Comparison

Swarm Simulator vs Grimoire Incremental

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

Head to head
About

Swarm Simulator

Evolve your insect colony from simple larvae to powerful hive minds in this 3D incremental idle clicker game. Conquer territory, sacrifice units for growth, and ascend to unlock new mutations and expand your swarm across the universe.

Highlights
  • Incremental idle clicker gameplay
  • Endless progression and unit evolution
  • Idle mode for offline growth
  • Ascend system with new mutations
  • All-new 3D graphics and units
  • Elixir buffs and Golden Bug bonuses
Features
Read full description

Over 2 MILLION PLAYERS! Swarm Simulator: Evolution brings the strategic, incremental, idle, clicker gameplay of the wildly successful web game into a new 3D world with dozens of new systems and extra features! Evolve your way from lowly larvae and drones to all-powerful hive Overminds and beyond in this idle masterpiece! Conquer territory with fearsome Stingers and Locusts to become a tycoon of unit production. Sacrifice smaller units for the greater good of the colony and Ascend over and over as you build your Swarm toward its ultimate goal of universe spanning conquest! == Swarm Simulator Features == Idle Clicker Gameplay • Endless progression - start with a few lowly units, evolve and hatch your way to unimaginable numbers. • Idle mode - the game will keep progressing whether it's open or not, take a break for a few hours and your Swarm will grow and grow! • Ascend your Swarm to start over on a new world but with powerful new Mutations. Evolution Upgrades • All new 3D graphics and new units, dozens of 3D bugs in a fully 3D world. • Elixirs give short term buffs to your Swarm, use a Rage elixir to capture more territory ... or a Warper elixir to speed up time itself! • Golden Bugs can be captured to give long-term bonuses to your Swarm. • Swarm Lord Invasions, the HFL, Carapace Shards, unlockable skins for your bugs and more! The classic text-based incremental game has been reborn in vibrant 3D. Download Swarm Simulator now and conquer EVERYTHING!

About

Grimoire Incremental

Engage in a narrative-driven idle or clicker game where your choices shape society and unlock new mechanics. Progress through runs and prestiges with non-formulaic gameplay and optional ads.

Highlights
  • Non-formulaic gameplay
  • Branching narrative choices
  • Idle and clicker mechanics
  • Unlockable mechanics
  • Opt-in ads for bonuses
  • Single in-app purchase option
Features
Read full description

NON-FORMULAIC GAMEPLAY Make real choices through spells to favour, interactions with the populace, and other arcane projects. Focus on combining thematic effects to wield great power. Choose between idle and clicker mechanics as you progress through runs and prestiges. BRANCHING CHOICES Choose how you'll use the magic available to you to shape society, and witness the impact through a changing story and play style. COMPELLING NARRATIVE Experience a broad story arc that grows as you progress, and branches with the choices you make and actions you take. MANY AND VARIED MECHANICS Unlock new ways to make those numbers bigger with practice, research, spells, creations, lifestyle and expeditions. Each new mechanic offers a different twist and provides new opportunities for strategy. NO OBLIGATION Adverts are opt-in for a bonus only. No content is blocked behind ad walls. Single in-app purchase removes ad button and gives boost forever.

Screenshots

Swarm Simulator4 screens
Grimoire Incremental4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Swarm Simulator at every 9 days against Grimoire Incremental's every 3 months. Swarm Simulator also leads on ratings volume (2.7K vs 544) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Grimoire Incremental's advantage is review sentiment (87% vs 78%). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Swarm Simulator sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and Grimoire Incremental 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Swarm Simulator against 4.8 for Grimoire Incremental. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.7K and 544 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Swarm Simulator's written reviews are positive against 87% of Grimoire Incremental's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swarm Simulator ships an update every 9 days, Grimoire Incremental every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Swarm Simulator versus Grimoire Incremental: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwarm SimulatorGrimoire Incremental
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.7K ratings)4.8 (544 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews86.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.7K — better544
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB70 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperIron Horse Games LLCGraham Goldstein

Customer experience

Swarm Simulator

All ratings2,719 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral5.1%
Negative16.6%

Grimoire Incremental

All ratings544 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews107 reviews
Positive86.9%
Neutral5.6%
Negative7.5%

User reviews

Swarm Simulator

From 2.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 💡 Unique incremental mechanics
  • 🔒 Minimal ads, not intrusive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches in recent updates
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

Grimoire Incremental

From 544 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Simplicity and minimalism
  • 👍 Non-intrusive ads
  • 👍 Engaging gameplay
  • 👍 Rewarding progression

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes
  • 🐛 Slow progress in late game
  • 🐛 Imbalanced builds
  • 🐛 Lack of content variety

Bugs and requests

Swarm Simulator

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Stuck on loading screen
  • Incorrect display of resources and upgrades
  • Issues with cloud save functionality

Requested features

4 requests
  • More content and updates
  • Offline mode
  • Customization options
  • Improved progression and endgame

Grimoire Incremental

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Progress loss on crash
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More content and updates
  • Better late-game balance
  • Detailed progression tracking
  • Story expansion

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Swarm Simulator

One-time11
  • Pouch of Crystals$4.99
  • Elixir Mega Pack$4.99
  • Swarm Supporter Pack$9.99
Show 8 more
  • Bag of Crystals$9.99
  • Crystalline King Pack$9.99
  • Arcane Amplifier Pack$9.99
  • Super Shards Pack$9.99
  • Challenge Crusher Pack$9.99
  • Barrel of Crystals$19.99
  • Elixir Ultra Pack$24.99
  • Storehouse of Crystals$49.99
1 purchases

Grimoire Incremental

One-time1
  • Remove Advertisements$6.99

Questions

Is Swarm Simulator free?
Swarm Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Grimoire Incremental free?
Grimoire Incremental is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swarm Simulator or Grimoire Incremental?
Grimoire Incremental is rated higher. Swarm Simulator averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Grimoire Incremental averages 4.8 from 544 ratings.
Do Swarm Simulator or Grimoire Incremental have ads?
Both Swarm Simulator and Grimoire Incremental show ads.
Which is updated more often, Swarm Simulator or Grimoire Incremental?
Swarm Simulator ships an update every 9 days, and Grimoire Incremental every 3 months. Most recently, Swarm Simulator was updated on September 29, 2026 and Grimoire Incremental on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons