Comparison

Arcaea vs ThumBeat

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

Head to head
About

Arcaea

Experience a unique rhythm game that blends challenging gameplay with an immersive story. Progress through a narrative driven by your performance, unlock new difficulties, and compete with others online. Enjoy a vast library of music, with more available through content packs.

Highlights
  • Novel gameplay mechanics
  • Immersive sound and story
  • High difficulty ceiling
  • Over 350 songs
  • 3 rhythm difficulty levels per song
  • Real-time online multiplayer
  • Rich Main Story and Side Stories
Read full description

New Dimension Rhythm Game - Experience sound and story unlike ever before. "A harmony of Light awaits you in a lost world of musical Conflict." In a world of white, and surrounded by “memory”, two girls awaken under glass-filled skies. Arcaea is a mobile rhythm game for both experienced and new rhythm game players alike, blending novel gameplay, immersive sound, and a powerful story of wonder and heartache. Experience gameplay that reflects the story’s emotions and events—and progress to unlock more of this unfurling narrative. Challenging trials can be discovered through play, higher difficulties can be unlocked, and a real-time online mode is available to face off against other players. Arcaea does not require an internet connection for play, and is fully playable both on smartphones and tablets. On install the game includes a large library of free playable songs, and more can be made available by acquiring additional songs and content packs. ==Features== - A high difficulty ceiling - experience personal growth as you develop skills in arcade-style progression - Over 350 songs from more than 200 artists famous across other games - 3 rhythm difficulty levels for every song - An expanding music library through regular content updates - Collaborations with other beloved rhythm games - Online friends and scoreboards - Real-time online multiplayer - A Course Mode that tests endurance through gauntlets of songs - A rich Main Story that features two protagonist’s perspectives across a powerful journey - Additional Side and Short Stories of varying styles and perspectives featuring the game’s characters that build upon the world of Arcaea - A vast array of original characters and guest characters from collaborations to accompany you, level up, and alter your play through many game-changing skills - Stunning, never-before-seen connections to storylines via gameplay, challenging the very paradigm of play ==Story== Two girls find themselves in a colorless world full of memory, and with no memory of themselves. Each alone, they set out into places often beautiful, and just as often dangerous. Arcaea’s story is interwoven throughout Main, Side, and Short stories which each focus on individual, playable characters. While separate, they all share the same space: the world of Arcaea. Their reactions to it, and its reactions to them, form an ever-shifting narrative of mystery, sorrow, and bliss. As they explore this heavenly place, follow their steps down paths of glass and grief. --- Follow Arcaea & News: Twitter: http://twitter.com/arcaea_en Facebook: http://facebook.com/arcaeagame

About

ThumBeat

A one-handed rhythm game designed for on-the-go play. Enjoy a nostalgic soundtrack and customizable difficulty levels, playable with either hand. Push your limits with speed multipliers and multiple language options.

Highlights
  • One-handed gameplay
  • 8-bit electronic and guitar music
  • Left/right-handed play
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Speed multiplier option
  • Multiple language support
Features
Read full description

ThumBeat is a one-thumb rhythm game for busy people! Designed to be played when in crowded spaces (like standing up in trains, on buses) or multitaskers (jog and play? I want to see someone try!). Key Features: - Choose from 8-bit electronic and guitar music, a nostalgic gaming experience. - Choose the hand that is most comfortable for you. Can you play both left-handed and right-handed? - Choose the difficulty level best for you. Can you reach extreme level? - Super expert? Push the speed multiplier up and see if you can still withstand the gameplay! - Choose to play from multiple languages

Screenshots

Arcaea4 screens
ThumBeat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ThumBeat at none against Arcaea's 3. ThumBeat also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 78%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Arcaea's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (25K vs 3). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Arcaea sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. ThumBeat asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ThumBeat holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arcaea has 25K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Arcaea's written reviews are positive against 100% of ThumBeat's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Arcaea ships an update every 8 days, ThumBeat weekly. Both last shipped on October 19, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Arcaea versus ThumBeat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArcaeaThumBeat
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (25K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings25K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#58 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.411.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB292 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperlowiroSprytosaur Ltd

Customer experience

Arcaea

All ratings24,557 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews1,248 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral6.8%
Negative14.9%

ThumBeat

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Arcaea

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and account sync problems
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode to compete with friends
  • Ability to earn premium currency through gameplay
  • More free song options to explore the game
  • Customizable note speed and offset settings
  • Improved story mode and character development

ThumBeat

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Arcaea

One-time3
  • 100 Memories$0.99
  • 510 Memories$4.99
  • 1020 Memories$9.99
None

ThumBeat

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Arcaea free?
Arcaea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ThumBeat free?
ThumBeat is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Arcaea or ThumBeat?
ThumBeat is rated higher. Arcaea averages 4.8 out of 5 from 25K ratings, while ThumBeat averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Arcaea or ThumBeat have ads?
ThumBeat shows ads; Arcaea does not.
Which is updated more often, Arcaea or ThumBeat?
Arcaea ships an update every 8 days, and ThumBeat weekly. Most recently, Arcaea was updated on October 19, 2026 and ThumBeat on October 19, 2026.

Other comparisons