Comparison

Banner Saga 2 vs Crying Suns

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

Head to head
About

Banner Saga 2

Lead Viking clans across a collapsing world in this story-driven RPG. Make tough decisions, manage resources, and engage in tactical combat to survive. Experience an epic narrative with stunning visuals and real consequences.

Highlights
  • Hand-drawn visuals
  • Story continuation
  • Viking mythology setting
  • Tactical turn-based combat
  • RPG character upgrades
  • Hard leadership choices
  • Caravan management
Features
Read full description

The epic award winning story-based role-playing game continues its emotional journey across a breaking world. Lead your Viking clans across hostile country on the brink of collapse. Make bold leadership decisions, manage resources wisely and strike skillfully in battle to survive another day in the harsh wild. Experience the epic story that took the indie gaming world by storm in Banner Saga 2! KEY GAME FEATURES • Hand-drawn visuals – Gorgeous 2D combat sequences, animations and effects • The saga continues – Carry on your story and choices from The Banner Saga or jump into the adventure from scratch with pre-set character options. • Viking mythology – A truly epic setting inspired by real Viking myths • Tactical combat – Improved, turn-based battles demand precision and strategy • RPG upgrades – Level up your characters’ stats and unlock devastating new moves • Hard choices – Choose wisely in and out of battle as danger lurks around each corner • Real consequences – Permanent loss of characters will weigh heavy on your mind • New characters and a new race – New faces, including the new Horseborn race, join your epic journey • Manage your caravan - Your role in building and managing your caravan is critical to not only your own survival but the survival of an entire civilization • Evocative score - Soundtrack by Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory Struggle for survival in a brutal and breaking world in Banner Saga 2, the merciless strategy role-playing game where your choices really matter. Download Banner Saga 2 and begin your epic journey today.

About

Crying Suns

Command a space fleet in a tactical rogue-lite inspired by classic sci-fi. Explore a procedurally generated universe, engage in strategic ship battles, and uncover a deep storyline across six chapters. Experience a rich narrative and atmospheric gameplay designed for mobile.

Highlights
  • Procedurally-generated space exploration
  • Tactical battleship and squadron fleet combat
  • Over 300 story events
  • Deep, 6-chapter storyline
  • Mobile-optimized interface
Read full description

When FTL meets Foundation and Dune: Crying Suns is a tactical rogue-lite that puts you in the role of a space fleet commander as you explore a mysteriously fallen empire. In this story rich experience inspired by Dune and Foundation, each successful run will uncover the truth about the Empire... and yourself as well. Main Features: - Space exploration in a procedurally-generated universe - Tactical fights between battleships and their squadron fleets - More than 300 possible story events - A deep and dramatic storyline structured in 6 chapters - A dark and disturbing atmosphere inspired by our favorite S-F universes (Foundation, Dune, Battlestar Galactica) First released on PC and Mac, the indie hit Crying Suns was carefully redesigned for mobile and tablets, including a revamped interface and intuitive touchscreen interactions. Pay once to get the full Crying Suns experience! No ads, no F2P mechanics! All future updates included. Supported languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese If you encounter any problem, please contact us at contact@cryingsuns.com with as much information as possible on the issue.

Screenshots

Banner Saga 24 screens
Crying Suns4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crying Suns at none against Banner Saga 2's 1. Crying Suns also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 613) and chart position (#57 vs #190). Banner Saga 2's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

Banner Saga 2 costs $9.99 and Crying Suns $8.99 up front. Banner Saga 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Crying Suns asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Banner Saga 2 against 4.8 for Crying Suns. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 613 and 2.2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Banner Saga 2's written reviews are positive against 73% of Crying Suns's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Banner Saga 2 ships an update every 2 months, Crying Suns monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Banner Saga 2 versus Crying Suns: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBanner Saga 2Crying Suns
Price$9.99$8.99 — better
Rating4.7 (613 ratings)4.8 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews72.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6132.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#190#57 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size3.1 GB1014 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperStoicAlternative Shift

Customer experience

Banner Saga 2

All ratings611 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral2.5%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews448 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral8.5%
Negative26.8%

Crying Suns

All ratings2,136 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews285 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral9.5%
Negative17.9%

User reviews

Banner Saga 2

From 613 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging story and gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful artwork and music
  • 👍 Immersive and challenging tactical combat
  • 💎 Meaningful choices with consequences

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • ⏱️ Long loading times
  • 📱 UI not optimized for larger screens
  • 🔍 Small text and UI elements

Crying Suns

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun gameplay
  • 🌟 Amazing atmosphere and story
  • 👍 Engaging combat system
  • 💎 Great value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Small text and UI elements
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and missions

Bugs and requests

Banner Saga 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes during battles
  • Survival mode resets after crashes
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS devices
  • Incorrect or missing translations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Support for more languages, especially Spanish and Russian
  • Improved save/load functionality
  • Ability to skip cutscenes and dialogues
  • Multiplayer or PvP mode

Crying Suns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes when using certain ship abilities
  • Crashes during end-of-chapter cutscenes
  • Progression-blocking bugs preventing access to new content
  • Inability to progress past specific story points due to crashes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Zoom functionality for combat screen
  • Ability to play own music during gameplay
  • Endless mode or sandbox option
  • Improved tutorial to explain key mechanics

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Banner Saga 2

One-time1
  • Survival Mode$4.99
None

Crying Suns

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Banner Saga 2 free?
Banner Saga 2 costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Crying Suns free?
Crying Suns costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Banner Saga 2 or Crying Suns?
Crying Suns is rated higher. Banner Saga 2 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 613 ratings, while Crying Suns averages 4.8 from 2.2K ratings.
Do Banner Saga 2 or Crying Suns have ads?
Neither Banner Saga 2 nor Crying Suns shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Banner Saga 2 or Crying Suns?
Banner Saga 2 ships an update every 2 months, and Crying Suns monthly. Most recently, Banner Saga 2 was updated on November 6, 2026 and Crying Suns on November 7, 2026.
Which is more popular, Banner Saga 2 or Crying Suns?
Banner Saga 2 currently peaks at #190 in the App Store charts, and Crying Suns at #57. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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