Spaceward Ho! vs Crying Suns
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Spaceward Ho!
Command a spacefaring civilization to explore, colonize, and conquer the galaxy. Develop technologies, manage resources, and lead your starship fleets in strategic battles against alien adversaries. Forge alliances or dominate the cosmos to determine the fate of the galaxy.
- Galaxy exploration and colonization
- Empire and economy management
- Technology development
- Starship fleet combat
- Diplomacy with alien races
- Resource mining and terraforming
Read full descriptionHide full description
Spaceward Ho! is a strategic game of awesome scope. You control the entire military and economy of a spacefaring race. Your goal: explore and colonize the galaxy. Unfortunately, you are not alone. Alien enemies bent on galactic conquest will oppose your expansion. You fight them by developing new technologies and expanding your empire, or you can ally with them to turn enemies into friends. Terraform newly discovered worlds or mine their natural resources. Maneuver your starship fleets, both in defense of your own systems and in offensive strikes against the evil aliens. Your strategic decisions will determine the fate of the galaxy. Based on the original Mac/PC/Palm game and updated for iOS. For new players, read the Help file and also watch the tutorial video online. Please contact us on Twitter @SpacewardHo or Our Website, or send us email.
Crying Suns
Command a space fleet in a tactical rogue-lite inspired by classic sci-fi. Explore a procedurally generated universe, engage in strategic ship battles, and uncover a deep storyline across six chapters. Experience a rich narrative and atmospheric gameplay designed for mobile.
- Procedurally-generated space exploration
- Tactical battleship and squadron fleet combat
- Over 300 story events
- Deep, 6-chapter storyline
- Mobile-optimized interface
Read full descriptionHide full description
When FTL meets Foundation and Dune: Crying Suns is a tactical rogue-lite that puts you in the role of a space fleet commander as you explore a mysteriously fallen empire. In this story rich experience inspired by Dune and Foundation, each successful run will uncover the truth about the Empire... and yourself as well. Main Features: - Space exploration in a procedurally-generated universe - Tactical fights between battleships and their squadron fleets - More than 300 possible story events - A deep and dramatic storyline structured in 6 chapters - A dark and disturbing atmosphere inspired by our favorite S-F universes (Foundation, Dune, Battlestar Galactica) First released on PC and Mac, the indie hit Crying Suns was carefully redesigned for mobile and tablets, including a revamped interface and intuitive touchscreen interactions. Pay once to get the full Crying Suns experience! No ads, no F2P mechanics! All future updates included. Supported languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Japanese If you encounter any problem, please contact us at contact@cryingsuns.com with as much information as possible on the issue.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Spaceward Ho! at $4.99 against Crying Suns's $8.99. Spaceward Ho! also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). Crying Suns's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 95) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On review sentiment, 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
Spaceward Ho! costs $4.99 and Crying Suns $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Crying Suns holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crying Suns has 2.2K ratings behind it against 95, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Spaceward Ho!'s written reviews are positive against 73% of Crying Suns's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Spaceward Ho! ships an update every 6 weeks, Crying Suns monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Spaceward Ho! | Crying Suns |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $8.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (95 ratings) | 4.8 (2.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 78.6% of reviews — better | 72.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 95 | 2.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #80 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 1014 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ariton | Alternative Shift |
Customer experience
Spaceward Ho!
Crying Suns
User reviews
Spaceward Ho!
From 95 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⏰ Timeless gameplay still engaging after 30+ years
- 📱 Works well on modern iOS devices despite age
- 🎮 Faithful port of classic Mac game
- 🎯 Simple yet deep strategy mechanics
- 😄 Includes original sound effects and Easter eggs
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 📐 UI feels clunky and dated
- 🔍 Small icons and buttons difficult to tap accurately
- 📊 Missing comparison graphs from original version
- 🎯 Planet icons remain too large when zoomed out
Crying Suns
From 2.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun gameplay
- 🌟 Amazing atmosphere and story
- 👍 Engaging combat system
- 💎 Great value for money
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Small text and UI elements
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and missions
Bugs and requests
Spaceward Ho!
Reported bugs
11 issues- Game crashes when ending turn while winning
- Crashes on iOS 14+ due to security checks
- Audio issues on Mac with Apple Silicon
- Dreadnoughts disappear when mixed with tankers in delayed fleets
- Some planets get stuck and won't terraform or mine
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- Double-tap battle recap feature removed in update
- Leaderboard and achievements not updating
- Game runs slowly on older devices
- Planets get stuck unable to move ships
- Interface elements scale incorrectly when zoomed out
- Text overlays prevent clicking through to planets
Requested features
15 requests- Multiplayer support (most frequently requested)
- WiFi/Bluetooth multiplayer with friends
- Game Center integration for multiplayer
- Save/load game functionality for save-scumming
- Ability to rename planets and ships
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Improved UI with modern design
- Mac desktop version with flexible layout
- Better fleet management interface
- Leaderboard and achievement updates
- Ability to measure distance between planets
- Individual ship naming for fleets
- Adjustable mining vs terraforming levels
- Pop-up magnifier for precise slider control
- Comparison graphs for player statistics
- Tap-and-hold menu controls instead of button clicks
Crying Suns
Reported bugs
4 issues- Game crashes when using certain ship abilities
- Crashes during end-of-chapter cutscenes
- Progression-blocking bugs preventing access to new content
- Inability to progress past specific story points due to crashes
Requested features
4 requests- Zoom functionality for combat screen
- Ability to play own music during gameplay
- Endless mode or sandbox option
- Improved tutorial to explain key mechanics
In-app purchases
Spaceward Ho!
No in-app purchases
Crying Suns
No in-app purchases
