Arknights vs Blue Archive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Arknights
Lead a pharmaceutical company fighting a deadly infection and societal unrest. Recruit and train unique Operators, deploy them in strategic operations, and build your base. Experience a rich anime-style world with a compelling soundtrack and voice acting.
- Anime-style RPG and strategy gameplay
- Hundreds of unique Operators
- Auto Deploy system
- Base construction system
- Robust soundtrack and voice acting
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Take on the role of a key member of Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company that fights both a deadly infection and the unrest it leaves in its wake. Together with your leader Amiya, you’ll recruit Operators, train them, then assign them to various operations to protect the innocent and resist those who would thrust the world into turmoil. ・Gorgeous anime-style game with a perfect combination of RPG and strategy elements ・Hundreds of unique Operators across a variety of classes open up countless gameplay options ・Auto Deploy system conveniently allows you to free up your hands ・Carve out a home, just the way you want it, with the Base construction system ・A robust soundtrack and some of the most famous Japanese voice actors and actresses will give you a sublime auditory experience. Arknights Official Homepage: https://www.arknights.global/ Official Discord Server: https://discord.gg/arknights Official X Account: https://x.com/ArknightsEN Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ArknightsGlobal/ Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arknights_messenger_official/
Blue Archive
Lead charming allies in strategic 3D real-time battles within a vast academy city. Uncover thrilling stories of friendship and adventure while deepening bonds with your characters through in-game interactions. Build special memories and resolve endless incidents.
- 3D real-time battles
- Strategic team management
- Character relationship building
- In-game messenger (Momo Talk)
- Unpredictable main story
- Sub stories and club activities
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Embark on an adventure with the girls of this epic anime fantasy RPG, Blue Archive, and dive into its world of strategic combat, brought to life by stunning animations. Your journey through Kivotos will be one filled with victory and loss, love and heartbreak, all alongside an unforgettable, touching story. Build strong, deep relationships and get to know each student's unique story while leading your squad. So let's go, Sensei! ■A Fantasy-Filled Anime RPG You'll Never Forget! Step into Kivotos and your adventure as a teacher will begin. Experience a story of love and friendship with stunning cinematics, in both 2D and 3D animation. Throughout your journey, you'll meet and befriend the students of this world, learning their unique stories and motivations. Each girl plays a vital role in the story: building strong bonds, forming squads to protect those they love, and creating heartwarming memories with Sensei! ■Lead Elite Anime Girls into Battle in this Tactical RPG Experience! Form a squad with the girls you meet, each contributing their own unique combat elements. Adapt your strategies throughout the adventure to lead them to victory! With stunning animation and 3D cinematics, Blue Archive's combat is a blend of strategy and rich visuals. ■Foster Bonds with the Girls in Relationship Stories! Every girl in Blue Archive has her own story of love to share. Foster strong bonds with your students in their relationship episodes as you unlock new sides to them in MomoTalk and private chats that shape this fantasy world. With every chapter, you'll find new connections and elements that make this RPG what it is today. ■Explore an Anime-Inspired Fantasy MMORPG Full of Stories Experience a world where beautiful animation meets RPG mechanics. Its fascinating stories will immerse you as you experience life with the girls of Kivotos. Whether you're on secret missions, battling through gacha content, or enjoying club antics, every corner invites you into another adventure. Lead your squad into each challenge—victory and new stories await every encounter. ■Gacha Your Way to Victory—With Strategy, Epic Fantasy, and Anime Girls! Recruit students to your squad and battle your way to victory! Each new girl brings a fresh story and a powerful element to wield in your adventure. As you take them into battle, you'll develop new strategies and formations for your RPG adventure. Create strong synergy and lead your squad to victory, unlocking secret episodes! Blue Archive is more than a game—it's an epic RPG journey, filled with poignant stories of resilience, growth, and love. Experience a school story brought to life by unforgettable girls in this fantasy world. Meet the students of Kivotos and build your squad today! Follow Us: Official Site: https://bluearchive.nexon.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EN.BlueArchive Twitter: https://twitter.com/EN_BlueArchive Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsrnDYrkovQhCCE8kwKcvKQ Note: An internet connection is required to play this game. *For the best gaming experience, the following specs are recommended: iOS 16 or higher / iPhone 14 or higher / Minimum 3GB RAM required By downloading this game, you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. - Terms of Service: http://m.nexon.com/terms/304 - Privacy Policy: http://m.nexon.com/terms/305 ■ App Permission Information In order to provide services below, we are requesting certain permissions. [Optional Permission] Camera: To take photos or record videos for upload Photos: To save and upload photos / videos Microphone: Required to record videos for uploads. Security: Required for personalized advertising and service usage analysis. * You can still use the service without agreeing to the optional permissions. [Permission Management] ▶Go to Settings > Privacy, select a permission and toggle the button next to the app's name. ※ This app offers in-app purchases. You can disable this feature by adjusting your device settings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Arknights at 4.7 against Blue Archive's 4.0. Arknights also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 47%) and chart position (#33 vs #155). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Arknights sells 29 one-off in-app purchases and Blue Archive sells 25 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Arknights holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10K and 5.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of Arknights's written reviews are positive against 47% of Blue Archive's.
