Comparison

Surf or Die vs True Surf

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

Head to head
About

Surf or Die

Experience the thrill of surfing across 19 iconic global locations. Master new boards and perform advanced tricks as you conquer monster waves. This game offers realistic graphics and immersive sound for an authentic surfing adventure.

Highlights
  • 19 world-class surfing locations
  • Unlock new boards and moves
  • Perform dozens of tricks
  • Advanced OpenGL graphics
  • Online high score database
  • Multiple camera angles
Features
Read full description

Surf or Die "Every man dies, not every man really lives." Surf or Die is your chance to live and feel truly alive! Surf or Die is the ultimate surfing game! Surf the planet at 19 world class surfing locations and unlock new boards and new moves as you proceed through the game. Perform dozens of tricks and paddle out into monster waves like never before. Feel like you are one with nature as you harness the power of the waves. Surf the following breaks: - Cape Hatteras, North Carolina - Blacks Beach, San Diego - Gas Chambers, Puerto Rico - Hebara Beach, Chiba, Japan - Dungeons, Cape Town, South Africa - Bidart Plage, Biarritz, France - Sebastian Inlet, Florida - Crantok, Cornwall, England - Praia do Campeche, Brazil - Commonwealth Bay, Antartica - Bells Beach, Victoria, Australia - Banzai Pipeline, Oahu, Hawaii - Grajagan(G-Land), Indonesia - Indicators, Raglan, New Zealand - Santa Teresa, Costa Rica - Superbank, Gold Coast, Australia - Mavericks, Northern California - Teahupoo, Tahiti - Peahi(Jaws), Maui, Hawaii Surf or Die Features: - Advanced OpenGL graphics - Music and sound effects - Different camera angles - Online high score database - High-resolution textures - Made for all iOS devices. Surf or Die is brought to you by the makers of World Winter Games, iRollerCoaster, and iBASEjump. Have fun with Surf or Die and feel alive!

About

True Surf

Experience realistic surfing with advanced physics and graphics across 34 iconic global surf spots. Conquer missions, master controls, and compete in WSL events. Features real-time surf conditions and a variety of boards and apparel.

Highlights
  • Realistic wave physics simulation
  • 34 iconic global surf spots
  • Real-time surf conditions
  • First-person barrel mode
  • Feat-based mission mode
  • WSL Championship Tour events
  • Brand-name surfboards and apparel
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Conquer legendary past swells by crushing feat-based missions across a quiver of boards, from the world’s leading shapers, and unlock 34 of the planet's most iconic surf spots. Experience mind blowing realistic wave graphics, driven by True Axis' cutting-edge, real-world physics simulation engine, featuring real-time surf conditions powered by Surfline! True Surf is the Official Game of World Surf League (WSL). REAL TIME CONTROLS Realistic touch based physics enable complete control of your surfer in real time. Use one finger, your thumb or mind surf with two fingers like the Pros. NEW GAMEPLAY: FIRST PERSON BARREL MODE Automatically switch to first person mode when in the barrel. NEW MISSION MODE: Smash feat-based missions across the world’s most iconic breaks to unlock new surf spots! Every victory earns you essential rewards to fuel your career, including Clams, Travel Tickets, and Perfect Storms to boost live conditions. IMPROVED REPLAY GRAPHICS Edit and share POV drainers, pig dog shots in the barrel, and spine-twisting laybacks in the pocket! THE WORLD'S BEST WAVES A huge part of surfing is about chasing the perfect wave and True Surf comes jam-packed with the world's best. Travel the world chasing classic reef breaks with hollow barrels at Pipe in Hawaii, Cloudbreak, Fiji to rolling 'power-curve' breaks at Bells Beach, Australia. Or try to beat the sections at some of the world's fastest point breaks like Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. If BIG waves are your thing then head to Nazare, Portugal and Jaws (Pe-ahi), Hawaii. True Surf has it all including Surf Ranch, the epic man made wave located between farm fields in California’s Central Valley. REAL-TIME CONDITIONS POWERED BY SURFLINE True Surf is powered by real time surf forecasting data from Surfline (experts in marine weather forecasting). Data is updated throughout the day and includes Swell Height, Swell Direction, Wind, Tide and Water Temperature. PERFECT STORM Play god of thunder and boost LIVE swells. WILDLIFE Surf with dolphins, look out for the sharks! COMPETE IN WSL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR EVENTS Are you ready for the CT? Test your skills in WSL Events and compete against other players from around the world to see if you have what it takes to become a CT champ! CHARACTER & QUIVER Experience apparel and boards from legendary brands including Billabong, Catch Surf, Firewire Surfboards, Pyzel Surfboards, Quiksilver, Roxy, Rusty, Shane, SharpEye Surfboards, Simon Anderson Surfboards, Slater Designs, Stretch Boards, and Vissla. Note: An internet connection is required to access some features. Frequent Flyer (monthly) is a monthly subscription service that enables you unlimited travel to all surf spots in True Surf. Frequent Flyer Monthly cost 2.99 USD/month (or local equivalent) and will be charged on your iTunes Account after purchase and when the subscription renews monthly. Perfect Storm (monthly) is a monthly subscription service that enables you unlimited activations of Perfect Storms at all surf spots in True Surf. Perfect Storms provide a boost to live surf conditions and each activation lasts for 5 minutes. Perfect Storm Monthly cost 2.99 USD/month (or local equivalent) and will be charged on your iTunes Account after purchase and when the subscription renews monthly. Subscriptions will renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to users iTunes account settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Terms of service can be found at https://trueaxis.com/tsfua.html

