Auralux vs Close Cities
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Auralux
Experience a unique real-time strategy game with a focus on relaxation and cerebral challenge. Master strategic choices across 150 levels, featuring ambient music and minimalistic graphics. Engage in planetary warfare with up to four players online.
- 150 unique levels
- Online multiplayer
- Ambient music
- Minimalistic graphics
- tvOS functionality
- Handoff support
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Auralux: Constellations features a slow, graceful feel, easy to learn mechanics and vibrant minimalistic graphics, all pulsing to the rhythm of ambient music. This game is designed to provide a relaxing, cerebral experience yet will challenge even the most experienced RTS fans. Every choice matters, and the only path to victory is through clever strategy. It’s Real-Time Strategy, deconstructed. - 150 unique levels, with a dozen new twists to classic Auralux gameplay - Play on the big screen with tvOS functionality! - Online multiplayer for up to four players to wage planetary war against each other. - New modes and maps including black holes, supernovas and wormholes! - Keep your journey alive with Handoff support on iPad, iPhone and Mac! "Auralux is real-time strategy in its purest form... It's simple. It's elegant. It's slow and engrossing." – Kotaku "Auralux is a success. It distills the real-time-strategy game to its purest form." - The A.V. Club "The later game introduces some very interesting mechanics though, such as black holes, gamma ray bursts, and orbiting planets... There is something for everyone." – Techgage
Close Cities
Build beautiful cities on diverse worlds by solving unique puzzles. This relaxing game guides you through 160 levels with a simple tap or drag interface, requiring no architectural knowledge. Conquer each world's challenges and travel through time with its calming soundtrack.
- Build cities on empty maps
- Solve 160 unique puzzle levels
- Intuitive tap and drag controls
- No architectural knowledge needed
- Travel through different worlds
- Relaxing music and pace
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Close Cities is a relaxing puzzle game in which you will have to build cities in different worlds over time. Find a road and start there. Solve all 160 levels and become a Close Cities legend! UNIQUE PUZZLES You will start each level with an empty map that you will have to fill with beautiful cities. Choose the right road, choose the area and tap or drag with your fingers! DOES NOT REQUIRE KNOWLEDGE OF ARCHITECTURE Close Cities offers a fun experience even if you don't know the difference between a square and a bevel. The game's tutorial will show you everything you need to know at a relaxed pace. CONQUER ITS 160 LEVELS Each world has its king and 16 levels that you must solve to build his empire. TRAVEL THROUGH TIME During the course of the game you will discover different worlds over time with relaxed music to let you go.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Auralux at none against Close Cities's shown. Auralux also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 69%) and ratings volume (5.2K vs 356). Close Cities's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Auralux sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Close Cities sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Auralux against 4.8 for Close Cities. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Auralux has 5.2K ratings behind it against 356, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Auralux's written reviews are positive against 69% of Close Cities's.
Auralux ships an update every 2 months, Close Cities every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Auralux | Close Cities |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (5.2K ratings) | 4.8 (356 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 87.0% of reviews — better | 69.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5.2K — better | 356 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 108 MB | 158 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | War Drum Studios LLC | Juan Manuel Altamirano Argudo |
Customer experience
Auralux
Close Cities
Bugs and requests
Auralux
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing issues on certain devices
- Restore purchases not working
- Invisible tutorial messages
Requested features
4 requests- More free levels
- Random map generator
- Multiplayer improvements
- Ability to customize colors
Close Cities
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Auralux
- Hercules Constellation$0.99
- Lupus Constellation$0.99
- Cygnus Constellation$1.99
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- Virgo Constellation$1.99
- Cetus Constellation$1.99
- Monoceros Constellation$1.99
- Leo Constellation$1.99
- Andromeda Constellation$1.99
- Phoenix Constellation$1.99
- Perseus Constellation$1.99
- Bootes Constellation$1.99
- All Constellations$9.99
Close Cities
- Hints - Small Pack$0.99
- Hints - Medium Pack$2.99
- Remove Ads + Hints$2.99
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- Hints - Big Pack$5.99









