Comparison

Crying Suns vs Network Superstar

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

Head to head
About

Crying Suns

Command a space fleet in a tactical rogue-lite inspired by classic sci-fi. Explore a procedurally generated universe, engage in strategic ship battles, and uncover a deep storyline across six chapters. Experience a rich narrative and atmospheric gameplay designed for mobile.

Highlights
  • Procedurally-generated space exploration
  • Tactical battleship and squadron fleet combat
  • Over 300 story events
  • Deep, 6-chapter storyline
  • Mobile-optimized interface
Read full description

When FTL meets Foundation and Dune: Crying Suns is a tactical rogue-lite that puts you in the role of a space fleet commander as you explore a mysteriously fallen empire. In this story rich experience inspired by Dune and Foundation, each successful run will uncover the truth about the Empire... and yourself as well. Main Features: - Space exploration in a procedurally-generated universe - Tactical fights between battleships and their squadron fleets - More than 300 possible story events - A deep and dramatic storyline structured in 6 chapters - A dark and disturbing atmosphere inspired by our favorite S-F universes (Foundation, Dune, Battlestar Galactica) First released on PC and Mac, the indie hit Crying Suns was carefully redesigned for mobile and tablets, including a revamped interface and intuitive touchscreen interactions. Pay once to get the full Crying Suns experience! No ads, no F2P mechanics! All future updates included. Supported languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese If you encounter any problem, please contact us at contact@cryingsuns.com with as much information as possible on the issue.

About

Network Superstar

Read full description

Welcome to the NOC, rookie. Grab a headset, check the queue, and keep the packets moving. Network Superstar is a fast, text-driven IT career game where you start as a network noob and work your way toward becoming the teammate everyone wants on shift. Handle realistic help desk tickets, chase down incidents, study networking concepts, monitor devices, and build your reputation one smart call at a time. This is not a sleepy flashcard app. This is your daily operations console. Pick your first workplace, create your player, and start taking on the kind of problems real IT teams see every day: DNS weirdness, cabling issues, VLAN trouble, DHCP headaches, routing questions, wireless complaints, security risks, latency, bandwidth bottlenecks, and more. Set the mood while you work with original retro-inspired background music, then make the console your own with customizable player characters, app icons, and interface color schemes. Some things are hiding in the UI too, because every good network has a few secrets worth discovering. Every shift gives you decisions to make: - Work tickets from the queue - Respond to incidents before they snowball - Handle on-call pages when the network needs you - Train on level-appropriate networking scenarios - Watch the network dashboard for warning signs - Choose original background music for your shift - Customize the look of your career console - Hunt for hidden easter eggs - Manage your energy so you do not burn out mid-shift - Build streaks by making clean calls - Earn XP, reputation, salary growth, ranks, and badges - Unlock Game Center achievements as your career grows Your choices matter. The best first action closes work cleanly and earns XP. Risky or incomplete actions can create follow-up work, cost energy, and reset streaks. Rest and study when you need to recover. Ignore pager duty and the network may make sure you remember it. Network Superstar is built for people who like IT, networking, troubleshooting, operations, career progression, and that glorious feeling when a ticket finally moves to closed. You will grow through ranks like: - Network Noob - Help Desk Network Tech - Network Administrator - Network Engineer - Senior Network Engineer - Network Architect - Network Superstar Whether you are already in IT, studying networking, or just love technical problem-solving games, there is a seat open on the team. The queue is filling up. The dashboard is blinking. The day is young. Log in and show us what you have got.

Screenshots

Crying Suns4 screens
Network Superstar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Network Superstar at $0.99 against Crying Suns's $8.99. Network Superstar also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly). Crying Suns's advantage is chart position (#83 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On 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

Crying Suns costs $8.99 and Network Superstar $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Crying Suns ships an update monthly, Network Superstar every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Crying Suns versus Network Superstar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrying SunsNetwork Superstar
Price$8.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.8 (2.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#83 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size1014 MB102 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAlternative ShiftJay Vlavianos

Bugs and requests

Crying Suns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes when using certain ship abilities
  • Crashes during end-of-chapter cutscenes
  • Progression-blocking bugs preventing access to new content
  • Inability to progress past specific story points due to crashes

Requested features

4 requests
  • Zoom functionality for combat screen
  • Ability to play own music during gameplay
  • Endless mode or sandbox option
  • Improved tutorial to explain key mechanics

Network Superstar

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Crying Suns

No in-app purchases

None

Network Superstar

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Crying Suns free?
Crying Suns costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Network Superstar free?
Network Superstar costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Crying Suns or Network Superstar have ads?
Neither Crying Suns nor Network Superstar shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Crying Suns or Network Superstar?
Crying Suns ships an update monthly, and Network Superstar every 3 days. Most recently, Crying Suns was updated on October 19, 2026 and Network Superstar on October 9, 2026.

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