Comparison

Warlands vs Subterfuge

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

Head to head
About

Warlands

Engage in turn-based strategic combat to conquer territories and achieve global domination. Deploy diverse units across varied terrains and challenge up to seven opponents locally or online.

Highlights
  • Turn-based strategy gameplay
  • World domination objective
  • Multiplayer (local & online)
  • Two unit types (attack/defense)
  • Six territory types
  • Multiple map styles and sizes
Features
Read full description

Warlands is a turn-based strategy game where your goal is to destroy your enemies and take over the map until you achieve total world domination. You can play up to 7 other people or computers, either on the same device or over the internet. You are able to place two different types of units (one that is better at attacking, and one that is better at defending), and there are six different types of territory: plains, impassable mountains, treacherous water, defensive towers, cunning forests, and unit production centers. The free base game comes with three styles of maps in three sizes each. Additional map packs can be purchased for 99 cents. Purchase of any map pack removes advertisements. Full instructions at WarlandsGame.com --------- Map Packs: The Divided Lands - Includes spiral, layers, and cubes maps The High Seas - Includes fire-islands, whirlpool, and water-world maps The Desolate Country - Includes bases, rapid-growth, and continents maps

About

Subterfuge

Engage in a week-long real-time strategy and diplomacy game. Gather intelligence, coordinate with others, and issue orders to influence the game's outcome. Master both strategic planning and player negotiation to achieve victory.

Highlights
  • Week-long real-time gameplay
  • Strategy and diplomacy mechanics
  • Intelligence gathering
  • Order issuance
  • Player coordination
  • Unlimited scheduled orders (with IAP)
  • Private game creation (with IAP)
Features
Read full description

• Multiplayer Game of the Year 2015 by Pocket Tactics * • Best Mobile Games of 2015 by CNET * Subterfuge is a week-long multiplayer game of strategy, diplomacy, and betrayal that plays out in real time. Check in for ten minutes, a few times a day: read the sonar, schedule your orders, and reply to the ally who insists the fleet massing on your border is "purely defensive." Then close the game and get on with your day while your plans execute. BUY ONCE, PLAY ANYWHERE Buying the game on mobile gives you full access to the Steam version. DRIVE THE TIME MACHINE Drag the Time Machine forward and watch tomorrow unfold. See where every visible sub will be, how combat resolves, and what your factories will have produced by Thursday. Then, schedule your own orders to execute at any moment, hours or days ahead. Launch the invasion at 4:12 a.m. without setting an alarm but remember everyone else has a Time Machine too. DEPTH THAT FITS AROUND YOUR LIFE A game of Subterfuge lasts a week or more, but a session lasts minutes. It was designed by two new parents who wanted Diplomacy-grade scheming without giving up their evenings. The strategy happens in your head and on your schedule. THE REAL MAP IS THE OTHER PLAYERS Every alliance, border pact, joint strike, and deception in Subterfuge happens in chat. None of it is enforced by the game. A treaty is worth exactly as much as the person who signed it, intel is worth exactly as much as its source, and the player feeding you sonar reports may be feeding your rival the same. Winning means reading people as sharply as you read the map. NO DICE. NO LUCK. ONLY PEOPLE. The Time Machine can show you tomorrow because there is no randomness. Every battle can be forecast down to the last driller before it happens. Recruit powerful specialists to tilt the math and bend the rules. The only truly unknowable variable in Subterfuge is human intention. COMMUNITY CROSSPLAY SINCE 2015 Join a cross-platform player pool that has kept Subterfuge alive and updated for over a decade. Play the same game from your desk and your phone. Open the war room on a second monitor at work, then answer a treacherous counter-offer from the school pickup line. A TYPICAL WEEK • Day 1: Nine polite introductions. Four proposed alliances. One of them is sincere. • Day 2: You and your neighbor agree to keep borders demilitarized. You both start counting drillers. • Day 4: Your ally proposes a joint strike on the olive. Olive has just proposed the same about your ally. • Day 5: Drill a mine. Sonar picks up a "defensive" fleet drifting towards it, thirty hours out. Plenty of time. You schedule your counter, draft two very different messages, and head to lunch. • Day 6: The trap you scheduled yesterday ago springs mid-meeting, exactly as planned. You watch it from your desk and say nothing. • Day 7: Trap closed. Olive's mine captured. • Day 8: Victory. Your former ally sends a simple message: "Well played. Rematch?"

