Pixel Starships 2 vs Arcbound
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pixel Starships 2
Command your own starship in this sci-fi strategy game. Build, customize, and manage your vessel and crew, then engage in epic real-time battles and explore a vast galaxy. Join alliances and enjoy regular updates in a stunning pixel art universe.
- Build and customize starships
- Train and manage crew members
- Engage in real-time space battles
- Explore a procedurally generated galaxy
- Form and join player alliances
- Regular content updates
- Stunning pixel art graphics
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Welcome to Pixel Starships 2, the ultimate starship management and space strategy game! Dive into a vast universe where you can build, customize, and command your very own starship. With a blend of role-playing, real-time strategy, and spaceship management, Pixel Starships 2 offers an unparalleled gaming experience that will captivate both casual and hardcore gamers. Key Features: 1. Build Your Starship: Design and construct your starship from the ground up. Choose from a wide range of modules and components to create the perfect vessel. Whether you prefer a heavily armed battleship, a nimble explorer, or a versatile all-rounder, the choice is yours! 2. Train Your Crew: Assemble a crew of skilled professionals to operate your starship. Train your crew members to enhance their abilities and improve your ship’s performance. Each crew member has unique skills and traits that can turn the tide of battle in your favor. 3. Epic Space Battles: Engage in thrilling real-time battles against other players and AI opponents. Use strategy and tactics to outmaneuver your enemies, targeting specific ship systems to cripple their defenses. Victory in battle rewards you with valuable resources and prestigious rankings. 4. Explore the Galaxy: Venture into the unknown as you explore a vast, procedurally generated galaxy. Discover new planets, encounter alien species, and uncover hidden treasures. Each expedition offers new challenges and opportunities for adventure. 5. Join Alliances: Team up with other players to form alliances. Collaborate on missions, share resources, and support each other in battles. Alliance wars bring an additional layer of strategy and cooperation to the game, fostering a strong community spirit. 6. Regular Updates: Pixel Starships 2 is constantly evolving, with regular updates introducing new content, features, and improvements. Stay tuned for exciting new events, challenges, and storylines that will keep you engaged for hours on end. 7. Stunning Pixel Art: Immerse yourself in the beautifully crafted pixel art style of Pixel Starships 2. The game features intricate designs and animations that bring the universe to life, making every moment visually stunning. Join millions of players worldwide and embark on an epic journey through the stars. Build your starship, train your crew, and conquer the galaxy in Pixel Starships 2. The universe is waiting for you—download now and start your adventure! Download Pixel Starships 2 Today! Note on IAP - Pixel Starships is totally free to play and is designed for perfect balance for all players. However, there are in-app items that can be purchased for real money to help speed up progress or offer cosmetic improvements. If you don't want this feature, please disable in-app purchases in your device's settings. Note on Auto-Renewing Subscription - Pixel Starships contains a optional Subscription Membership. Members receive extra missions, bonuses, and daily rewards. Membership content is regularly updated. The Monthly Membership Subscription cost is USD $3.99 per month or a similarly adjusted currency price in your local region. Please refer to IAP menu or in app display for localised pricing. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription is auto renewable and will renew monthly unless cancelled at least 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscription can be cancelled via iTunes subscription manager. There is also a 7 day free trial for the membership; the free trial period is not transferrable and any remaining free time is cancelled if a paying subscription starts. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. EULA: http://www.pixelstarships2.com/eula Privacy Policy: http://www.pixelstarships2.com/privacypolicy
Arcbound
Design and manage a colony ship as it journeys through deep space. Guide your crew through resource management, social dynamics, and dangerous missions. Build a self-sustaining civilization within a single, evolving starship.
