Rock Rats vs Nova Glider
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rock Rats
Pilot a spacecraft through asteroid fields, blasting enemies and dodging laser fire. This arcade-style shooter offers endless action with Game Center leaderboards and achievements. Jump to hyperspace when situations get tough.
- Blast asteroids
- Battle UFOs
- Hyperspace jumps
- Game Center leaderboards
- 50 Game Center achievements
- Game controller support
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Blast waves of asteroids and battle hordes of UFOs in this modern take on an arcade classic. “See the stars like never before,” said the job description. “Join an elite group. Learn advanced piloting skills. Generous pay.” What it didn't say was “Dodge incoming laser fire from hostile UFOs.” Life in the asteroid belt does have attractions. The thrill of flying a tricky path through fields of debris, the camaraderie of fellow pilots, the beauty and solitude found among the unchanging stars. And the pay is indeed generous. But it also has dangers, and plenty of them. I've made a career out here, but do you have what it takes to join us and become one of the Rock Rats? • Blast your way through endless swarms of asteroids • Battle UFOs whose intent is less-than-friendly • Situation hopeless? Cross your fingers and jump to hyperspace! Featuring • Game Center leaderboards: can you reach the top? • 50 Game Center achievements: earn them all • Over 20 hidden achievements: an Easter egg hunter's paradise • Game controller support • No ads, no in-app purchases, no need to deposit quarters: just nonstop action Learning about app programming and starting to make your own games? The full source code for Rock Rats is available on GitHub! It's extensively documented and can serve as an example of a modern game based on Swift and SpriteKit.
Nova Glider
Pilot a retro space glider, blasting asteroids and collecting coins to survive as long as possible. Experience classic arcade gameplay with pixel art, 8-bit sound, and haptic feedback.
- Retro pixel art graphics
- 8-bit sound effects
- Taptic Engine feedback
- Asteroid destruction
- Coin collection for points
- Health pickups
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Nova Glider is a retro space shooter. You play as a glider trying to avoid the astroids shot at you. The goal is to survive as long as possible while gliding around the asteroid or just destroying them using your blaster! Try to avoid the rocks, because you'll take damage when they hit you. Yellow rocks are filled with coins and coins mean more points! Try to get health pickups too when you lost too much health. Nova Glider is fully made of pixel art and 8-bit sound. It also uses the Taptic Engine to make the game feel like a classic arcade game! Particles are used to enhance the retro vibe and shading of the top and bottom area is used to make it look like you are playing on your favourite plastic handheld!
Screenshots
Verdict
Rock Rats and Nova Glider are too close to call on the numbers: across 8 compared parameters — price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Rock Rats | Nova Glider |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Long | Viggo Overes |
Customer experience
Rock Rats
Nova Glider
In-app purchases
Rock Rats
No in-app purchases
Nova Glider
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Rock Rats free?
Is Nova Glider free?
Do Rock Rats or Nova Glider have ads?
Which is updated more often, Rock Rats or Nova Glider?
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