Comparison

Tail Gun Charlie vs Missile Command

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

Head to head
About

Tail Gun Charlie

Experience WWII aerial combat as a tail gunner. Defend your bomber against waves of enemy fighters using gyroscope or touchscreen controls. Manage your guns to prevent overheating and survive with limited lives.

Highlights
  • Gyroscope or touchscreen aiming
  • Twin .50-cal machine guns
  • Defend against Axis fighters
  • Limited lives system
  • Gun overheating mechanic
  • Unlimited ammo
Features
Read full description

Man the tail gun in this WWII action/arcade shooter! Use your phone's gyroscope or touchscreen to aim your guns, and touch either red button to open fire. Guns! Rack your twin .50-cals to defend your bomber against the ever-growing waves of Axis fighters. Planes! Me-109s, FW-190s, Bf-110s, Me-262s; whatever the Axis can throw at you. Lives! You only get 5. Once 5 enemy fighters make it past your defenses, it's game over for you and your flight crew. Ammo! As in unlimited, you'll never run out! Just keep an eye on how hot your guns are; if they overheat, the enemy won't wait for them to cool down before swooping in for the kill. This game is graphically demanding, which means it will gleefully eat your battery. Don't play if you're without a charger and waiting for that call from the hospital to let you know your new kidney has arrived. If you're aiming using your gyroscope and it drifts out of alignment (or you want to face a different direction), just point your phone at where the "center" should be and hit the Align button at bottom left.

About

Missile Command

Defend your bases from an endless barrage of incoming missiles in this reimagined arcade classic. Strategically launch counter-missiles, utilize powerups for an advantage, and upgrade your gameplay to achieve the highest scores. Compete globally and conquer challenging achievements.

Highlights
  • Defend bases from missile attacks
  • Launch counter-missiles
  • Utilize powerups
  • Upgrade gameplay aspects
  • Compete on global leaderboards
  • Earn achievements
Features
Read full description

Missile Command: Recharged is a re-imagining of the beloved classic with fast-paced, arcade action where players must defend their bases by blasting an endless barrage of missiles hailing from the sky. Launch counter-missiles to protect your base and target powerups to gain an edge at critical moments. Missile Command: Recharged will appeal to those that fondly remember playing the original or its many iterations, and a whole new generation of mobile gamers that are looking for fast-paced, pick-up-and play, arcade goodness. Powered Up: Don’t just target missiles – take aim at all-new powerups to survive longer with defensive measures, silo repair, or a screen-clearing special blast. Upgraded: New powerup system takes points earned and allows them to be used to upgrade all aspects of gameplay to get an edge and achieve the highest scores. Shoot for the Clouds: Compete in global online leaderboards and aim to claim bragging rights as the top missile commander. Achievements: Better yourself with each game played and work towards besting the toughest challenges! Get Augmented: Use the new augmented reality feature to project your gameplay to a virtual arcade cabinet and take your missile destruction to new heights!

Screenshots

Tail Gun Charlie4 screens
Missile Command4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Tail Gun Charlie at 4.7 against Missile Command's 3.9. Tail Gun Charlie also leads on review sentiment (90% vs 70%) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 207). Missile Command's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Tail Gun Charlie sells 7 one-off in-app purchases and Missile Command sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tail Gun Charlie holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tail Gun Charlie has 1.2K ratings behind it against 207, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 90% of Tail Gun Charlie's written reviews are positive against 70% of Missile Command's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tail Gun Charlie ships an update every 3 months, Missile Command fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Tail Gun Charlie versus Missile Command: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTail Gun CharlieMissile Command
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.2K ratings) — better3.9 (207 ratings)
Positive reviews90.4% of reviews — better70.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1.2K — better207
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.611.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size172 MB89 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperPanic Ensues SoftwareAtari

Customer experience

Tail Gun Charlie

All ratings1,197 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral2.7%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews197 reviews
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative6.6%

Missile Command

All ratings206 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral6.8%
Negative21.8%
Written reviews174 reviews
Positive70.1%
Neutral7.5%
Negative22.4%

User reviews

Tail Gun Charlie

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun to play
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💡 Realistic bullet physics
  • 👍 Great visuals and sounds
  • 🚀 Challenging but addictive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Guns overheat too quickly
  • 🐛 Sudden difficulty spikes
  • 🐛 Scoring algorithm issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes reported
  • 🐛 Controls can be finicky

Missile Command

From 207 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Nostalgic retro feel
  • 🎨 Visually appealing graphics
  • 🎶 Enjoyable soundtrack
  • 🔓 No ads or in-app purchases

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Rapid power-up bug
  • 🔁 Limited progression after maxing out upgrades
  • 🕹️ Lack of ability to choose missile base
  • 🕰️ Difficulty ramps up too quickly

Bugs and requests

Tail Gun Charlie

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Weapons/power-ups freezing up
  • Loading screen getting stuck
  • High scores not updating properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • More variety of planes and weapons
  • Ability to upgrade guns and power-ups
  • Additional game modes or levels
  • Vibration and voice acting features
  • More windows/viewpoints on the plane

Missile Command

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • High scores not updating correctly
  • Occasional screen unresponsiveness

Requested features

4 requests
  • Additional levels or game modes
  • More varied enemy types and attack patterns
  • Customizable upgrade system
  • Arcade mode with no upgrades

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Tail Gun Charlie

One-time7
  • Buy Bonds 1$1.99
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • Buy Bonds 2$3.99
Show 4 more
  • Sicily Pack$3.99
  • Buy Bonds 3$7.99
  • Buy Bonds 4$15.99
  • Buy Bonds 5$29.99
1 purchases

Missile Command

One-time1
  • Infinite Charge$2.99

Questions

Is Tail Gun Charlie free?
Tail Gun Charlie is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Missile Command free?
Missile Command is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Tail Gun Charlie or Missile Command?
Tail Gun Charlie is rated higher. Tail Gun Charlie averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Missile Command averages 3.9 from 207 ratings.
Do Tail Gun Charlie or Missile Command have ads?
Tail Gun Charlie shows ads; Missile Command does not.
Which is updated more often, Tail Gun Charlie or Missile Command?
Tail Gun Charlie ships an update every 3 months, and Missile Command fortnightly. Most recently, Tail Gun Charlie was updated on October 21, 2026 and Missile Command on October 22, 2026.

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