Comparison

Partywheel 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

Partywheel

This app offers a fun and interactive way to enhance social gatherings with a variety of games and challenges. Spin a wheel to determine the next activity, from dance-offs to truth-or-dare, ensuring an engaging experience for all participants.

Highlights
  • Interactive game wheel
  • Spin to determine actions
  • Variety of challenges
  • Easy setup and play
  • Suitable for social events
Read full description

One spin picks what you play together next. Partywheel brings 14 group games to Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, with no player names to enter and no ads. The cropped wheel reveals your next game. Its rules stay on screen until you spin again, so you can jump straight into playing together. All 14 classics are included for free. A one-time purchase of Partywheel Premium lets you disable individual games and add, edit or delete your own games with a title, emoji and description. With iCloud, your personal game selection syncs across your devices. On iPhone and iPad, you can also save your own games locally without iCloud. Editing on Apple TV requires an available iCloud connection; games already saved there can also be played offline. One Premium purchase works on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV using the same Apple Account for purchases. If you previously purchased the ad-free option, Premium is included without another purchase. The interface and classic games are available in English, German, French and Spanish. Your own game descriptions stay just as you wrote them. Sound and supported haptics can be switched off separately.

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

Partywheel3 screens
Aether Bastion4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Aether Bastion at 100% against Partywheel's 50%. Aether Bastion also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.2) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 27.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Partywheel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase 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 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Partywheel's written reviews are positive against 100% of Aether Bastion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Partywheel versus Aether Bastion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPartywheelAether Bastion
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (5 ratings)5.0 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings513 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TViPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV
Requires iOS27.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB165 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperJohannes BauerNoffTech LLC

Customer experience

Partywheel

All ratings5 ratings
Positive40.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative40.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Aether Bastion

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Partywheel

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99
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 Partywheel free?
Partywheel 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, Partywheel or Aether Bastion?
Aether Bastion is rated higher. Partywheel averages 3.2 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Aether Bastion averages 5.0 from 13 ratings.
Do Partywheel or Aether Bastion have ads?
Neither Partywheel nor Aether Bastion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Partywheel or Aether Bastion?
Partywheel ships an update monthly, and Aether Bastion monthly. Most recently, Partywheel was updated on October 16, 2026 and Aether Bastion on October 31, 2026.

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