Tantrix.com vs Ark Nova
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tantrix.com
A strategic puzzle game where players connect hexagonal tiles with colored paths. Compete against others online or a robot opponent, testing your spatial reasoning and planning skills.
- Hexagonal tile-based gameplay
- Strategic path connection
- Online multiplayer
- Robot opponent
- Develops strategic thinking
- Enhances spatial ability
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Welcome to Tantrix.com - a spatial game of colour and strategy - now available on iPad! This fascinating New Zealand game was invented in 1988 and has since won numerous awards worldwide for its quality, beauty and elegance. It consists of 56 unique hexagonal tiles connected by red, green, blue and yellow paths. Players must try to block or control their opponents path-colour while simultaneously growing their own. Online Tantrix has been available for nearly 20 years, and now with this app you can compete against the international Tantrix community on your mobile. Or challenge the resident robot opponent to a game anytime! Tantrix is simple enough to learn, yet with the possibility to be infinitely complex. Unlike conventional strategy games such as chess, in Tantrix the ratio of skill and luck varies from game to game. The best player usually wins, but not always! Great for training strategic thinking, spatial ability, problem solving, planning and also memory skills.
Ark Nova
Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.
- Plan and design a modern zoo
- Build enclosures and accommodate animals
- Support global conservation projects
- Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
- Upgrade action cards for gameplay
- Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
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Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Tantrix.com at Free against Ark Nova's $7.99. Ark Nova's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 5). On update cadence, 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
Tantrix.com is free to download; Ark Nova costs $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ark Nova holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.2K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Tantrix.com's written reviews are positive against 72% of Ark Nova's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tantrix.com | Ark Nova |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $7.99 |
| Rating | 3.6 (5 ratings) | 4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 53.8% of reviews | 72.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #22 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 33 MB | 682 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Dave Dyer | Dire Wolf Digital |
Customer experience
Tantrix.com
Ark Nova
Bugs and requests
Tantrix.com
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Ark Nova
Reported bugs
2 issues- iPad Flash exit issue
- Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements
Requested features
4 requests- Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
- Full screen mode
- Option to reverse zoom direction
- Improved card readability/zoom
In-app purchases
Tantrix.com
No in-app purchases
Ark Nova
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Tantrix.com free?
Is Ark Nova free?
Which has better reviews, Tantrix.com or Ark Nova?
Do Tantrix.com or Ark Nova have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tantrix.com or Ark Nova?
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