Comparison

Command & Conquer™ vs The Machines

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

Head to head
About

Command & Conquer™

Engage in fast-paced real-time strategy battles against other players. Customize your army with a variety of units and lead them with unique commanders to outwit your opponents and achieve victory in competitive PvP matches.

Highlights
  • Real-time PvP battles
  • Customizable army units
  • Unique commander abilities
  • Alliance system for resource sharing
  • Daily challenges and rewards
  • Army evolution and upgrades
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This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items. There’s no victory like one against your rivals! Feel the rush of competition in Command & Conquer: Rivals, an action-packed RTS with strategic tactics capable of turning the tide of any battle. Take control of your customized army and conquer your opponent in The War for Tiberium. Team up with friends to share resources in alliances. Create your combination of infantry, tanks, aircraft, and more to outsmart your opponent’s strategy in fast, fun PvP matches. THE THRILL OF VICTORY IS YOURS In Command & Conquer: Rivals, the strategy behind your skills determines victory or defeat. Choose a Commander to lead your forces – each holds powerful abilities that can influence your approach. Customize your army with winning combinations of infantry, tanks, aircraft, and more. Then evolve it to align with your Commander’s unique abilities, before unleashing destructive weapons and vehicles in quick and exciting PvP battles! REVEL IN RIVALRY Test your strategy against your opponent’s strategy in live PvP as you battle to outwit your rivals in real time! Choose to fight for the Global Defense Initiative or Brotherhood of Nod. Restock your supplies and boost your army with valuable supply convoys. Join an alliance to team up with friends, share resources, and climb the leaderboards. Complete daily challenges for massive rewards that improve your Commanders, weapons, and abilities. Grow your army with every victory in this adrenaline-fueled RTS! Important Consumer Information. Some images shown may contain in-app purchases. This app: Requires a persistent Internet connection (network fees may apply). Requires acceptance of EA's Privacy & Cookie Policy and User Agreement. Collects data through third party analytics technology (see Privacy & Cookie Policy for details). Allows to communicate via in-game Alliance chat feature. Contains direct links to the Internet and social networking sites intended for an audience over 13. The app uses Game Center. Log out of Game Center before installation if you don't want to share your game play with friends. User Agreement: http://terms.ea.com Privacy and Cookie Policy: http://privacy.ea.com Visit http://help.ea.com for assistance or inquiries EA may retire online features after 30 days' notice posted on www.ea.com/service-updates.

About

The Machines

Engage in thrilling augmented reality battles with friends. Utilize powerful abilities and strategic positioning to destroy enemy bases and climb global leaderboards. Experience stunning visuals and immersive 3D spatial audio that reacts to your real-world location.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality battles
  • Competitive multiplayer
  • 3D spatial audio
  • Perspective-based tactics
  • Global leaderboards
  • Friend battles
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**As featured in the Apple Keynote** “The Machines may be Apple's most impressive augmented-reality showcase yet” - Eurogamer “If you've only got enough money to spend on one AR game, then I'd probably make it this one.” - Pocket Gamer “The Machines is a perfect example of the future of AR” - Macworld “A must have ARKit game—Highly recommended and definitely worth its asking price!” - AR Critic ======== In The Machines, battle your friends in a breathtaking augmented reality world. Experience 3D sound, graphics, and gameplay like never before. Use powerful abilities and perspective-based tactics to destroy your enemy's base and climb the global leaderboard. Victory or defeat depends on your skills, strategic thinking, and ability to maneuver yourself and your troops in battle. ======== VISUALLY STUNNING The Machines uses advanced technology to push the boundaries of visual fidelity. The battlefield has over 1.2 million polygons and uses 4k assets and physics-based rendering to bring you a beautifully immersive game. 3D SPATIAL AUDIO Your position in the real world affects the audio you hear. Move closer for louder action or disappear behind a rock and audio bounces off, just like in real life. PERSPECTIVE-BASED GAMING Your physical position is the competitive edge in this augmented reality battlefield. Use super weapons and abilities tactically by aiming your phone and adjusting your position. COMPETETIVE MULTIPLAYER Claim your place at the top of the global leaderboards by defeating foes around the world. Outwit your opponents with balanced, strategic gameplay. A single player training mode is also available to gain experience. FRIEND BATTLES Add friends via a unique invite link and challenge them directly to battle! Play against each other on the same table or anywhere in the world. See who is the champion on your friends leaderboard. ======== **If you enjoying playing the game, please consider leaving a review on the App Store. We really appreciate it!** Follow us on Twitter: @DirectiveGames Follow us on Facebook: @DirectiveGames Want to discuss a new feature? Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/w4GdRVc

