True Surf vs Shark Waves
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
True Surf
Experience the most authentic surfing simulation with realistic physics and live weather forecasts from Surfline. Master real-time controls, travel to world-famous breaks, and compete in WSL events. Evolve your surfer, build your gear, and chase the perfect wave.
- Realistic physics simulation
- Live Surfline weather forecasts
- World-famous surf breaks
- Real-time touch controls
- Character progression and customization
- Board quiver management
- Live WSL competitions
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Conquer legendary past swells by crushing feat-based missions across a quiver of boards, from the world’s leading shapers, and unlock 34 of the planet's most iconic surf spots. Experience mind blowing realistic wave graphics, driven by True Axis' cutting-edge, real-world physics simulation engine, featuring real-time surf conditions powered by Surfline! True Surf is the Official Game of World Surf League (WSL). REAL TIME CONTROLS Realistic touch based physics enable complete control of your surfer in real time. Use one finger, your thumb or mind surf with two fingers like the Pros. NEW GAMEPLAY: FIRST PERSON BARREL MODE Automatically switch to first person mode when in the barrel. NEW MISSION MODE: Smash feat-based missions across the world’s most iconic breaks to unlock new surf spots! Every victory earns you essential rewards to fuel your career, including Clams, Travel Tickets, and Perfect Storms to boost live conditions. IMPROVED REPLAY GRAPHICS Edit and share POV drainers, pig dog shots in the barrel, and spine-twisting laybacks in the pocket! THE WORLD'S BEST WAVES A huge part of surfing is about chasing the perfect wave and True Surf comes jam-packed with the world's best. Travel the world chasing classic reef breaks with hollow barrels at Pipe in Hawaii, Cloudbreak, Fiji to rolling 'power-curve' breaks at Bells Beach, Australia. Or try to beat the sections at some of the world's fastest point breaks like Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. If BIG waves are your thing then head to Nazare, Portugal and Jaws (Pe-ahi), Hawaii. True Surf has it all including Surf Ranch, the epic man made wave located between farm fields in California’s Central Valley. REAL-TIME CONDITIONS POWERED BY SURFLINE True Surf is powered by real time surf forecasting data from Surfline (experts in marine weather forecasting). Data is updated throughout the day and includes Swell Height, Swell Direction, Wind, Tide and Water Temperature. PERFECT STORM Play god of thunder and boost LIVE swells. WILDLIFE Surf with dolphins, look out for the sharks! COMPETE IN WSL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR EVENTS Are you ready for the CT? Test your skills in WSL Events and compete against other players from around the world to see if you have what it takes to become a CT champ! CHARACTER & QUIVER Experience apparel and boards from legendary brands including Billabong, Catch Surf, Firewire Surfboards, Pyzel Surfboards, Quiksilver, Roxy, Rusty, Shane, SharpEye Surfboards, Simon Anderson Surfboards, Slater Designs, Stretch Boards, and Vissla. Note: An internet connection is required to access some features. Frequent Flyer (monthly) is a monthly subscription service that enables you unlimited travel to all surf spots in True Surf. Frequent Flyer Monthly cost 2.99 USD/month (or local equivalent) and will be charged on your iTunes Account after purchase and when the subscription renews monthly. Perfect Storm (monthly) is a monthly subscription service that enables you unlimited activations of Perfect Storms at all surf spots in True Surf. Perfect Storms provide a boost to live surf conditions and each activation lasts for 5 minutes. Perfect Storm Monthly cost 2.99 USD/month (or local equivalent) and will be charged on your iTunes Account after purchase and when the subscription renews monthly. Subscriptions will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to users iTunes account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of service can be found at https://trueaxis.com/tsfua.html
Shark Waves
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Catch the most brutal wave you've ever seen, and avoid Megalodon the Kraken and other dangers as you ride to the finish line towards the ramp. The better you play, the better it gets !
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shark Waves at none against True Surf's 7. True Surf's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 24 months). On price, 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
Both are free to download. True Surf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Shark Waves asks for nothing beyond the download.
True Surf ships an update fortnightly, Shark Waves every 24 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | True Surf | Shark Waves |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (3.5K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 60.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3.5K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 24 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | #79 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 211 MB | 135 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | True Axis | Henrique Silva |
Bugs and requests
True Surf
Reported bugs
3 issues- Waves not generating properly at Surf Ranch
- Progression resets and lost progress
- Inability to travel to desired surf spots
Requested features
5 requests- First-person camera mode
- Customizable boards and characters
- Competitive multiplayer mode
- Career mode with challenges and sponsorships
- Ability to create and share custom surf spots
Shark Waves
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
True Surf
- Perfect Storm (monthly)$2.991 Month
- Frequent Flyer (monthly)$2.991 Month
- Handful of Clams$0.99
- Bag of Clams$7.99
- Chest of Clams$28.99
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- Boatload of Clams$49.99
- Sea of Clams$99.99
Shark Waves
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is True Surf free?
Is Shark Waves free?
Do True Surf or Shark Waves have ads?
Which is updated more often, True Surf or Shark Waves?
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