Comparison

Squad Busters vs Tide Runner

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

Head to head
About

Squad Busters

Assemble a team of iconic characters from various Supercell games, each with unique abilities. Engage in fast-paced multiplayer battles, strategizing attacks and defenses to outwit opponents. Collect and evolve characters to create powerful squads and conquer diverse game modes.

Highlights
  • Collect and evolve over 25 characters
  • Unique character skills and abilities
  • Multiple fun game modes (Mayhem, League, Gem Hunt)
  • Action-packed strategy and tactics
  • Adventure through exciting worlds and maps
  • Play with friends in multiplayer parties
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The battle awaits! Select a Hero & your Squad’s unique powers - your tactics and skill will determine the winner. Good luck, may the best squad be still standing! Squad multiplayer is all about the perfect set up to execute attacks and defend your Hero. Are you a sniper or will you charge and smash - collect & evolve and build the perfect Squad! COLLECT EVOLVE OVER 25 CHARACTERS Build the perfect combo for every unique battle - collect & Evolve all-star Supercell characters, each with their own skills from Clash of Clans, Brawl Stars, Hay Day, Clash Royale, and Boom Beach. FUN MODES & MODIFIERS From multiplayer Mayhem to Squad League, Gem hunt and DUO’s - you’ll discover new tactics and fun surprises with every game! Chase down Loot Goblins, smash Piñatas, recruit Royal Ghosts to haunt others, and more! ACTION, STRATEGY, FULL ON PARTY Run! Fight! Toss a MASSIVE bomb! Think fast while picking the right mix of tactics to attack and defend your Squad. Spark giant FUSION troops! Play it safe out of battle or risk it all to knock out other players. There’s more than 1 route to victory! EXCITING WORLDS & BELOVED CHARACTERS Adventure through fun new Worlds and themed Maps on your journey. Discover unique environments, bosses, and traps, and unlock fan-favorite heroes and villains as you progress! PLAY WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND FRENEMIES! Make your own multiplayer Party room! Challenge friends and settle the score with who has the best Squad setup - who can survive the Battle and become the top Squad! Privacy Policy: http://supercell.com/en/privacy-policy/ Terms of Service: http://supercell.com/en/terms-of-service/ Parent’s Guide: http://supercell.com/en/parents/

About

Tide Runner

Features
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The current runs with you. Keep the reds to port, stay off the sand, and don't lift too early into the bend. Tide Runner is a racing game about carrying speed. Your hull holds its momentum through a turn, so the fast way round is never the tight way round — ease off before the mark, let the stern come round, and get back on the throttle before the boat behind does. ONE HUNDRED COURSES, FOUR WORLDS Twenty-five winding rivers. Twenty-five channels cut through lava. Twenty-five frozen leads across the ice. Twenty-five runs through open space. Every one has its own width, character and racing line — from Fjord Run, four long sweeps you can hold the throttle through, to Corryvreckan, twenty-six corners of almost continuous helm. RIVALS THAT ACTUALLY RACE Two, three or five laps against up to eleven others, at four skill tiers. Up to Hard the tiers are driving skill rather than horsepower: how much of the corner a rival dares use, how steadily it holds its line, how quickly it moves the helm. From Normal upward they race each other too — tucking into the wake ahead for the tow, then pulling out to pass once there's clear water. Insane sits just above what a drafting boat can hold. Quick enough to chase. Slow enough to catch in the corners. THE WATER FIGHTS BACK Fifty-nine courses have something in them. Whirlpools that turn the helm and put you somewhere you never pointed. Logs that drift with the current, so last lap's line isn't this lap's. Rockfalls with a second and a half of shadow for warning. Orcas breaching along the channel. Pressure cracks that open right across the ice and leave one gap to thread. Run aground and sit there too long and something takes an interest. What comes for you depends on where you are. GEAR WORTH SPENDING ON Lay a net across the channel behind you. Put a torpedo straight down your own wake. Hold a nitro charge for the straight where it counts. All of it bought with coins you earned racing, which makes every purchase a decision. 119 BOATS TO EARN Eighteen colours. Fifty-five national flags. Twenty animated camos that move while you race. Twenty-five challenge skins, each locked behind a time target on its own course — beat all twenty-five and Diamond Camo is yours. CHASE YOURSELF Time trial runs you solo against your own ghost, re-recorded every time you beat it. Course records save per course and follow you into the HUD. Gold, silver and bronze targets are computed from the shape of the course itself, not picked out of the air. BUILT FOR A PHONE Thumb stick and throttle, two fingers at once, so you can fire gear without letting go of the helm. Keyboard and arrows on desktop. A short tutorial lap that shows you the controls and then gets out of the way. PLAYS ANYWHERE No account. No sign-in. No connection needed. Your progress lives on your device, and a transfer code moves it to another one whenever you want. Free to play, supported by ads. Optional rewarded videos double your winnings from a race or add a bonus spin — there is nothing in the game that can only be bought, and no purchases at all. Every boat is earned on the water.

Screenshots

Squad Busters4 screens
Tide Runner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tide Runner at none against Squad Busters's 16. Squad Busters's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Squad Busters sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Tide Runner asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Squad Busters ships an update weekly, Tide Runner every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Squad Busters versus Tide Runner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSquad BustersTide Runner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (138K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews45.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings138K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size895 MB14 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperSupercellPolite Carrot LTD

Bugs and requests

Squad Busters

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Matchmaking issues and unbalanced matches
  • Freezing and connectivity problems
  • Inconsistent character/item behavior

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more game modes and variety
  • Improve progression system and character unlocks
  • Implement clan/social features
  • Balance the pay-to-win elements
  • Enhance the combat system and player control

Tide Runner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Squad Busters

One-time16
  • Special Offer$0.79
  • Special Offer$0.99
  • 10000 Gold$0.99
Show 13 more
  • Special Offer$1.99
  • Special Offer$2.99
  • Special Offer$3.99
  • 52500 Gold$4.99
  • Special Offer$4.99
  • Season Pass$4.99
  • Special Offer$5.99
  • Season Pass$6.99
  • Special Offer$6.99
  • Special Offer$7.99
  • Special Offer$9.99
  • 110000 Gold$9.99
  • Season Pass$9.99
None

Tide Runner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Squad Busters free?
Squad Busters is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tide Runner free?
Tide Runner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Squad Busters or Tide Runner have ads?
Both Squad Busters and Tide Runner show ads.
Which is updated more often, Squad Busters or Tide Runner?
Squad Busters ships an update weekly, and Tide Runner every 2 weeks. Most recently, Squad Busters was updated on October 16, 2026 and Tide Runner on October 1, 2026.

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