Comparison

Celtic Tribes vs Aether Bastion

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

Head to head
About

Celtic Tribes

Build a thriving village into a powerful empire in this real-time strategy MMO. Recruit armies, gather resources, and engage in epic battles or diplomacy with other players. Utilize ancient magic and form alliances to conquer rivals and claim the throne.

Highlights
  • Build village into a large city
  • Recruit army and fight other leaders
  • Collect and use secret artefacts
  • Utilize druidic magic
  • Produce resources and trade
  • Conquer and defend villages
  • Join powerful tribes
Features
Read full description

Celtic Tribes - Real-time strategy for true chiefs Peaceful settlers as well as the battle hungry conquerors will have lots of fun in this epic MMO. You decide whether you expand your realm peacefully or by using your military expertise in glorious battles! Features: - Free to play - Build your village into a large city - Recruit a mighty army and fight against thousands of other tribal leaders - Collect and combine several secret artefacts and utilize their power - Use the magic of mysterious druids and let your enemies freeze in fear - Produce crucial resources and become wealthy through trading - Prove your strategic skills in conquering and defending the villages  - Join forces with other chiefs in powerful tribes - Perform exciting missions with special rewards - Relive the age of the Celts and the beautifully designed graphics of Celtic Tribes “The opportunities in the game, the cohesion of the tribes are simply unique!” From a village to an empire You start off with a small Celtic village in the green lands of Gaul. But do not get fooled - the beautiful land is anything but peaceful and the war is coming. The other tribes already have their eyes on your village. Some are looking for a new conquest, some search for a new trading partner and others simply want to welcome you in their tribe. Strategy is crucial Your Celtic village can only survive if you raise an army and get ready for battle. War is known as an alternative means of diplomacy and you are not the only chief aiming to establish an empire. It is only by working together with your tribe, can you ensure the success of your conquests and win the war for the throne. Use the Magic Magic runes support your army in battle. Your druids do not only reside in your village. They can also use the power of ancient magic to help you. The power of the tribes Your tribe can rule the world! Unite your armies and let all of Gaul tremble. No battle is too great, no conquest is impossible. Work together and every empire will contribute to creating your realm. The throne of the world Create a throne and rule over the world in the ancient age of the Celts. You will need the support of your tribe, a powerful army and fierce determination of a true leader. The support of your druids and their magic will not hurt either. Download the app for free now and experience exciting adventures in the ancient age in Celtic Tribes - the captivating strategy MMOG. Like us on Facebook: http://fb.com/CelticTribes Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CelticTribes Celtic Tribes requires an active internet connection.

About

Aether Bastion

Defend a growing rift against swarms. Strategically expand your keep and spend resources to bring cores home. Enjoy live co-op multiplayer for up to four players.

Highlights
  • Idle rift defense gameplay
  • Strategic keep growth
  • Resource management
  • Live co-op multiplayer (2-4 players)
  • Seasonal events
Features
Read full description

You don't aim. You grow. Aether Bastion is idle rift defense. One lattice. A swarm on the ring. Grow the keep, spend scrap in the run, and bring cores home. • Seasonal tides bring new events to the keep. • Live co-op for 2 to 4 keepers through Game Center, each on their own device (no couch co-op). • No ads. The optional Circle subscription adds an extra Forge, 1.25× cores, and daily gems. Founder packs are gems only. Play on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Plays on iPhone Duo, in portrait on the outer screen and landscape on the unfolded inner screen. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Celtic Tribes4 screens
Aether Bastion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Aether Bastion at 5.0 against Celtic Tribes's 3.5. Aether Bastion also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and ads (none vs shown). Celtic Tribes's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly) and ratings volume (46 vs 13). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Celtic Tribes sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Aether Bastion sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Aether Bastion holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 46 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Celtic Tribes's written reviews are positive against 100% of Aether Bastion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Celtic Tribes ships an update fortnightly, Aether Bastion monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Celtic Tribes versus Aether Bastion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCeltic TribesAether Bastion
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (46 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings46 — better13
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB165 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperXYRALITY GmbHNoffTech LLC

Customer experience

Celtic Tribes

All ratings46 ratings
Positive54.3%
Neutral19.6%
Negative26.1%
Written reviews722 reviews
Positive60.4%
Neutral6.5%
Negative33.1%

Aether Bastion

All ratings13 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Celtic Tribes

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Disappearing troops and lost progress
  • Broken login and account issues
  • Incompatibility with newer iOS versions
  • Laggy performance and constant loading screens

Requested features

4 requests
  • Artifact trading or auction house
  • Improved village management tools
  • More animations and dynamic village scenes
  • Better tutorial and onboarding experience

Aether Bastion

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Celtic Tribes

One-time10
  • 140 Magic Potions$0.99
  • 600 Magic Potions$3.99
  • 700 Magic Potions$4.99
Show 7 more
  • 1,200 Magic Potions$5.99
  • 2,999 sale!$8.99
  • 1,400 Magic Potions$8.99
  • 3,000 Magic Potions$11.99
  • 4,999 sale!$13.99
  • 3,100 Magic Potions$17.99
  • 5,000 Magic Potions$19.99
10 purchases

Aether Bastion

Subscriptions1
  • Bastion Circle7 Days trial$7.991 Month
One-time9
  • Handful of Gems$0.99
  • Ember Theme$1.99
  • Awakening Pack$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Ember Pack$2.99
  • Purse of Gems$4.99
  • Founder’s Sigil$4.99
  • Chest of Gems$9.99
  • Vault of Gems$19.99
  • Treasury of Gems$49.99

Questions

Is Celtic Tribes free?
Celtic Tribes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Aether Bastion free?
Aether Bastion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Celtic Tribes or Aether Bastion?
Aether Bastion is rated higher. Celtic Tribes averages 3.5 out of 5 from 46 ratings, while Aether Bastion averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Celtic Tribes or Aether Bastion have ads?
Celtic Tribes shows ads; Aether Bastion does not.
Which is updated more often, Celtic Tribes or Aether Bastion?
Celtic Tribes ships an update fortnightly, and Aether Bastion monthly. Most recently, Celtic Tribes was updated on November 1, 2026 and Aether Bastion on November 6, 2026.

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