Comparison

ROME vs Orbit Defender

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

Head to head
About

ROME

Lead antiquity's greatest empire in this classic strategy game. Build your civilization, command massive armies in real-time battles, and manage your economy and affairs on a turn-based campaign map. Experience epic historical warfare on your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Turn-based campaign map
  • Massive real-time 3D battles
  • Empire management (economic, civil, religious)
  • 19 playable factions
  • Intuitive touch controls
  • Mouse and keyboard support
Read full description

READ BEFORE BUYING: Please expand this description and read the full list of supported devices below to confirm that your device is supported. History’s greatest empire, now in your hands. Experience the full glory of ROME: Total War on iOS! Build and rule antiquity’s greatest empire by fighting spectacular real-time battles in huge turn-based campaigns. BUILT FOR iOS Pick up and play the classic strategy game with new features and an interface designed for mobile play. 19 PLAYABLE FACTIONS Relive the glory of the Roman Empire, or rewrite history as one of the ancient world’s great powers. COMPLETE COMMAND Direct your troops using intuitive touch controls, or play with any iPadOS-compatible mouse and keyboard. ENORMOUS 3D BATTLES Lead your armies and outwit your opponents in massive real-time clashes that shape history. SOPHISTICATED EMPIRE MANAGEMENT Direct your economic, civil and religious affairs from the Campaign Map. === ROME: Total War requires iOS 16.1 or later. You need 4GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. Supported iPhones: • iPhone 8/8 Plus and later • iPhone SE 2nd Generation (2020) and later Supported iPads: • iPad mini 5th Generation (2019) and later • iPad Air 3rd Generation (2019) and later • iPad 5th Generation (2017) and later • Any iPad Pro © 2002–2025 The Creative Assembly Limited. Originally developed by The Creative Assembly Limited. Originally published by SEGA. Creative Assembly, the Creative Assembly logo, Total War, ROME: Total War and the Total War logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of The Creative Assembly Limited. SEGA and the SEGA logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Corporation. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive Limited. iOS, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

About

Orbit Defender

Features
Read full description

Orbit Defender: Match3 Your space station is under attack. Damaged modules. Spreading viruses. Dwindling oxygen. The only thing standing between your crew and the void of space? Your ability to match three. Orbit Defender combines classic match-3 puzzle action with strategic space station management. Every match powers critical repairs. Every combo fights back against the viral threat consuming your systems. Every level pushes you deeper into the fight to keep humanity's orbital outpost alive. KEY FEATURES 50 Hand-Crafted Levels. Progress through increasingly challenging missions, each with unique objectives and threat patterns Station Repair System. Earn coins from matches to rebuild damaged modules: Command Bridge, Reactor, Habitat Ring, and more Virus Tile Mechanics. Spreading infections threaten your board. Destroy them with power-ups before they overwhelm your defenses Strategic Power-Ups. Anti-virus tools, oxygen boosts, and special tiles add tactical depth to every match Defend the Orbit. Manage threat levels, oxygen supply, and module integrity across every mission In-Game Shop. Spend hard-earned coins on upgrades and power-ups to tackle tougher challenges EASY TO LEARN, HARD TO MASTER Swap tiles to match three or more. Sounds simple, until viruses start replicating, your oxygen drops below 50%, and three modules need emergency repairs simultaneously. Plan your moves. Save your power-ups. Survive the orbit. FOR FANS OF Match-3 puzzles, space strategy games, station builders, and anyone who's ever wanted to save Earth one tile at a time. Download Orbit Defender: Match3 today and prove you have what it takes to defend the final frontier. By DT Games

Screenshots

ROME4 screens
Orbit Defender4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Orbit Defender at Free against ROME's $9.99. ROME's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Orbit Defender is free to download; ROME costs $9.99 up front. Orbit Defender sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. ROME asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
ROME versus Orbit Defender: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterROMEOrbit Defender
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (19K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings19K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 months—
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#75 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.115.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size3.7 GB218 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFeral Interactive LtdDigital Tsunami LLC

Bugs and requests

ROME

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when loading campaign or battles
  • Music and sound issues (multiple tracks playing at once)
  • Unit selection and movement bugs
  • Graphical glitches (oversized units, broken textures)

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode
  • More playable factions (e.g. Macedon, SPQR)
  • Ability to control naval battles
  • More historical battle scenarios
  • Improved unit formation controls

Orbit Defender

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ROME

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Orbit Defender

One-time6
  • 50 Credits$0.99
  • Premium Oxygen$0.99
  • 120 Credits$1.99
Show 3 more
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • 300 Credits$4.99
  • 650 Credits$9.99

Questions

Is ROME free?
ROME costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Orbit Defender free?
Orbit Defender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ROME or Orbit Defender have ads?
Orbit Defender shows ads; ROME does not.

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