Comparison

MicroWars vs Strain

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

Head to head
About

MicroWars

Engage in strategic microscopic battles where you command cells to conquer opponents. Collect resources, upgrade your units, and devise invasion plans to capture enemy bases and expand your territory. Outwit your rivals by building defenses and launching timely offensives.

Highlights
  • Microscopic battleground gameplay
  • Command and conquer cells
  • Resource collection and upgrades
  • Strategic invasion planning
  • Defensive and offensive tactics
  • Board-based conquest
Features
Read full description

Experience the thrill of a microscopic battleground with Microwars! In this action-packed mobile strategy game, players take on the role of a microscopic organism and send cells to conquer their opponent’s cells on a board. The objective is to take control of all the cells on the board and defeat the opponent. Collect resources, upgrade your cells, and strategize your attacks to gain an advantage. Microwars is a puzzle strategy game, where you need to find the best tactic to capture the enemy base. Here, brains over brawn is the rule! Create new invasion plans and put them into action in each level. Bit by bit, conquer the whole universe as your nodes expand and capture the enemies. Your expansion can only match the greatness of your strategic skills. But beware! keep an eye on your enemy’s strategy as they will try to overtake you while you are conducting your own offensives. You will have to build your defense and prepare your attacks in the same time, in order not to get defeated. Will you manage to elaborate the best strategy to take over the world? Prove it now by downloading Microwars!

About

Strain

Features
Read full description

Spread your strain. Infect every cell. Conquer the host. Strain is a fast, gorgeous strategy game played in bite-sized matches. Tap your cells and swipe to send swarms. Capture neutral cells to grow faster, overwhelm rival strains and finish the job before the immune response wipes you out. EASY TO PLAY, HARD TO MASTER • Tap to select, swipe to send. Matches take just a few minutes • Reactors replicate twice as fast, bunkers resist capture, relays fling swarms across the map • Dodge antibodies that eat your units in transit A LONG CAMPAIGN • Dozens of hand-tuned strains with smarter, perk-powered rivals • Boss hosts every five levels • Rank up from Spore to Pandemic and unlock permanent perks POWER UP & CUSTOMIZE • Pre-match boosts like Adrenal Shot and Time Dilation • Mid-match injections to stall rivals or surge your cells • Colors, cell spines and wave trails to make your strain unique PLAY ANYWHERE • Daily rewards and missions • Works fully offline, no account needed Strain is free to play. Optional in-app purchases are available for Plasma and the Founder Pack.

Screenshots

MicroWars4 screens
Strain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Strain at none against MicroWars's shown. Strain also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, 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. MicroWars sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Strain sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MicroWars ships an update every 2 months, Strain daily. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
MicroWars versus Strain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicroWarsStrain
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (10K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews34.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB13 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBenoit FreslonWisdom Entertainment LTD

Bugs and requests

MicroWars

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game resets progress on restart
  • Impossible level 40 and 130
  • Ads play over gameplay

Requested features

5 requests
  • More challenging AI opponents
  • Ability to reinforce controlled cells
  • Disable timer option
  • More unique levels and characters
  • Improved memory mini-game

Strain

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

MicroWars

One-time1
  • No ads$3.99
4 purchases

Strain

One-time4
  • Vial of Plasma$1.99
  • Flask of Plasma$4.99
  • Founder Pack$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Tank of Plasma$9.99

Questions

Is MicroWars free?
MicroWars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Strain free?
Strain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do MicroWars or Strain have ads?
MicroWars shows ads; Strain does not.
Which is updated more often, MicroWars or Strain?
MicroWars ships an update every 2 months, and Strain daily. Most recently, MicroWars was updated on October 30, 2026 and Strain on October 26, 2026.

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