Space Ace vs Subnautica
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Space Ace
Embark on an interstellar adventure as the heroic Ace to thwart Commander Borf's plan to turn humanity into infants. Armed with a laser gun, you must rescue Kimberly, destroy the Infanto Ray, and save Earth from alien domination. Experience a legendary animated arcade game with stunning high-definition visuals.
- Pilot the heroic Ace
- Battle Commander Borf
- Rescue Kimberly
- Destroy the Infanto Ray
- High-definition visuals
- Intuitive controls
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In Space Ace you play the heroic Ace who must stop the evil Commander Borf from taking over the Earth! Borf plans to reduce all of humankind to infants and take over the planet. Only two people have the courage and strength to stop Borf and save Earth: the beautiful Kimberly and the heroic Ace. But as they approach Borf’s stronghold, Ace is hit by the Infanto Ray, changing him into a child, and Kimberly is kidnapped by the evil madman. Armed with only a laser gun, Ace must find and destroy the Infanto Ray, rescue Kimberly and save the Earth. The fate of Earth is in your hands! This release of Don Bluth’s legendary animated arcade game features video transferred directly from the stunning high definition master, delivering the sharpest images and most vibrant colors ever – far better than the original laserdisc release. Simply press on the direction pad to guide Ace in the right direction or fire your laser gun and blast those aliens away. Don Bluth and his production teams are the creative genius behind such beloved classics as The Secret of NIMH, An American Tail and Anastasia to name but a few. We hope you enjoy Space Ace!
Subnautica
Explore a vast alien ocean planet, craft equipment, pilot submarines, and uncover mysteries to survive. This open-world adventure offers multiple game modes for different playstyles.
- Underwater exploration
- Crafting and base building
- Submarine piloting
- Survival mechanics
- Multiple game modes
- Alien ocean planet setting
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*Make sure to check if your device is supported before playing Subnautica!* Subnautica is an underwater adventure game set on an alien ocean planet. A massive, open world full of wonder and peril awaits you! Descend into the depths, craft equipment, pilot submarines and out-smart wildlife to explore lush coral reefs, volcanoes, cave systems, and more - all while trying to survive. Unravel the mystery of this world teeming with creatures, both friendly and hostile, scattered with clues from a previous time. Play in Survival mode to experience the original challenge, or switch to Freedom or Creative mode to discover this oceanic planet without the pressures of thirst, hunger, or oxygen. FEATURES • SURVIVE - After crash landing on a vast underwater planet, the clock is ticking to find water, food, and to develop the equipment you need to explore. • EXPLORE - Manage your hunger, thirst, and oxygen supply as you dive into towering kelp forests, sunlit plateaus, bio-luminescent reefs, and winding cave systems. • SCAVENGE - Collect resources from the ocean around you. Venture deeper and further to find rarer resources, allowing you to craft more advanced items. • CRAFT - Build bases to shelter in, vehicles to pilot, tools for survival to aid you in navigating and adapting to this subaquatic landscape. • DISCOVER - What happened to this planet? What caused you to crash? Can you find a way to make it off the planet alive? • CUSTOMIZE - Play in Survival mode to experience the original challenge, or switch to Freedom or Creative mode to discover this oceanic planet without the pressures of thirst, hunger, or oxygen. CAREFULLY REDESIGNED FOR MOBILE • Revamped interface – exclusive mobile UI with complete touch control • Game Center achievements • Cloud Save – Share your progress between iOS devices • Compatible with MFi controllers • iPhone 16 Optimization (including Pro Max) ----- *DEVICES NOT SUPPORTED (THE GAME WON'T WORK)*: - iPhone Xr, iPhone SE Gen 2 (2020) - iPad Mini Gen 5, iPad Air Gen 3, iPad Gen 8, iPad Gen 9 *SUPPORTED DEVICES ON LOW RESOLUTION ONLY*: - iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone SE Gen 3 (2022) - iPad Pro 10.5", iPad Mini Gen 6, iPad Air Gen 4, iPad Gen 10, iPad Pro 11" Gen 1, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 3 *SUPPORTED DEVICES* : - iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 AND ABOVE - iPad Pro 11" Gen 2, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 4, iPad Air Gen 5, iPad Pro 11" Gen 3, iPad Pro 11" Gen 4, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 5, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 6 AND ABOVE
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Subnautica at 4.6 against Space Ace's 4.1. Subnautica also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (1.2K vs 40). Space Ace's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $8.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Space Ace costs $4.99 and Subnautica $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Subnautica holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subnautica has 1.2K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Space Ace's written reviews are positive against 82% of Subnautica's.
Space Ace ships an update every 6 months, Subnautica every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Space Ace | Subnautica |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $8.99 |
| Rating | 4.1 (40 ratings) | 4.6 (1.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 75.8% of reviews | 82.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 40 | 1.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #16 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2.1 GB | 2.2 GB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Dragon's Lair LLC | Unknown Worlds |
Customer experience
Space Ace
Subnautica
User reviews
Space Ace
From 40 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Arcade-perfect port
- 👍 Faithful to the original
- 🎨 Stunning animation and visuals
- 💾 Full game on mobile
- 🕹️ Responsive controls
Room to improve
- 🕰️ Short gameplay duration
- 🤔 Challenging for new players
- 🔇 Sound issues/missing audio
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Difficulty settings not saved
Subnautica
From 1.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Flawless performance
- 👍 Smooth UI and controls
- 🎨 Stunning graphics and visuals
- 🎮 Faithful mobile port of the original game
- 🔋 Good battery life
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🗺️ Issues with map chunk loading and creature spawns
Bugs and requests
Space Ace
Reported bugs
3 issues- Scenes not loading correctly
- Controls not registering inputs
- Game state not persisting after suspension
Requested features
4 requests- Watch full movie mode
- Adjustable sound/volume settings
- Improved difficulty scaling
- Compatibility updates for newer devices
Subnautica
Reported bugs
2 issues- Sound cuts out after using the seaglide
- Reapers and ghost leviathans not spawning properly
Requested features
2 requests- Support for iPad and Mac devices
- Improved integration with iOS features
In-app purchases
Space Ace
No in-app purchases
Subnautica
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Space Ace free?
Is Subnautica free?
Which has better reviews, Space Ace or Subnautica?
Do Space Ace or Subnautica have ads?
Which is updated more often, Space Ace or Subnautica?
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