Screenshots

Surf or Die4 screens
True Surf4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: True Surf at 3.9 against Surf or Die's 2.1. True Surf also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 20%) and update cadence (monthly vs every 29 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Surf or Die sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and True Surf sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

True Surf holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: True Surf has 3.5K ratings behind it against 174, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Surf or Die's written reviews are positive against 61% of True Surf's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surf or Die ships an update every 29 months, True Surf monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Surf or Die versus True Surf: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurf or DieTrue Surf
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.1 (174 ratings)3.9 (3.5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.1% of reviews60.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1743.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#84 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB211 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSea Venture LLCTrue Axis

Customer experience

Surf or Die

All ratings172 ratings
Positive25.0%
Neutral6.4%
Negative68.6%
Written reviews408 reviews
Positive20.1%
Neutral5.1%
Negative74.8%

True Surf

All ratings3,462 ratings
Positive68.3%
Neutral10.5%
Negative21.2%
Written reviews1,144 reviews
Positive60.8%
Neutral16.8%
Negative22.4%

User reviews

Surf or Die

From 174 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome surfing experience
  • 🤩 Challenging and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Realistic wave mechanics
  • 💯 Best surfing game ever

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🤯 Extremely difficult controls
  • 🤔 Lack of instructions/tutorials
  • 🙄 Terrible graphics and visuals

True Surf

From 3.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌊 Realistic wave physics and graphics
  • 🤙 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 🔥 Best surfing game on mobile
  • 👍 Intuitive controls once learned
  • 🌍 Variety of real-world surf spots

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for boards and upgrades
  • 🐢 Extremely slow progression and leveling up
  • 🤯 Inconsistent and unreliable scoring system
  • 🌊 Lack of consistently good waves at many locations
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues

Bugs and requests

Surf or Die

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Constant wipeouts with no way to recover
  • Inconsistent wave behavior and physics
  • High score tracking not working properly

Requested features

4 requests
  • More surfing locations and levels
  • Ability to customize boards and characters
  • Multiplayer and leaderboard features
  • Better optimization and stability

True Surf

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Waves not generating properly at Surf Ranch
  • Progression resets and lost progress
  • Inability to travel to desired surf spots

Requested features

5 requests
  • First-person camera mode
  • Customizable boards and characters
  • Competitive multiplayer mode
  • Career mode with challenges and sponsorships
  • Ability to create and share custom surf spots

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Surf or Die

One-time2
  • Surf or Die Act III$0.99
  • Surf or Die Full Version$1.99
7 purchases

True Surf

Subscriptions2
  • Perfect Storm (monthly)$2.991 Month
  • Frequent Flyer (monthly)$2.991 Month
One-time5
  • Handful of Clams$0.99
  • Bag of Clams$7.99
  • Chest of Clams$28.99
Show 2 more
  • Boatload of Clams$49.99
  • Sea of Clams$99.99

Questions

Is Surf or Die free?
Surf or Die is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is True Surf free?
True Surf is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surf or Die or True Surf?
True Surf is rated higher. Surf or Die averages 2.1 out of 5 from 174 ratings, while True Surf averages 3.9 from 3.5K ratings.
Do Surf or Die or True Surf have ads?
Neither Surf or Die nor True Surf shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surf or Die or True Surf?
Surf or Die ships an update every 29 months, and True Surf monthly. Most recently, Surf or Die was updated on October 29, 2026 and True Surf on October 31, 2026.

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