PewPew vs Phoenix 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
PewPew
Experience intense, retro-style multidirectional shooting with massive enemy counts and a high frame rate. Choose from five distinct game modes, including Pandemonium, Dodge This, Assault, Chromatic Conflict, and Asteroids. Compete on online leaderboards and unlock new ships.
- Multidirectional shooting
- Retro graphics
- High frame rate
- Five game modes
- Online leaderboards
- Unlockable ships
- Game controller support
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PewPew is a multidirectional shoot them up akin to Geometry Wars. Expect retro graphics, megatons of enemies, and a frame rate rarely achieved by other games. On the other hand, don't expect a story: this game is for serious gamers. There are FIVE different game modes: • Pandemonium: Some enemies explode when they die, and the other spin maniacally everywhere. Hide from the explosions or deftly go through them. • Dodge this: As you collect boxes, there are more and more enemies moving around. Naturally, you have to dodge them all. • Assault: You fight against waves of enemies. Spoiler: at the end, they win and you die. • Chromatic Conflict (NSF color blinds): Enemies of different color appear. You can only destroy the ones that are the same color as your ship. • Asteroids: Need I say more? Features: ⁂ High frame-rate (honestly, this is what defines this game) ⁂ Finely tuned game-play (oh, and this too) ⁂ Online leader boards ⁂ Online replays ⁂ Some sweet music ⁂ Unlockable ships ⁂ Support Game Controller ⁂ No ads, no analytics. nada.
Phoenix 2
Blast through waves of alien invaders in this classic arcade space shooter. Collect and upgrade over 100 unique ships, complete exciting missions, and compete on global leaderboards. Enjoy short game sessions or an action-packed campaign with stunning graphics.
- Over 100 unique ships
- Ship collection and upgrades
- Action-packed campaign
- Special abilities
- Daily missions
- Global leaderboards
- Cross-platform play
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Save the galaxy in this classic arcade shooter that everyone can enjoy! Blast wave after wave of menacing invaders in exciting missions to achieve glorious victory. Start playing Phoenix 2 right now with all these great features. * Blast invaders with over 100 unique ships. * Build your own ship collection and upgrade your favorites. * Experience an action packed campaign with 30 exciting story missions. * Discover special abilities like Mega Laser, Missile Swarm and Personal Shield. * Short game sessions: Launch whenever you have a minute to play. * Complete daily missions of different skill levels, from casual to bullet hell. * Get the high score on global leaderboards and show you are the best of the best. * Engage with an active community to help each other and discuss ship tactics. * New missions are generated every day. * Stunning and smooth 120FPS graphics powered by our custom game engine. * Create a group for your friends and play your own unique missions. * Cross-platform saving and cross-platform play. Phoenix 2 is developed by a passionate indie studio in The Netherlands and delivers the handcrafted experience of a retro space shoot’em up with modern gameplay. Phoenix 2 is your new daily visit to the arcade! Internet connection required to play.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: PewPew at none against Phoenix 2's 11. PewPew also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (91% vs 73%). Phoenix 2's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (26K vs 67). 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
Both are free to download. Phoenix 2 sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. PewPew asks for nothing beyond the download.
Phoenix 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Phoenix 2 has 26K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of PewPew's written reviews are positive against 73% of Phoenix 2's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
PewPew ships an update every 5 months, Phoenix 2 every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PewPew | Phoenix 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (67 ratings) | 4.7 (26K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 91.3% of reviews — better | 73.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 67 | 26K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 12 MB | 295 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jean-Francois Geyelin | Firi Games |
Customer experience
PewPew
Phoenix 2
User reviews
PewPew
From 67 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Challenging and addictive
- 🎮 Great retro-style controls
- 💯 Excellent value (free app)
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes or performance issues
- 🔊 Limited sound effects
- 📱 Screen size/orientation issues on some devices
Phoenix 2
From 26K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic mobile game
- 🚀 Incredibly fun and addictive
- 🚀 Best bullet hell game on the phone
- 🚀 Easily the best bullet hell I've played
- 🚀 Amazing game for on the go fun
Room to improve
- 🐛 Great Gameplay Ruined by Frustrating Ad Experience
- 💰 Supers aren't well implemented
- 💰 Micro-transactions too much
- 💰 Progression limited, hard to earn credits
- 🐛 Terrible, uninspiring compared to original Phoenix HD
Bugs and requests
PewPew
Reported bugs
2 issues- High score data loss after updates
- Unresponsive controls on certain devices
Requested features
4 requests- More game modes and enemy types
- Multiplayer support
- Ability to disable background music
- Offline/campaign mode
Phoenix 2
Reported bugs
3 issues- Warp gate charge time bug
- Occasional crashes
- Incompatible with older devices
Requested features
7 requests- Add haptic feedback
- Implement an endless mode
- Allow players to customize ships
- Add a level creator
- Provide an offline mode
Show 2 moreShow fewer
- Improve ship ability descriptions
- Add a replay feature
In-app purchases
PewPew
No in-app purchases
Phoenix 2
- 800 Credits$0.99
- 5000 Credits$4.99
- Special Offer$4.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- VIP$4.99
- 12000 Credits$9.99
- Special Offer$9.99
- 25000 Credits$19.99
- Special Offer$19.99
- 65000 Credits$49.99
- Special Offer$49.99
- 140K Credits$99.99









