Comparison

Pixel Starships™ vs Arclight City

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

Head to head
About

Pixel Starships™

Command every aspect of your starship in a persistent online universe. Build, battle, explore, and manage resources in this 8-bit spaceship management game. Form alliances and conquer with friends.

Highlights
  • Build custom starships
  • Command multiple races and factions
  • Online player battles
  • Manage resources and power
  • Explore planets and secrets
  • Form alliances
  • Program AI for automatic combat
Features
Read full description

Featured by Apple in Best New Games! From one of the most successful Mobile Game Kickstarter campaigns of the year comes Pixel Starships! Pixel Starships is the world’s first total spaceship management game in an 8bit massive online universe. In Pixel Starships, you command every aspect of your ship from construction to battles in a single persistent world. Featured Reviews - Touch Arcade - Pixel Starships tasks you with outfitting your very own ship with resource rooms, staff, and weapons. This looks Awesome! MMGN - The graphics in this 8Bit indie game is the best we've seen in a retro style game for a long time PocketTactics - I’m intrigued by the cutaway side-view of the starship with turbolifts and transporters at the ready TechTimes - The World’s First 8-Bit Total Starship Management Game Hits The Online Universe The Discovery Channel - A fully immersive starship captain experience. Key Features - ● Build Epic Starships of your own design. ● Many races, aliens, factions to command and conquer. ● Battle it out with other real players in a single massive online universe. ● Manage diplomacy, recruitment, research, exploration! ● Control ship's power and limited resources. Discover epic weapons. ● Build and deploy support ships to support your Starfleet. ● Cross section full ship control and battles. ● Explore planets, discover secrets of space. ● Form alliances and battle with your friends to achieve victory! ● Program situational AI commands to systems and crew allowing automatic combats and offline play. If you're a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek; if you enjoy games like EVE, Clash of Clans, FTL, or Homeworld, you'll love Pixel Starships! Note - 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.pixelstarships.com/eula Privacy Policy: http://www.pixelstarships.com/privacypolicy As per Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, you must be at least 13 years of age to play or download Pixel Starships.

About

Arclight City

Engage in a cyberpunk MMORPG set in a neon-drenched city. Build your gang, explore procedurally generated dungeons, and customize gear. Master turn-based combat and rise to power in this text-based adventure.

Highlights
  • Unique mercenaries with special abilities
  • Unlimited weapons and gear customization
  • Procedurally generated dungeons
  • Turn-based combat
  • Anime and pixel art style
  • Idle and background progression
  • Auto farming
Features
Read full description

In the neon-soaked streets of Arclight City, the balance of power is threatened by secret corporations and dangerous underworld figures. The sprawling metropolis is hanging by a thread. It all depends on you and your gang to restore order...or seize control for yourselves. But let's be real, we just want to dominate the city and crush our rivals! This is the cyberpunk MMORPG adventure you've always dreamed of. Explore procedurally generated dungeons, build your gang, customize crazy cyber-gear, and rise to power! Super easy and intuitive controls, smooth gameplay, and immersive rogue-like elements make this the best MMORPG you will find on mobile. Features: - Unique Mercenaries: Each with special abilities to master. - Unlimited Weapons & Gear: Collect, craft, and upgrade an endless array of items to create the ultimate loadout. Make each piece of gear truly unique! - Procedurally Generated Dungeons: Dive into thrilling, ever-changing dungeons! Navigate layouts filled with hidden secrets, valuable treasures, and unexpected threats. Make meaningful choices during dynamic encounters—succeed to earn rewards or face consequences if you fail. Collect hundreds of unique lore notes to uncover the mysteries of Arclight City. Every dungeon brings new traps, puzzles, and enemies, making each adventure unpredictable and exciting.  - Turn-Based Combat: Strategize and take turns to defeat your enemies with tactical precision. - Anime & Pixel Art Style: Enjoy a unique blend of anime-inspired visuals and detailed pixel art, making Arclight City stand out with its distinct aesthetic. - Idle & Background Tasks: Progress while you're away! Keep advancing even when the app is closed. - Auto farm: Leave the app open and your character will slowly gather experience and items over time. Download Arclight City today and dive into the neon-drenched world of power, mystery, and adventure. The fate of Arclight City is in your hands!

