Comparison

osu!stream vs Arcaea

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

Head to head
About

osu!stream

Tap, slide, hold, and spin to the rhythm in this free music game. Master challenging beatmaps crafted by the community, with multiple play styles including an expert mode. Compete on online leaderboards and enjoy vibrant graphics and smooth gameplay.

Highlights
  • Tap, slide, hold, and spin mechanics
  • Community-crafted beatmaps
  • Multiple play styles including expert mode
  • Online leaderboards
  • Vibrant pixel-perfect graphics
  • Optional finger guides
  • Autoplay mode for learning
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Test your ability to tap, slide, hold and spin to the beat in this FREE rhythm game! osu!stream offers three styles of play, including an unique"stream" mode which becomes harder as you get better! Can you perfect your combo and get the highest score? osu! levels (known as "beatmaps") were painstakingly crafted by community members. All content in this game is now offered for free. The source code for this game is also available for educational purposes. Reach out if you need anything. I'll reply within a day or two at pe@ppy.sh =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Features: * Lovingly crafted levels that play well on both iPhone *AND* iPad. * Challenge three styles of play on every song, including an unlockable expert mode! * Online leaderboards! * Original and remixed music from a variety of artists. * Vibrant and colourful pixel-perfect graphics across all devices. * Smooth 60fps gameplay on 3GS+ * High frame rate gameplay even on older devices! (3g/iTouch 2g) * Optional finger guides for beginners. * An autoplay mode to help learn more difficult songs. * Localised to Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Italian and French. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= All songs are used with permission and remain copyright to their respective artists.

About

Arcaea

Experience a unique rhythm game that blends challenging gameplay with an immersive story. Progress through a narrative driven by your performance, unlock new difficulties, and compete with others online. Enjoy a vast library of music, with more available through content packs.

Highlights
  • Novel gameplay mechanics
  • Immersive sound and story
  • High difficulty ceiling
  • Over 350 songs
  • 3 rhythm difficulty levels per song
  • Real-time online multiplayer
  • Rich Main Story and Side Stories
Read full description

New Dimension Rhythm Game - Experience sound and story unlike ever before. "A harmony of Light awaits you in a lost world of musical Conflict." In a world of white, and surrounded by “memory”, two girls awaken under glass-filled skies. Arcaea is a mobile rhythm game for both experienced and new rhythm game players alike, blending novel gameplay, immersive sound, and a powerful story of wonder and heartache. Experience gameplay that reflects the story’s emotions and events—and progress to unlock more of this unfurling narrative. Challenging trials can be discovered through play, higher difficulties can be unlocked, and a real-time online mode is available to face off against other players. Arcaea does not require an internet connection for play, and is fully playable both on smartphones and tablets. On install the game includes a large library of free playable songs, and more can be made available by acquiring additional songs and content packs. ==Features== - A high difficulty ceiling - experience personal growth as you develop skills in arcade-style progression - Over 350 songs from more than 200 artists famous across other games - 3 rhythm difficulty levels for every song - An expanding music library through regular content updates - Collaborations with other beloved rhythm games - Online friends and scoreboards - Real-time online multiplayer - A Course Mode that tests endurance through gauntlets of songs - A rich Main Story that features two protagonist’s perspectives across a powerful journey - Additional Side and Short Stories of varying styles and perspectives featuring the game’s characters that build upon the world of Arcaea - A vast array of original characters and guest characters from collaborations to accompany you, level up, and alter your play through many game-changing skills - Stunning, never-before-seen connections to storylines via gameplay, challenging the very paradigm of play ==Story== Two girls find themselves in a colorless world full of memory, and with no memory of themselves. Each alone, they set out into places often beautiful, and just as often dangerous. Arcaea’s story is interwoven throughout Main, Side, and Short stories which each focus on individual, playable characters. While separate, they all share the same space: the world of Arcaea. Their reactions to it, and its reactions to them, form an ever-shifting narrative of mystery, sorrow, and bliss. As they explore this heavenly place, follow their steps down paths of glass and grief. --- Follow Arcaea & News: Twitter: http://twitter.com/arcaea_en Facebook: http://facebook.com/arcaeagame

Screenshots

osu!stream4 screens
Arcaea4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Arcaea at 4.8 against osu!stream's 3.3. Arcaea also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 46%) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 6 weeks). osu!stream's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.4). On price, ads, chart position 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

Both are free to download. Arcaea sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. osu!stream asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Arcaea holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Arcaea has 25K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of osu!stream's written reviews are positive against 78% of Arcaea's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

osu!stream ships an update every 6 weeks, Arcaea every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
osu!stream versus Arcaea: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterosu!streamArcaea
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (1.7K ratings)4.8 (25K ratings) — better
Positive reviews46.2% of reviews78.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.7K25K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#64 — better#84
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better12.4
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB1.2 GB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDean Herbertlowiro

Customer experience

osu!stream

All ratings1,681 ratings
Positive53.8%
Neutral10.9%
Negative35.3%
Written reviews437 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral15.3%
Negative38.4%

Arcaea

All ratings24,557 ratings
Positive96.6%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews1,248 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral6.8%
Negative14.9%

User reviews

osu!stream

From 1.7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Refreshing experience for osu players
  • 👍 Good game, challenging
  • 👍 Awesome and addictive game
  • 👍 Awesome game, fun and addictive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes, freezes, and black screens
  • 🐛 Timing and accuracy issues
  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls
  • 🐛 Lack of songs and content
  • 🐛 Outdated and repetitive song selection

Arcaea

From 25K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Unique gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and art
  • 🎶 Excellent music selection
  • 👍 Smooth and responsive controls
  • 💯 Challenging yet rewarding difficulty

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive paywall for content
  • 🔁 Repetitive grind in World Mode
  • 🐛 Occasional note registration issues
  • 🔊 Audio desync when multitasking
  • 🤖 Lack of practice mode or tutorial

Bugs and requests

osu!stream

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Game crashes on launch
  • Songs disappear after login
  • Timing and hit detection issues
  • Unresponsive controls and gameplay
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add custom beatmap creation
  • Add more songs and genres
  • Implement online features like leaderboards and multiplayer
  • Add more difficulty options and modifiers
  • Improve song selection and update with new content

Arcaea

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login issues and account sync problems
  • Compatibility problems on certain devices
  • Crashes and freezes during gameplay

Requested features

5 requests
  • Multiplayer mode to compete with friends
  • Ability to earn premium currency through gameplay
  • More free song options to explore the game
  • Customizable note speed and offset settings
  • Improved story mode and character development

In-app purchases

None

osu!stream

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Arcaea

One-time3
  • 100 Memories$0.99
  • 510 Memories$4.99
  • 1020 Memories$9.99

Questions

Is osu!stream free?
osu!stream is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arcaea free?
Arcaea is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, osu!stream or Arcaea?
Arcaea is rated higher. osu!stream averages 3.3 out of 5 from 1.7K ratings, while Arcaea averages 4.8 from 25K ratings.
Do osu!stream or Arcaea have ads?
Neither osu!stream nor Arcaea shows ads.
Which is updated more often, osu!stream or Arcaea?
osu!stream ships an update every 6 weeks, and Arcaea every 8 days. Most recently, osu!stream was updated on October 15, 2026 and Arcaea on October 16, 2026.
Which is more popular, osu!stream or Arcaea?
osu!stream currently peaks at #64 in the App Store charts, and Arcaea at #84. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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