Arknights ships an update every 2 months, Blue Archive every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Arknights | Blue Archive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (10K ratings) — better | 4.0 (5.6K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.2% of reviews — better | 47.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10K — better | 5.6K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #33 — better | #155 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3.1 GB | 426 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | YOSTAR LIMITED | NEXON Company |
Customer experience
Arknights
Blue Archive
User reviews
Arknights
From 10K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 F2P friendly
- 🚀 Generous with premium currency
- 💎 Excellent character designs and art
- 🎨 Beautiful soundtrack
- 🧠 Challenging and strategic gameplay
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🕰️ Slow progression without spending
- 🤔 Confusing UI and menus
- 📚 Overwhelming for new players
- 🧠 Difficulty spike in later stages
Blue Archive
From 5.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Engaging story and characters
- 🎨 Excellent art and animations
- 🎶 Great soundtrack
- 🎮 Unique and fun gameplay
- 💰 Generous with in-game currency
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⏱️ Slow loading times
- 💸 Gacha rates are poor, 200 pulls for pity
- 🤖 Auto-play makes gameplay too passive
- 🤕 Concerns over censorship and broken promises
Bugs and requests
Arknights
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes on iOS devices after recent update
- Auto-deploy function not working as intended
- Login errors and lost progress issues
- Incorrect or missing translations
Requested features
5 requests- Add auto-repeat/skip function for cleared stages
- Improve base management and resource gathering
- Implement a chat/social system
- Increase sanity/energy regeneration rate
- Add language options beyond English
Blue Archive
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes when entering certain menus or battles
- Pyroxene (currency) disappearing after pulls
- Notifications causing crashes on iOS devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improve gacha rates and pity system
- Reduce loading times and crashes
- Add more player control in battles
- Improve PvP mechanics and matchmaking
In-app purchases
Arknights
- Extract a piece of Originium$0.99
- Ambience Synesthesia 2025 Pack$0.99
- Friendship Commemorative Pack$1.99
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- Partners Commemorative Pack$1.99
- Extract a cluster of Originium$4.99
- Monthly Card$4.99
- Alluring Moonlight Pack$4.99
- Hopes and Dreams Pack$4.99
- Honey Party Pack$4.99
- Never Gilded HeadhuntingBundle$8.99
- Exclusive Headhunting Bundle$8.99
- Weekly Growth Pack$9.99
- Tales of Stratopolis Pack$11.99
- Extract a pile of Originium$14.99
- Starter Headhunting Pack$19.99
- Monthly Headhunting Pack$25.99
- Safety Drill Memorial Pack$25.99
- Perish In Frost Pack$29.99
- Rhodes Island Headhunting Pack2 variants$29.99
- Rhodes Island Celebration Kit$29.99
- Sky Mirror Pack$29.99
- Extract a pack of Originium$29.99
- Carnevale Pack$29.99
- Celebration of Flood Pack$29.99
- Rhodes Island Resource Pack$29.99
- Dahuang Sightseeing Pack$29.99
- Extract a box of Originium$49.99
- Rhodes Island Resource Pack$49.99
- Extract a crate of Originium$99.99
Blue Archive
- New Sensei Welcome Pack$0.39
- New Teacher Pyroxene Pack$0.99
- Weekly AP Pack$1.69
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- Recruitment Support Pack$2.99
- Monthly Pyroxene Half Pack2 variants$2.99
- 2-Week AP Pack$2.99
- Monthly Pyroxene Pack2 variants$6.99
- StartDash 3-Star Ticket$11.99
- Weekly Activity Report Pack$11.99
- StartDash 3-Star Ticket Ⅱ$11.99
- 3-Star Guaranteed Recruit Pack$18.99
- HiddenRuins 3Start Select Pack$18.99
- Code:BOX 3-Star AttackTypePack$18.99
- Midnight Party LuckyPouchPack$18.99
- Sheside 3-Star Guaranteed Pack$18.99
- Sheside 3-Star Selective Pack$18.99
- aLIVE! 3-Star Guaranteed Pack$18.99
- aLIVE! Lucky Pouch Pack$18.99
- Pyroxene x2352$18.99
- 3-Star DivisionRecruitmentPack$18.99
- Cyber New Year LuckyPouchPack$18.99
- Pyroxene x6,600$64.99
- Pyroxene x4800$64.99
- Monthly Pyroxene x6,600$64.99
- Pyroxene x8000$64.99
Questions
Is Arknights free?
Is Blue Archive free?
Which has better reviews, Arknights or Blue Archive?
Do Arknights or Blue Archive have ads?
Which is updated more often, Arknights or Blue Archive?
Which is more popular, Arknights or Blue Archive?
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