Screenshots

Warlands4 screens
Subterfuge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Subterfuge at 4.7 against Warlands's 4.1. Subterfuge also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Warlands's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. Warlands sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Subterfuge sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Subterfuge holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 197 and 586 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Warlands's written reviews are positive against 87% of Subterfuge's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Warlands ships an update every 2 months, Subterfuge every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Warlands versus Subterfuge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWarlandsSubterfuge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (197 ratings)4.7 (586 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.4% of reviews87.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings197586 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB47 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperW-Cubed Studios, LLCSecret Plan LLC

Customer experience

Warlands

All ratings167 ratings
Positive73.7%
Neutral9.0%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews92 reviews
Positive67.4%
Neutral12.0%
Negative20.7%

Subterfuge

All ratings585 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews300 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative9.7%

User reviews

Warlands

From 197 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Simple and easy-to-learn mechanics
  • 🎮 Fun turn-based strategy gameplay
  • 👥 Local multiplayer support with friends
  • 🎯 Addictive and engaging gameplay loop
  • ⚡ Quick turn notifications for online play

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
  • 📱 Game becomes unplayable on startup
  • 🎬 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
  • 🤖 AI difficulty is inconsistent and unbalanced
  • 📊 Limited number of free maps (only 3)

Subterfuge

From 586 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Awesome strategy game
  • 👍 Brilliant game
  • 👍 Fantastic game
  • 👍 Best strategy game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy
  • 🐛 Crashes too much
  • 🐛 Unplayable
  • 🐛 Crashes
  • 🐛 Chat freezes

Bugs and requests

Warlands

Reported bugs

12 issues
  • Game freezes on home screen at startup
  • Buttons unresponsive on launch screen
  • App crashes 30 seconds after opening
  • Troop placement lag and loading delays
  • Screen flashing during enemy turns causing headaches
Show 7 more
  • Camera launching into blank space when zooming
  • Fog of war causing performance issues
  • Game crashes when changing match settings
  • Hexes not accepting troop placement
  • In-app purchase system not working
  • DLC maps unable to be purchased
  • Notifications not working properly

Requested features

16 requests
  • Custom map creation tool
  • Additional unit types (cavalry, faster units)
  • Castle and bridge construction mechanics
  • Team/alliance gameplay modes
  • Campaign mode or story progression
Show 11 more
  • More maps and game modes
  • Faster AI turn speed options
  • Real-world map packs (continents, countries)
  • Better damage system explanation
  • Improved graphics and textures
  • Battle music and sound effects
  • Discord integration for finding opponents
  • Ability to freely move camera during AI turns
  • Remove ads option or ad-free purchase
  • Team battle functionality
  • Larger map sizes

Subterfuge

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Queen randomly loses hire points
  • Win conditions don't trigger
  • Login screen freezes
  • Game crashes on launch
  • Notifications arrive late
Show 2 more
  • Unable to delete subs on iOS
  • Touchscreen issues (not centered, wrong button presses)

Requested features

13 requests
  • Accelerated gameplay
  • Shorter game modes
  • Alliance feature
  • More specialists
  • New game modes
Show 8 more
  • Ability to view player profiles during game
  • Option to privately tag players
  • Refresh button
  • Ability to delete subs on iOS
  • NAP Breaker medal
  • Customizable backgrounds and items
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Warlands

One-time3
  • Map Pack - The Divided Lands$0.99
  • Map Pack - The High Seas$0.99
  • Map Pack - The Desolate Country$0.99
4 purchases

Subterfuge

Subscriptions1
  • Patron (L3)$4.991 Month
One-time3
  • Medal$0.99
  • Pack of 5 Medals$4.99
  • Level 2 Security Clearance2 variants$9.99

Questions

Is Warlands free?
Warlands is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Subterfuge free?
Subterfuge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Warlands or Subterfuge?
Subterfuge is rated higher. Warlands averages 4.1 out of 5 from 197 ratings, while Subterfuge averages 4.7 from 586 ratings.
Do Warlands or Subterfuge have ads?
Warlands shows ads; Subterfuge does not.
Which is updated more often, Warlands or Subterfuge?
Warlands ships an update every 2 months, and Subterfuge every 10 days. Most recently, Warlands was updated on October 23, 2026 and Subterfuge on October 24, 2026.

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