Screenshots

Pixel Starships™4 screens
Arclight City4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Pixel Starships™ at 35K against Arclight City's 188. Pixel Starships™ also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 63%) and update cadence (every 9 days vs monthly). Arclight City's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Pixel Starships™ sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Arclight City sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pixel Starships™ against 4.7 for Arclight City. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Starships™ has 35K ratings behind it against 188, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Pixel Starships™'s written reviews are positive against 63% of Arclight City's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Starships™ ships an update every 9 days, Arclight City monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pixel Starships™ versus Arclight City: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Starships™Arclight City
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (35K ratings) — better4.7 (188 ratings)
Positive reviews81.9% of reviews — better62.5% of reviews
Number of ratings35K — better188
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size450 MB8 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperSavy Soda Pty LtdChing Huang

Customer experience

Pixel Starships™

All ratings35,060 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews781 reviews
Positive81.9%
Neutral4.7%
Negative13.3%

Arclight City

All ratings188 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral2.1%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive62.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative25.0%

User reviews

Pixel Starships™

From 35K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Decent game with no pay wall harassment
  • 🚀 Great little game
  • 🚀 Good game
  • 🚀 Straight gas
  • 🚀 Amazing game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy
  • 🐛 Horrible backend, would not recommend for slower devices
  • 🐛 Cleverly disguised ad farm
  • 🐛 Needs some fixing
  • 🐛 Unfair in battle

Arclight City

From 188 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Captivating and fun gameplay
  • 🌌 Great cyberpunk aesthetic
  • 🎵 Excellent soundtrack
  • 🎮 Better mechanics than previous game
  • 👍 Casual and fun for cyberpunk fans

Room to improve

  • 📉 Poor moderation and punishment
  • 💰 Pay-to-play mechanics
  • ⏳ Slow energy/psychosis removal
  • 🚫 Zero to none drop rates
  • 🔞 Embarrassing soft-core pornographic content

Bugs and requests

Pixel Starships™

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • Crew abilities not working as intended
  • Losing resources and trophies due to connection issues
  • Ads not rewarding the promised amount of Starbux
  • Scrolling issues when rearranging ship layout
  • Inconsistent loading times
Show 3 more
  • Missions consuming daily allowance even on error
  • Starbux purchases not being credited
  • Resources not properly credited after selling on the market

Requested features

17 requests
  • Lower how much bux people can ask for items and resources
  • Set a limit on bux that's not too ridiculous
  • Add more galaxies to explore
  • Add larger ships
  • Add smaller support craft that can fight alongside the main ship
Show 12 more
  • Add a faction war mode with 3v3 or 5v5 battles
  • Add a way to have multiple ships in your fleet
  • Add a ranking system for top players and top ships
  • Add more ship customization options
  • Add a way to remove items from the market
  • Add a panel to view all crew stats
  • Add a button to fix all modules at once
  • Add multiple AI preset options for combat
  • Add a way to fight against your own ship to test vulnerabilities
  • Add a permanent live PvP mode
  • Add a way to change the email associated with an account
  • Add a daily login bonus that increases over consecutive days

Arclight City

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Unplayable on iPhone X and up due to screen issues
  • Cannot access settings without finishing tutorial
  • Screen shape issues on newer iPhones
  • Nothing works when clicked unless in-game purchases are made

Requested features

10 requests
  • Add more soundtrack tracks
  • Improve moderation and punishment system
  • Implement character/avatar updates with equipment
  • Add more dungeons and special keys for entry
  • Add male mercenaries to the team
Show 5 more
  • Reduce the prevalence of anime girls in art
  • Add PvP to the game
  • Improve social features and community aspects
  • Add more music
  • Change icon and app store pictures to differentiate from previous game

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Pixel Starships™

Subscriptions1
  • One Month Membership7 Days trial$3.991 Month
One-time9
  • Special Offer$1.99
  • Clip of Starbux$4.99
  • Special Offer$4.99
Show 6 more
  • Season Pass$8.99
  • Roll of Starbux$9.99
  • Special Offer$9.99
  • Stash of Starbux$19.99
  • Special Offer$19.99
  • Case of Starbux$49.99
6 purchases

Arclight City

One-time6
  • premium1$1.99
  • premium2$4.99
  • premium3$9.99
Show 3 more
  • premium4$19.99
  • premium5$49.99
  • premium6$99.99

Questions

Is Pixel Starships™ free?
Pixel Starships™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Arclight City free?
Arclight City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pixel Starships™ or Arclight City?
Pixel Starships™ is rated higher. Pixel Starships™ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 35K ratings, while Arclight City averages 4.7 from 188 ratings.
Do Pixel Starships™ or Arclight City have ads?
Neither Pixel Starships™ nor Arclight City shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Starships™ or Arclight City?
Pixel Starships™ ships an update every 9 days, and Arclight City monthly. Most recently, Pixel Starships™ was updated on November 5, 2026 and Arclight City on November 3, 2026.

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