Comparison

Asteroid Commando vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

Asteroid Commando

Pilot a ship through a retro arcade experience, blasting asteroids and collecting gems while battling alien pirates and avoiding mines. Enjoy classic vector graphics and power-ups across iPhone and Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Vector graphics (modern or classic)
  • Power-ups (Shield, Triple Shot, Rapid Fire, Time Freeze)
  • Intuitive Crown controls for Apple Watch
  • Swipe controls for iPhone
  • Daily global rankings
  • Short burst gameplay
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Asteroid Commando is a vector graphics arcade game for your iPhone and Apple Watch. Pilot your ship as you blast asteroids in search of priceless gems. Battle alien pirates and avoid deadly space mines! • Choose between Modern Tron inspired graphics or original arcade Vector graphics • Vector style asteroids, enemies and mines! • Power-ups include Shield, Triple Shot, Rapid Fire and Time Freeze! • Intuitive and simple controls using the Crown on the Watch! • Swipe to move on the iPhone! • Short burst gameplay is perfect for the Watch and iPhone! • Daily rank to see how you compare to the rest of the world! • Retro sound effects on the iPhone and Watch! • Play anywhere, anytime! • Runs at 60fps on the Watch! • Watch features stylish Complications! • Ability to invert Crown controls on the Watch! • TouchArcade Game of the Week! Relive the glory days of the arcade on your Apple Watch and iPhone. Thanks for playing -Johnno and Pete

About

ArcEmu

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
  • Multiplayer support
  • Cheat codes
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Save State sharing
  • iCloud support
Features
Read full description

ArcEmu brings retro game emulation to Apple Watch. It also works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, delivering a seamless gaming experience across your Apple devices. Supported Consoles - Game Boy (.gb) - Game Boy Color (.gbc) - Game Boy Advance (.gba) - Pokémon Mini (.min) - Nintendo Entertainment System (.nes) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (.sfc and .smc) - Atari 2600 (.a26 and .bin) Main Features - Accurate, high-performance emulation powered by the mGBA and Ares cores - Game Link Cable support with online multiplayer for up to four players* - Cheat-code support with a built-in database of popular codes** - Frame-independent emulation at 30 or 60 FPS - Multi-touch and Digital Crown support on Apple Watch - Support for all screen orientations on iPhone and iPad - Precise, thoughtfully designed on-screen controls - Customizable control position and transparency on iPhone and iPad - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom color palettes for Game Boy games - Button hold/sustain feature - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone - Game controller support with customizable button mappings - ZIP archive support - Automatic saving - Save-state sharing between devices - iCloud support for ROMs and save states - ROM sharing through iCloud using share codes - Support for Apple Watch devices configured with Family Setup - ROM sorting and search Apple Watch Compatibility - Apple Watch Series 4 or later - Apple Watch SE or later - Apple Watch Ultra or later ArcEmu does not include any games or ROMs. You can import compatible ROM files from your iPhone and store them in iCloud. Your Apple Watch can then download them directly from iCloud. On an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup, ROMs can be downloaded from iCloud using share codes. Games Featured in the Screenshots - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Anguna: https://gauauu.itch.io/anguna - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance * Requires a Game Center account. ** Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo. Nintendo and the names of its game systems are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Screenshots

Asteroid Commando4 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ArcEmu at 95% against Asteroid Commando's 38%. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.0) and monetization model (free vs paid). Asteroid Commando's advantage is chart position (#190 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 15.5). 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

Asteroid Commando costs $1.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 134, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Asteroid Commando's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Asteroid Commando ships an update every 6 weeks, ArcEmu fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Asteroid Commando versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAsteroid CommandoArcEmu
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating4.0 (134 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.5% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1341.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#190 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.1 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB172 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRed Sprite StudiosRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Asteroid Commando

All ratings134 ratings
Positive70.1%
Neutral11.2%
Negative18.7%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,295 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews521 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%

Bugs and requests

Asteroid Commando

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ArcEmu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
  • Save data not transferring properly between devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add cheat/GameShark support
  • Improve volume controls
  • Implement fast forward/slow motion options
  • Allow multiple save slots per game
  • Improve Game Boy Color support
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

In-app purchases

None

Asteroid Commando

No in-app purchases

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Asteroid Commando free?
Asteroid Commando costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Asteroid Commando or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Asteroid Commando averages 4.0 out of 5 from 134 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Asteroid Commando or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Asteroid Commando nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Asteroid Commando or ArcEmu?
Asteroid Commando ships an update every 6 weeks, and ArcEmu fortnightly. Most recently, Asteroid Commando was updated on September 20, 2026 and ArcEmu on September 24, 2026.

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