- Grid-based ship construction
- Simulated resource networks
- Crew needs and relationships
- Consequence-driven missions
- Research new technologies
- Societal stability management
- Emergent storytelling
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Arcbound is a colony simulation game set entirely on a single evolving starship. Everything is connected. And everything can fail at any moment. Design and expand your ship room by room, manage oxygen, power, and crew survival, and guide a fragile civilisation from Earth’s final evacuation into deep space. WHAT YOU DO Design and expand your Arcship room by room Manage oxygen, power, water, and food to keep your crew alive Send missions to Earth to recover resources and survivors Grow your ship into a self-sustaining spacefaring civilisation Every system connects. Every decision has consequences. Inspired by classic colony sims, Arcbound takes the genre into a single fully interconnected starship, where layout, systems, and social dynamics are tightly linked. FROM ESCAPE SHIP TO STAR-BOUND SOCIETY Early Access includes both phases of Arcbound’s journey: Phase 1: The Exodus Stabilise your ship before Earth collapses and prepare for launch. Phase 2: The Voyage Guide a growing civilian population during multi-year transit as your Arcship becomes a living society facing internal pressure, scarcity, and unknown signals from deep space. BUILD YOUR ARCSHIP Start with a small emergency platform and grow it into a fully functioning star-faring vessel. Design living quarters, engineering bays, hydroponics, research facilities, and life-support systems while managing power, water, atmosphere, and maintenance across a fully simulated ship. A well-designed ship creates stability. A poorly planned one barely survives. MANAGE YOUR CREW Your crew are more than workers. They form friendships and rivalries, develop beliefs, suffer stress, and react to the decisions you make as commander. Social relationships and ideology evolve over time, influencing morale, productivity, and the long-term identity of your Arcship. Rescue new survivors, but every arrival may change the culture of your ship. SURVIVE THROUGH MISSIONS Send crews beyond your vessel on dangerous expeditions to secure vital resources. Recover technology, extract survivors, or raid for fuel, missions always return something… but consequences follow. Injuries, conflict, and unexpected events can reshape life aboard your ship long after the mission ends. Missions can trigger injuries, political tension, or unexpected consequences that ripple through life aboard the ship. KEY FEATURES Grid-based ship construction and expansion Fully simulated oxygen, power, water, and resource networks Crew needs, skills, relationships, and ideology systems Consequence-driven mission system Research unlocking new technologies and discoveries Civilian population and societal stability management Emergent storytelling driven by player decisions Pause and time controls for relaxed strategic play Designed for long-form sandbox progression In Arcbound, your entire civilisation exists within a single evolving Arcship. Every decision shapes not just your ship, but the society living inside it. Stabilise your ship before Earth collapses… or carry your failures with you into the void. A CALM SURVIVAL EXPERIENCE Arcbound is designed as a chilled but thoughtful space management experience. Most of the time you’ll be carefully expanding and optimising your ship, until emergencies, social tension, or difficult choices introduce moments of drama. There is no single correct way to survive. Only the ship you build… and the future you create. Join the community on Discord
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Arcbound at 5.0 against Pixel Starships 2's 4.4. Arcbound also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). Pixel Starships 2's advantage is ratings volume (977 vs 3). 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
Both are free to download. Pixel Starships 2 sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Arcbound sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Arcbound holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Starships 2 has 977 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Pixel Starships 2 ships an update every 2 weeks, Arcbound every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pixel Starships 2 | Arcbound |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (977 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 977 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2.2 GB | 336 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Savy Soda Pty Ltd | Dean Lennard |
Bugs and requests
Pixel Starships 2
Reported bugs
4 issues- Soft locks and crashes
- Disappearing UI elements
- Targeting issues in combat tutorial
- Inability to complete quests and bind accounts
Requested features
3 requests- Improved character design to match the game's visuals
- More detailed and comprehensive tutorials
- Bug fixes and stability improvements
Arcbound
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pixel Starships 2
- VIP Club Membership1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Sale Pack One$1.99
- Sale Pack Two$4.99
- Sale Pack Three$9.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Sale Pack Four$19.99
- Sale Pack Five$49.99
- Sale Pack Six$99.99
Arcbound
- Arcbound - Early Access$9.99
Questions
Is Pixel Starships 2 free?
Is Arcbound free?
Which has better reviews, Pixel Starships 2 or Arcbound?
Do Pixel Starships 2 or Arcbound have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pixel Starships 2 or Arcbound?
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