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

ArcEmu brings retro game emulation to Apple Watch. It also works on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, delivering a seamless gaming experience across your Apple devices. Supported Consoles - Game Boy (.gb) - Game Boy Color (.gbc) - Game Boy Advance (.gba) - Pokémon Mini (.min) - Nintendo Entertainment System (.nes) - Super Nintendo Entertainment System (.sfc and .smc) - Atari 2600 (.a26 and .bin) Main Features - Accurate, high-performance emulation powered by the mGBA and Ares cores - Game Link Cable support with online multiplayer for up to four players* - Cheat-code support with a built-in database of popular codes** - Frame-independent emulation at 30 or 60 FPS - Multi-touch and Digital Crown support on Apple Watch - Support for all screen orientations on iPhone and iPad - Precise, thoughtfully designed on-screen controls - Customizable control position and transparency on iPhone and iPad - Fast-forward at 2×, 4×, or maximum speed - Slow motion at 0.5× speed - Touch-based light gun controls for NES and SNES - Custom color palettes for Game Boy games - Button hold/sustain feature - Accelerometer support - Gyroscope support on iPhone and iPad, with Digital Crown input on Apple Watch - Haptic feedback on iPhone - Game controller support with customizable button mappings - ZIP archive support - Automatic saving - Save-state sharing between devices - iCloud support for ROMs and save states - ROM sharing through iCloud using share codes - Support for Apple Watch devices configured with Family Setup - ROM sorting and search 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. You can import compatible ROM files from your iPhone and store them in iCloud. Your Apple Watch can then download them directly from iCloud. On an Apple Watch configured with Family Setup, ROMs can be downloaded from iCloud using share codes. Games Featured in the Screenshots - Acorn Grove: https://gibbongl.itch.io/acorn-grove - Anguna: https://gauauu.itch.io/anguna - Hauntsfield: https://alliemackie.itch.io/hauntsfield - µCity Advance: https://skylyrac.itch.io/ucity-advance * Requires a Game Center account. ** Cheat codes may cause unexpected behavior or affect game stability and save data. ArcEmu is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Nintendo. Nintendo and the names of its game systems are trademarks of Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Screenshots

Space War GS3 screens
ArcEmu4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ArcEmu at 4.9 against Space War GS's 3.3. ArcEmu also leads on review sentiment (95% vs 54%) and monetization model (free vs paid). On price, update cadence, 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

Space War GS costs $1.99 and ArcEmu $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

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 October 17, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Space War GS versus ArcEmu: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace War GSArcEmu
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating3.3 (52 ratings)4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.8% of reviews94.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings521.3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS17.015.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB172 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 ratings1,304 ratings
Positive98.2%
Neutral0.8%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews528 reviews
Positive94.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative2.7%

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

None

ArcEmu

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Space War GS free?
Space War GS costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcEmu free?
ArcEmu costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
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 October 17, 2026 and ArcEmu on October 19, 2026.

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