Comparison

Space War GS vs ArcEmu

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

Head to head
About

Space War GS

Engage in a retro-style space arcade battle across multiple stages. Destroy waves of attacking aliens with innovative touch controls or an iCade controller. Experience fast-paced action and excellent soundtracks on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

Highlights
  • Retro-style space game
  • Supports Apple Watch Series 7
  • Multiple stages of gameplay
  • Innovative touch screen control
  • Supports iCade controller
  • Fast alien formations and attacks
Features
Read full description

Space War GS is the space arcade game for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch!  Fly through the space and destroy waves of attacking aliens! Be prepared for the final battle! • retro-style space game for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch! • multiple stages of continuous game play! • innovative touch screen control • supports iCade controller • fast full screen alien formations and attacks! • excellent soundtracks from Apple IIGS legend FTA! •• Reviews •• "Fun game! Give it a try, everyone." - No Quarter Podcast "This game is simply fantastic." - BriefMobile "I miss Galaxian. This has great graphics and action. I even play it with a stylus." - app review "My husband love this game - He really like this game, hew said is similar to a game he used to play when he was 10." - app review "Amazing app! I love it! You have to download this! Very fun and smooth!" - app review •• Special Thanks! •• • Olivier Goguel of FTA and Hameed for background image

About

ArcEmu

Experience retro gaming on your Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad. This emulator supports Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges. Enjoy features like multiplayer, cheats, and customizable controls.

Highlights
  • Game Boy, GBC, GBA emulation
  • Multiplayer support
  • Cheat codes
  • Customizable on-screen controls
  • Save State sharing
  • iCloud support
Features
Read full description

Turn your Apple Watch into a retro game console. Play Game Boy, NES, SNES, Genesis, and more on your wrist, with multi-touch controls and the Digital Crown. ArcEmu also runs on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ▸ SUPPORTED CONSOLES Included for free: - Game Boy - Game Boy Color - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) Available through in-app purchases: - Game Boy Advance - Pokémon Mini - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) - Atari 2600 - Sega Mega Drive / Genesis - Sega Master System - Sega Game Gear - Sega SG-1000 ▸ MULTIPLAYER AND LINK CABLE Play home-console games online and locally with friends, or link Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games over the internet. Game Link Cable supports up to four players in compatible games. Online play requires a Game Center account. ▸ SHARE ROMs WITH A CODE Import your ROMs on iPhone, keep them in iCloud, and download them directly to Apple Watch or Apple TV. Share them through iCloud using a code, including with an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup. ▸ SCREEN AND CONTROLS Move and resize the game screen, choose an LCD or CRT filter, and set up the controls the way you like them. On Apple Watch, use multi-touch controls, customize the control layout, and assign actions to the Digital Crown. On iPhone and iPad, adjust button positions and transparency, and play in any orientation. Connect a controller and customize its button mappings, or use a second controller on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. ArcEmu also supports iPhone Duo. ▸ MORE FEATURES - Accurate, high-performance emulation - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Cheat codes with a built-in database of popular codes - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom Game Boy color palettes - Button hold/sustain - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone ▸ YOUR ROMs AND SAVES Keep your collection organized with per-console folders, sorting, and search. Import ROMs from ZIP and 7-Zip archives, use automatic saving, and share save states between devices. Both ROMs and save states can be stored in iCloud. ▸ APPLE WATCH COMPATIBILITY - Apple Watch Series 4 or later - Apple Watch SE or later - Apple Watch Ultra or later ArcEmu does not include any games or ROMs. ▸ GAMES FEATURED IN THE SCREENSHOTS - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Big2Small: https://mdsteele.itch.io/big2small - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo, Sega, or Atari. All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Screenshots

Space War GS3 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ArcEmu at Free against Space War GS's $1.99. ArcEmu also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.3) and review sentiment (95% vs 54%). Space War GS's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

ArcEmu is free to download; Space War GS costs $1.99 up front. ArcEmu sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Space War GS asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ArcEmu holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcEmu has 1.3K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Space War GS's written reviews are positive against 95% of ArcEmu's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Space War GS versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace War GSArcEmu
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.3 (52 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews94.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings521.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB234 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVirtual GSRaffaele D'Amato

Customer experience

Space War GS

All ratings52 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral9.6%
Negative36.5%
Written reviews65 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral7.7%
Negative38.5%

ArcEmu

All ratings1,333 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews533 reviews
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.6%

Bugs and requests

Space War GS

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ArcEmu

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Occasional crashes
  • Graphical glitches with certain ROMs
  • Save data not transferring properly between devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add cheat/GameShark support
  • Improve volume controls
  • Implement fast forward/slow motion options
  • Allow multiple save slots per game
  • Improve Game Boy Color support
Show 1 more
  • Add joystick/button support for Apple Watch

In-app purchases

None

Space War GS

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

ArcEmu

One-time10
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 4)$0.99
  • Game Boy Advance$0.99
  • SNES$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Pokémon Mini$0.99
  • Atari 2600$0.99
  • Mega Drive / Genesis$0.99
  • Game Gear$0.99
  • Master System$0.99
  • SG-1000$0.99
  • Unlock All (Upgrade 3)$1.99

Questions

Is Space War GS free?
Space War GS costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Space War GS or ArcEmu?
ArcEmu is rated higher. Space War GS averages 3.3 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while ArcEmu averages 4.9 from 1.3K ratings.
Do Space War GS or ArcEmu have ads?
Neither Space War GS nor ArcEmu shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Space War GS or ArcEmu?
Space War GS ships an update every 2 weeks, and ArcEmu every 2 weeks. Most recently, Space War GS was updated on November 6, 2026 and ArcEmu on November 8, 2026.

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