Screenshots

Command & Conquer™4 screens
The Machines4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Command & Conquer™ at Free against The Machines's $1.99. Command & Conquer™ also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (43K vs 268). The Machines's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment, update cadence 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

Command & Conquer™ is free to download; The Machines costs $1.99 up front. Command & Conquer™ sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. The Machines asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Command & Conquer™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Command & Conquer™ has 43K ratings behind it against 268, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Command & Conquer™'s written reviews are positive against 51% of The Machines's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Command & Conquer™ ships an update monthly, The Machines fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Command & Conquer™ versus The Machines: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommand & Conquer™The Machines
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.5 (43K ratings) — better3.6 (268 ratings)
Positive reviews44.3% of reviews50.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings43K — better268
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size201 MB911 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperElectronic ArtsDirective Games

Customer experience

Command & Conquer™

All ratings43,060 ratings
Positive88.5%
Neutral4.2%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews1,877 reviews
Positive44.3%
Neutral9.9%
Negative45.9%

The Machines

All ratings268 ratings
Positive60.4%
Neutral10.4%
Negative29.1%
Written reviews406 reviews
Positive50.7%
Neutral12.8%
Negative36.5%

User reviews

Command & Conquer™

From 43K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome gameplay
  • 👍 Great strategy elements
  • 🎨 Fantastic graphics
  • ⏱️ Quick matches
  • 💰 Can progress without paying

Room to improve

  • 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
  • 🤖 Unfair matchmaking against higher-level opponents
  • 🐛 Frequent disconnects and crashes
  • 🕹️ Clunky unit controls
  • 🕰️ Slow progression for free players

The Machines

From 268 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Impressive AR experience
  • 👍 Great graphics and visuals
  • 🤖 Innovative gameplay concept
  • 🎮 Engaging multiplayer battles

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Difficulty detecting playing surface
  • 🕹️ Confusing controls and tutorials
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🗺️ Limited map and gameplay variety

Bugs and requests

Command & Conquer™

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tiberium visuals glitching
  • Units not responding to commands
  • Incorrect unit stats displayed

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more units and factions
  • Implement a campaign mode
  • Improve matchmaking algorithm
  • Increase rewards for free players
  • Add more customization options

The Machines

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes after short playtime
  • Inability to detect flat surfaces
  • Unresponsive controls and commands
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to play against friends
  • More maps and gameplay modes
  • Better onboarding and tutorials
  • Customization options for characters
  • Offline/single-player mode

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Command & Conquer™

One-time10
  • Tiny Diamond Pack$1.99
  • Small Diamond Pack$4.99
  • Nod Initiate Bundle$4.99
Show 7 more
  • New Recruits Offer$4.99
  • Exclusive Offer$4.99
  • Big Diamond Pack$9.99
  • Reinforcement Package$9.99
  • Special Bundle$14.99
  • Huge Diamond Pack$19.99
  • Giant Diamond Pack$99.99
None

The Machines

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Command & Conquer™ free?
Command & Conquer™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Machines free?
The Machines costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Command & Conquer™ or The Machines?
Command & Conquer™ is rated higher. Command & Conquer™ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 43K ratings, while The Machines averages 3.6 from 268 ratings.
Do Command & Conquer™ or The Machines have ads?
Command & Conquer™ shows ads; The Machines does not.
Which is updated more often, Command & Conquer™ or The Machines?
Command & Conquer™ ships an update monthly, and The Machines fortnightly. Most recently, Command & Conquer™ was updated on November 1, 2026 and The Machines on October 29, 2026.

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