tracks packed with shortcuts, secrets, and interactive obstacles, Riptide GP: Renegade is the action-arcade water racer for a new generation. "Riptide GP Renegade delivers one of the best arcade racing experiences on iOS whether it’s on land, air, or sea making it a must have. " - AppleNApps (4.5/5) "Riptide GP Renegade is a really fast, fun, and robust racing game." - 148 Apps (4.5/5) • • FEATURES • Thrill-Ride Environments - Blast across floating factory platforms, brave hurricane-strength waves, and infiltrate a military base in the midst of battle. Every race track is packed with interactive set pieces, dynamic obstacles and secret shortcuts. • Deep Career Mode - Battle your way through a variety of races and boss fights to reach the top of the underground hydro jet racing circuit. Earn cash and experience to upgrade and customize your hydro jet, unlock new stunts, and increase your rider's performance. • Online Multiplayer - Compete online in thrilling 8 player matchups against the best players from around the world. • Challenge Mode - Take command of the leaderboards and test your skills against ghost recordings of your friends' best performances. • Transforming Vehicles - Collect and upgrade a garage full of blisteringly fast hydro jets that transform while you ride them. Win money to upgrade and customize each one. • State of the Art Water Racing - Riptide GP: Renegade brings dynamic water racing to a new level of excitement with breathtaking water physics, splash-tastic spray effects, and more! Every race is different because the surface you race on is always changing. • GameCenter and iCloud - Compete with your Game Center friends on leaderboards and unlock challenging achievements. Plus keep your game going from device to device with iCloud data syncing. • • CUSTOMER SUPPORT If you encounter a problem running the game, please visit: www.vectorunit.com/support Be sure to include the device you're using, OS version, and a detailed description of your problem. • • MORE INFORMATION Be the first to hear about updates, download custom images, and interact with the developers! Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VectorUnit Follow us on Twitter @vectorunit Follow us on Google+ at www.vectorunit.com/+ Visit our web page at www.vectorunit.com

About

Speed Demons

Experience intense highway racing with realistic physics-based crashes and challenging traffic. Choose from a vast collection of vehicles and engage in over 500 unique events across 11 diverse gameplay modes. Enjoy endless procedurally generated highways and a modern-retro visual style with a dynamic soundtrack.

Highlights
  • Physics-based crashes
  • Hundreds of events
  • Dozens of upgradeable vehicles
  • 11 distinct gameplay modes
  • Endless procedurally-generated highways
  • High-speed traffic simulation
  • Modern-retro visuals
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Speed Demons is the ultimate highway racing simulator, with breakneck speeds, amazing physics-based crashes, and the most intense TRAFFIC ever seen in a video game. Featuring hundreds of events, tons of varied vehicles, endless highways, and 11 gameplay modes, this is the top-down, physics-based racing game the world has been waiting for. Whether you want to leisurely cruise down the highway, weave through traffic at high-speeds, take out rogue racers, or just barrel through everything in sight, this game has it all: * Drive over 50 upgradeable vehicles, from tiny hatchbacks to super cars to massive semi-trucks. * Play 11 distinct game modes including RACE, CHECKPOINT, ESCAPE, PURSUIT, RAMPAGE, and more. * Choose from over 500 unique events, each customized to the vehicle(s) and mode featured. Also featured in Speed Demons: * Endless procedurally-generated highways in 30 environments. * High-speed physics-based racing with up to 100 vehicles on-screen at once. * Modern-retro visuals with spectacular effects and an all-new pulse-pounding soundtrack by Auvic. * Simple but deep controls, and full MFi controller support. * Seamless iCloud saving across multiple devices. The joy of endless traffic awaits. Download Speed Demons today and experience the new revolution in highway racing games. Speed Demons was previously seen on Apple Arcade.

Screenshots

Riptide GP4 screens
Speed Demons4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Speed Demons at every 6 days against Riptide GP's every 11 months. Speed Demons also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Riptide GP's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and ratings volume (829 vs 238). On rating, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

Riptide GP costs $2.99 and Speed Demons $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Speed Demons holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 829 and 238 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 83% of Riptide GP's written reviews are positive against 77% of Speed Demons's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Riptide GP ships an update every 11 months, Speed Demons every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Riptide GP versus Speed Demons: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiptide GPSpeed Demons
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.7 (829 ratings)4.9 (238 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.6% of reviews — better77.3% of reviews
Number of ratings829 — better238
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#81#57 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB266 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperVector UnitRadiangames

Customer experience

Riptide GP

All ratings827 ratings
Positive93.1%
Neutral1.8%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews259 reviews
Positive82.6%
Neutral5.8%
Negative11.6%

Speed Demons

All ratings235 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral2.1%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral9.1%
Negative13.6%

User reviews

Riptide GP

From 829 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent water physics and gameplay
  • 👍 Great graphics and visuals
  • 👍 Smooth and responsive controls
  • 👍 Challenging yet rewarding gameplay
  • 👍 Good variety of tracks and environments

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with registering stunts
  • 🐛 Difficulty spikes in later races
  • 🐛 Multiplayer connectivity problems
  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with some devices
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

Speed Demons

From 238 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • ✨ Beautiful graphics
  • 🕹️ Simple and intuitive controls
  • 🚗 Vehicles with special powers
  • 💰 Lots of content for the price

Room to improve

  • 📉 Performance issues and lag
  • 🐛 Random save file deletion
  • 😵 Difficult to control turns
  • 🚫 Some levels are impossible
  • 🔄 Progress wiped clean after crash

Bugs and requests

Riptide GP

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on certain devices
  • Progression blockers in the career mode
  • Inconsistent touch controls

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more customization options for vehicles
  • Implement a practice mode for stunts
  • Introduce a free-roam mode to explore the environments
  • Add support for more controllers and input methods

Speed Demons

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Randomly erases save files
  • App crashes and deletes progress
  • Slalom in chapter 8 is technically impossible
  • Level won't spawn (initially thought user error)
  • Laggy after a dozen sessions, worsens over time
Show 10 more
  • Graphics stuttering on interface and gameplay
  • GameCenter achievements may be broken
  • Game gets really laggy when cars create sparks
  • Boulder is too big for checkpoints
  • Atlantica track race is impossible to get 3 stars on
  • Lag and stutter on M1/M2 iPad Pro
  • Menus are illegible
  • Cannot upgrade in the garage
  • Crashes on startup if screen is touched (iPhone 12)
  • Heavy on GPU, frame drops on M2 device

Requested features

8 requests
  • Free play mode to test upgrades
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Custom races with modifiers
  • Custom tracks and cars
  • Sandbox mode
Show 3 more
  • Ability to customize vehicle colors
  • Tutorial for new players
  • JoyCon controller compatibility

In-app purchases

None

Riptide GP

No in-app purchases

None

Speed Demons

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Riptide GP free?
Riptide GP costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Speed Demons free?
Speed Demons costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Riptide GP or Speed Demons?
Speed Demons is rated higher. Riptide GP averages 4.7 out of 5 from 829 ratings, while Speed Demons averages 4.9 from 238 ratings.
Do Riptide GP or Speed Demons have ads?
Neither Riptide GP nor Speed Demons shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Riptide GP or Speed Demons?
Riptide GP ships an update every 11 months, and Speed Demons every 6 days. Most recently, Riptide GP was updated on October 29, 2026 and Speed Demons on October 27, 2026.
Which is more popular, Riptide GP or Speed Demons?
Riptide GP currently peaks at #81 in the App Store charts, and Speed Demons at #57. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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