Comparison

Mars vs Dead Wake

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

Head to head
About

Mars

Engage in a scientific simulation of establishing a Mars colony. Manage a small group of settlers, research technologies, and build a thriving settlement from a single module. Compete with other human-controlled colonies for success on the Red Planet.

Highlights
  • Scientific Mars settlement simulation
  • Research and development of technologies
  • Exploration of the Red Planet
  • Building and managing specialized structures
  • Managing settler types and life cycles
  • 3D view of settlement and Mars surface
  • Offline playability
Features
Read full description

Settle on MARS in a mixture of game and scientific simulation. Take control over a tiny group of 10 settlers and choose a landing site on the barren Mars. Develop your venture from one single landing module into a thriving settlement with hundreds of specialized buildings and even more inhabitants. Research & development of new technologies as well as exploration of the Red Planet are key for establishing a permanent presence in this hostile environment. And you are not alone. Other settlements, each one controlled by a real human somewhere on Earth, are starting to grow everywhere and a competition for being the most successful Mars colony has already begun. Features: - Scientific orientated building & simulation of a Mars settlement - Background story in 6 phases with according phase goals - Mars simulation in 30x real time (even running when app is not active) - Choosing one of 7 Earth organizations providing (dis-)advantages - Research & development of 152 individual technologies - Construction, maintenance & repair of 51 individual building - 35 individual building enhancements (no level 1,2,3...) - Sending Mars exploration teams and analyzing found soil samples - Production & dispatching of 23 different resource/module types - Assignment of 5 settler types to all activities in the settlement - Settler life cycle including children and elders - 3D view of own settlement in authentic Mars topography - Panning & zooming of the Mars surface in high resolution 3D - 100% usable without Internet connection - Optional online: ranking list & other settlements on Mars surface - Unlocking of advanced app functionalities step by step - Tutorial explaining all app functionalities - Contains some Ads but only after 15 Minutes of game and very decent - Contains In-App-Purchases but NO PAY TO WIN! - This is a peaceful app! NO FIGHTING, NO KILLING, NO WAR!

About

Dead Wake

Features
Read full description

Dead Wake takes you on a wild ride through a monster infested highway. The goal is to survive for as long as possible. How long will you last? Features: • Grow your army • Pick up weapons • Collect special power-ups • Visit the armory to equip your squad before the madness begins • Automatically submit your top high-score to the global leaderboard

Screenshots

Mars4 screens
Dead Wake4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Dead Wake at every 3 days against Mars's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Mars sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Dead Wake sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mars ships an update every 2 months, Dead Wake every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Mars versus Dead Wake: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarsDead Wake
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (26 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews65.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings26 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size2.6 GB16 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperStefan NyulLogan Voss

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mars

One-time3
  • Logistics contract$0.99
  • MAA Gold Membership$1.99
  • Sponsors contract$2.99
1 purchases

Dead Wake

One-time1
  • Remove Advertisements$9.99

Questions

Is Mars free?
Mars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dead Wake free?
Dead Wake is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mars or Dead Wake have ads?
Both Mars and Dead Wake show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mars or Dead Wake?
Mars ships an update every 2 months, and Dead Wake every 3 days. Most recently, Mars was updated on October 5, 2026 and Dead Wake on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons