Comparison

Join Race! vs NOVA STRIKER

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

Head to head
About

Join Race!

Race against rivals on challenging tracks by merging cars of your color to increase speed. Navigate the road carefully to avoid falling off and take down opponents to become the king of the road. Experience fun and exciting emotions in this racing game.

Highlights
  • Car merging mechanics
  • Challenging race tracks
  • Rival opponents
  • Road navigation challenges
  • Destructible environment elements
Features
Read full description

Become a true merging racer! Only the fastest and most courageous will come to the finish! Challenge desperate rivals in a crazy race! Merge cars of your color to become faster. Watch the road carefully and try not to fly into the abyss. Take down everything in your path and show who is the king of the road! You get: + the steepest tracks with an unusual route change + arrogant opponents ready to fight for the first place + cool environment in style + lots of fun and cool emotions from the join race!

About

NOVA STRIKER

Features
Read full description

A retro '90s-style vertical bullet-hell shooter you can play with one finger — free, and fully playable offline. Weave through walls of bullets across 3 stages and massive boss battles. Skim past enemy fire to "graze" for score and bomb gauge, and turn the tables with screen-clearing bombs. Clear everything, and a hidden true battle awaits. ◆ Features - Intuitive controls: drag to move, auto-fire, double-tap to bomb — one-handed play - Graze system: near-misses are the path to high scores - 3 stages + more: unique midbosses, bosses, and a hidden final boss - Achievements & rankings: 14 achievements and global rankings (with per-language boards) - Difficulty options: EASY / NORMAL / HARD - 17 languages supported, works offline ◆ How to Play 1. Drag to move (your ship fires automatically) 2. Double-tap to trigger a bomb (clears enemy bullets) 3. Graze enemy bullets for bonus score 4. Watch a short video to revive after game over and push on for the clear Note: This game contains flashing lights. Player discretion is advised for those with photosensitivity. ◆ Made for players who enjoy - A retro arcade shooter, pixel art, neon lights, and a tense trip through space - A quick game during a break, or a longer high-score and score-attack session at home - Learning to dodge patterns with one hand in portrait mode instead of aiming every shot - Starting on EASY, settling into NORMAL, then taking on the hardcore density of HARD ◆ A score run with choices NOVA STRIKER is a danmaku-style shmup where reading a pattern matters as much as reflexes. Your ship fires on its own, leaving you free to steer through the gaps. A close dodge earns graze and fills the bomb gauge, so a daring line can be worth more than a safe one. Spend a bomb to clear a crowded screen, or save it for a boss phase: each run is a chance to refine that decision. ◆ Reasons to return The three stages are built around distinct enemy waves, midbosses, and boss battles, culminating in the hidden final boss. Choose the pace that suits you: EASY introduces the flow, NORMAL rewards consistency, and HARD asks for careful routing through thicker bullet patterns. Chase all 14 achievements, improve your high-score, and compare results on global leaderboards with separate boards by language. ◆ Play on your terms This is a free single-player action game for portrait smartphones, designed for a few spare minutes or repeated practice. It works offline, so a connection is not required to fly and dodge. A rewarded video is offered only when you choose to revive after game over; there are no forced ads interrupting play. With drag movement, auto-fire, and a double-tap bomb, it stays focused on the arcade rhythm. Price: Free (rewarded ads only — no forced ads) Supports: Smartphones (portrait)

Screenshots

Join Race!4 screens
NOVA STRIKER4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NOVA STRIKER at none against Join Race!'s 1. NOVA STRIKER also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 days). Join Race!'s advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price 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

Both are free to download. Join Race! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. NOVA STRIKER asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Join Race! ships an update every 9 days, NOVA STRIKER every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Join Race! versus NOVA STRIKER: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoin Race!NOVA STRIKER
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.8 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB46 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperMirols OUJOIN CIRCLE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Join Race!

One-time1
  • Remove ads$0.99
None

NOVA STRIKER

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Join Race! free?
Join Race! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NOVA STRIKER free?
NOVA STRIKER is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Join Race! or NOVA STRIKER have ads?
NOVA STRIKER shows ads; Join Race! does not.
Which is updated more often, Join Race! or NOVA STRIKER?
Join Race! ships an update every 9 days, and NOVA STRIKER every 3 days. Most recently, Join Race! was updated on October 10, 2026 and NOVA STRIKER on October 6, 2026.

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