Comparison

Space Out vs Action Buggy

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

Head to head
About

Space Out

Experience a retro arcade game that combines classic space shooter and brick-breaking mechanics. Enjoy authentic 8-bit sound effects and speech synthesis for an immersive blast from the past.

Highlights
  • Space shooter gameplay
  • Brick breaking mechanics
  • Retro arcade feel
  • 8-bit sound effects
  • Speech synthesis
  • Digital Crown control
Features
Read full description

"Very cool 8^) - Fun old style arcade for us old arcade fans!" - Drewx67 "Great game - Awesome." - Goodluck74 "Nice retro watch game - Still loving this app. Fun to play on the watch while waiting in line or out and about. Quick hit gaming with fun retro feel. They keep on updating app too to make sure it works on OS updates. Thanks! Great retro game for the watch. It's like space invaders & block out combined! Works really well on the Apple watch. Uses new API's from watchOS 3. Nice scrolling with the crown and even uses the watch speaker for the great retro sounds. Love it! Next gen of watch games is here!" - peteostro "Excellent-- an iOS Classic! - I bought this game when the first version came out on iOS 2. It's been nearly 10 years and I still play it! I am so glad the developer keeps it updated. My favorite thing about it is the Commodore 64 SID sound effects and the speech synthesis-- this game would not look out of place in an early 80s arcade. The watchOS version plays very well on top of that! The Digital Crown makes moving the paddle a dream. Would definitely recommend this app to any retro game fan." - cyelvington "Gamers ... will likely find Space Invaders to be overly simplistic and outdone by most of its clones in the App Store such as Space Out." - http://toucharcade.com "I took a look at about 40 [games], I decided which ones lived up to the hype and which ones didn’t. One of my favorites was the game called Space Out." - Jamin Brophy-Warren, Wall Street Journal Online "Arkanoid + Space Invaders with the gorf voice thrown in for good measure! Sold." - GreatLakesDrifta Space Out is the original mashup, a tribute to old school arcade games; it truly delivers that early arcade feel. It combines 2 classic game concepts, shooting invaders and brick breaking, into a unique and exciting retro experience. It's a blast back to the late '70s. Complete with all new 8-bit sound effects created with a MOS 6581 SID chip from the Commodore 64 and speech generated with 8kHz 8-bit allophones. (Any control issues were fixed years ago.)

About

Action Buggy

Drive a moon buggy across rocky lunar surfaces, using missiles or jumps to overcome obstacles. Compete for distance and unlock achievements in this endless, procedurally generated game with retro pixel graphics.

Highlights
  • Drive a moon buggy
  • Master rocky surfaces
  • Missile launcher
  • Precision jumps
  • Endless variation
  • Retro hand-pixeled graphics
  • Unlock achievements
Features
Read full description

Put yourself in the drivers seat of a moon buggy and MASTER THE ROCKY SURFACES of a distant moon. How far can you go? And what strategy do your prefer... blowing away every obstacle in front of you with your missile launcher, or simply jumping past them? Work on your strategies as you try to go as far as possible! Who knows what surprises lie ahead? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * GAME FEATURES: - Adorable retro style HAND-PIXELED graphics - ENDLESS VARIATION: Levels are generated in real-time as you play - Demolition Frenzy: Blow up things that block your way - Rock solid, responsive controls - Precision jumps and missiles - Achievements to unlock - Donut Games' Collectors Icon #21 - And much more... TECH FEATURES: - Game Center support - MFi controller support - ION Arcade controller support - Universal App (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Enjoy another Donut Games release!

Screenshots

Space Out4 screens
Action Buggy3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Action Buggy at 4.9 against Space Out's 4.3. Action Buggy also leads on monetization model (free vs paid) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.6). Space Out's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 11 months). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Space Out costs $0.99 and Action Buggy $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Action Buggy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 19 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of Space Out's written reviews are positive against 74% of Action Buggy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Space Out ships an update every 2 months, Action Buggy every 11 months. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Space Out versus Action Buggy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace OutAction Buggy
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating4.3 (16 ratings)4.9 (19 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.4% of reviews — better73.8% of reviews
Number of ratings1619 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 11 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDanny BlissDonut Games

Customer experience

Space Out

All ratings16 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral18.8%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews84 reviews
Positive77.4%
Neutral10.7%
Negative11.9%

Action Buggy

All ratings19 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews321 reviews
Positive73.8%
Neutral7.2%
Negative19.0%

User reviews

Space Out

From 16 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great retro feel
  • 👍 Addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Fun mashup of classics
  • 👍 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Good for passing time

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unplayable on iPhone X
  • 🐛 Game plays too fast on iPhone X
  • 🐛 Too easy on iPhone, long duration
  • 🐛 Controls can be tricky
  • 🐛 Paddle sometimes freezes

Action Buggy

From 19 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun
  • 👍 Great retro graphics
  • 💡 Challenging gameplay
  • 🚀 Smooth controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 🔍 Repetitive gameplay
  • 👎 Difficult to master

Bugs and requests

Space Out

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Crashes on Apple Watch Series 4
  • Game plays 2x faster after pausing on iPhone X
  • Unplayable on iPhone X
  • App freezes on iPad after update
  • Stopped opening day after purchase
Show 5 more
  • Freezing paddle issue
  • Screen gets sticky, missed moves
  • Paddle gets stuck, doesn't move
  • Crash problem, also affecting email
  • Paddle sometimes freezes for seconds

Requested features

8 requests
  • High score list (not just highest)
  • Online daily/weekly/all-time high score lists
  • Separate iPhone and Watch lists
  • Settings for shooting on/off
  • Volume control
Show 3 more
  • Tilt control option
  • Pause game when not touching screen
  • Describe power-ups in-game

Action Buggy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • Game freezes and crashes
  • Controls not responsive at times

Requested features

4 requests
  • More game modes and levels
  • Retry button after death
  • Online leaderboards
  • Customization options

In-app purchases

None

Space Out

No in-app purchases

None

Action Buggy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Space Out free?
Space Out costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Action Buggy free?
Action Buggy costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Space Out or Action Buggy?
Action Buggy is rated higher. Space Out averages 4.3 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Action Buggy averages 4.9 from 19 ratings.
Do Space Out or Action Buggy have ads?
Neither Space Out nor Action Buggy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Space Out or Action Buggy?
Space Out ships an update every 2 months, and Action Buggy every 11 months. Most recently, Space Out was updated on October 17, 2026 and Action Buggy on October 17, 2026.

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