Nightgate vs Shakedown
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Nightgate
Navigate a dark, digital world in the year 2398 as the last remaining life form on Earth. Explore 50 handcrafted levels, avoid enemies, and uncover the mysteries of this futuristic landscape. Enjoy an immersive experience with a stunning minimalist design and original soundtrack.
- 50 handcrafted levels
- Avoid enemies
- Immersive digital environments
- Original soundtrack
- Minimalist design
- Discover achievements
- iCloud progress sync
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In the year 2398, a network of intelligent computers known as Nightgate, is the last remaining life form on Earth. "Stunning" - The Daily Dot "A Neon-Soaked Art Installation" - Stuff TV "One of the best soundtracks I've heard in a while" - MacStories "A Gorgeous Minimalist Experience" - TouchArcade "Top 10 Indie Mobile Games of 2016" - Indie Game Reviewer "10 Best Video Game Soundtracks of 2016" - FACT Magazine "A pretty cool mixture of laid back and frantic" - Gamezebo "Wide range of challenges and mechanics" - Pocket Gamer "Feels right at home on the Apple TV" - iLounge "Wonderfully Intuitive Controls" - Cult of Mac "A Triumph in Design" - TapSmart "Immersive and Captivating" - AppAdvice –– Step into the computer and make your way through 50 handcrafted levels. Avoid enemies as you interact with a dark digital world and explore what lies beyond the futuristic landscapes of Nightgate. Features: • Universal app for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV • No ads, no in-app purchases • Immersive digital environments • Over 40 minutes of original soundtrack (also available on iTunes Music Store) • Minimalist design featuring vibrant colors and complex geometries • Discover achievements scattered throughout the game • In-game camera to capture beautiful screenshots • Sync your progress using iCloud • Fully localized for English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese and Russian
Shakedown
Embark on a 16-bit open-world adventure where you build a business empire. Complete missions, acquire properties, and sabotage rivals to dominate the island. Explore by land, sea, or air, uncovering secrets and engaging in arcade challenges.
- 16-bit open world exploration
- Business acquisition and management
- Mission-based gameplay
- Sabotage competitors
- Vehicle and boat traversal
- Arcade challenges and side quests
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A brand new open world adventure from the creator of Retro City Rampage DX! The entire island is up for grabs. Build your own "legitimate" corporation by completing missions, acquiring businesses, sabotaging competitors, "re-zoning" land, and shaking down shops for protection money. Explore the 16-bit open world by foot, by car, or by boat. It's filled with arcade challenges, side quests, stores to shop at, houses to burgle, civilians to interact with, and secrets to discover. Build your empire and destroy the competition... in Shakedown: Hawaii.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Shakedown at fortnightly against Nightgate's every 5 months. Shakedown also leads on chart position (#190 vs unranked). Nightgate's advantage is ratings volume (1.3K vs 20) and price ($3.99 vs $4.99). 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
Nightgate costs $3.99 and Shakedown $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shakedown holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nightgate has 1.3K ratings behind it against 20, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 95% of Nightgate's written reviews are positive against 92% of Shakedown's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Nightgate ships an update every 5 months, Shakedown fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Nightgate | Shakedown |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.3K ratings) | 4.9 (20 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 94.8% of reviews — better | 91.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.3K — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #190 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 162 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Semidome Inc. | Vblank Entertainment Inc. |
Customer experience
Nightgate
Shakedown
Bugs and requests
Nightgate
Reported bugs
2 issues- Game crashes when switching apps
- Levels sometimes reset unexpectedly
Requested features
3 requests- More levels and content updates
- Ability to reset progress
- Multiplayer or online features
Shakedown
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Nightgate
No in-app purchases
Shakedown
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Nightgate free?
Is Shakedown free?
Which has better reviews, Nightgate or Shakedown?
Do Nightgate or Shakedown have ads?
Which is updated more often, Nightgate or Shakedown?
Other comparisons
