Comparison

Tractor Beam vs Fire Across

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

Head to head
About

Tractor Beam

Pilot a ship through an asteroid field using only a tractor beam. Slingshot your vessel and use the beam to manipulate asteroids, creating a unique and challenging arcade experience. Enjoy dynamic music or play your own.

Highlights
  • Tractor beam mechanics
  • Asteroid field navigation
  • Multi-touch gameplay
  • Procedurally generated music
  • Portrait and landscape modes
  • Three difficulty levels
Features
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Your engines are down. Use your tractor beams to move. "Some of the most fun we've had with $0.99 on the iPhone and we still can't put it down" - Slide To Play Tractor beam is a powerfully simple and addictive arcade game inspired by the classics. Unarmed and out of fuel, to survive you must slingshot your ship through an asteroid field using only your tractor beam. But the beam will also send the asteroids on a collision course with your ship, making for a unique challenge as you press onward to earn points. Tractor Beam can be played in either portrait or landscape orientation, and multi-touch gameplay allows for more than one beam and complex strategies. The procedurally generated background music is never the same twice, or choose to listen to your own music from within the iPod application. - Classic arcade look and feel - Multi-touch gameplay - Three levels of difficulty - Dynamic music is created on-the-fly - Allows for music from other applications

About

Fire Across

Features
Read full description

The excitement of 1980s computer and arcade games is brought back from the past in Fire Across. It is modeled after those early games, but uses modern touch and wireless remote control technology. You command a space ship with the latest Binomiam technology. Be a hero by protecting the Binomians from their mortal enemy, the Trinomians. Supports MFi controllers. Tested with a SteelSeries Nimbus. 0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 36, 45, 55

Screenshots

Tractor Beam3 screens
Fire Across4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tractor Beam at every 6 months against Fire Across's every 36 months. Tractor Beam also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 17.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Tractor Beam costs $0.99 and Fire Across $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tractor Beam ships an update every 6 months, Fire Across every 36 months. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Tractor Beam versus Fire Across: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTractor BeamFire Across
Price$0.99$0.99
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 36 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.2
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB14 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperManufacturing ContentJon Tollefson

In-app purchases

None

Tractor Beam

No in-app purchases

None

Fire Across

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tractor Beam free?
Tractor Beam costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fire Across free?
Fire Across costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tractor Beam or Fire Across have ads?
Neither Tractor Beam nor Fire Across shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Tractor Beam or Fire Across?
Tractor Beam ships an update every 6 months, and Fire Across every 36 months. Most recently, Tractor Beam was updated on September 19, 2026 and Fire Across on September 8, 2026.

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