Comparison

Swarm Game vs Blackbeard's Wake

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

Head to head
About

Swarm Game

Engage in real-time strategy battles across the Hive Universe. Grow your bug army, upgrade your hives, and conquer territories. Compete with players worldwide or team up with friends in this bug-themed conquest.

Highlights
  • Upgradable Hives
  • Multiple Enemies
  • Multiplayer Free for All & Teams
  • Leaderboards
  • Purchasable Content
  • Adjustable Game Speed
  • Tons of Maps
Features
Read full description

An RTS Strategy Game. Conquer the Hive Universe with your bugs! Take Hives, make more Bugs, and conquer more Hives! -Upgradable Hives - Form your strategy -Multiple Enemies - Strategize the timings of your attacks -Multiplayer Free for All & Teams - Play with your friends -Leaderboards - Compete with the world -Purchasable Content - Enhance the game -Adjustable Game Speed - Fit your game play style -Tons of Maps - Play for Hours And much more!

About

Blackbeard's Wake

Sail your ship to draw a trail and capture everything within the enclosed loop. Grow your ship's power and trail width as you level up, facing procedurally generated oceans and diverse enemy types. Adapt your build with upgrade choices each phase for unique voyages.

Highlights
  • Signature loop-capture mechanic
  • Ship and trail growth with leveling
  • Procedurally generated ocean world
  • Multiple enemy types
  • Phase-based progression with upgrades
  • One-handed portrait play
Read full description

Draw a loop with your wake — and capture everything inside. Set sail as a rising pirate and unleash a power no enemy sees coming: steer your ship to leave a shimmering trail, then cross it to close a loop. Every ship, treasure chest, and island creature caught inside is yours. The bigger the loop, the bigger the haul — but leave yourself open too long and the cannons find you. THE LOOP Guide your ship with the on-screen joystick and watch your trail snake across the water. Cross your own wake to seal the loop and claim your catch. Master the timing between bold sweeps and quick escapes. GROW YOUR LEGEND Every capture earns XP. Fill the bar and your ship levels up — your vessel grows, your trail widens, and the camera pulls back to reveal a bigger ocean to plunder. Each new phase brings harder enemies and three upgrade choices to shape your run. CHOOSE YOUR BUILD With every phase change, pick from three upgrades: broader trails, faster movement, harder captures, tougher hull, and more. No two voyages play the same. AN OCEAN OF THREATS The seas are far from empty. Scout ships harry you from a distance, armored gunboats try to outlast you, and seeker enemies hunt you relentlessly. Circle them before they corner you. A WORLD REBORN EVERY RUN Every voyage generates a new ocean. Procedurally built islands rise from the water, populated with treasure and danger. The shallows hide different threats than the deep sea. Explore, adapt, survive — or sink. FEATURES • Signature loop-capture mechanic — circle enemies and objects to claim them • Ship and trail grow as you level up — feel the power compound • Procedurally generated islands and ocean world every run • Multiple enemy types: scouts, gunboats, seeking hunters • Phase-based progression with upgrade choices each level • Satisfying haptic feedback on every capture and hit • GPU-powered boat wake trail effects • One-handed portrait play — pick up and put down instantly Blackbeard's Wake contains ads between rounds and an optional one-time purchase to remove them permanently.

Screenshots

Swarm Game4 screens
Blackbeard's Wake4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Blackbeard's Wake at 5.0 against Swarm Game's 4.8. Swarm Game's advantage is ratings volume (48 vs 14). On price, review sentiment, 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. Swarm Game sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Blackbeard's Wake sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Blackbeard's Wake holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Swarm Game's written reviews are positive against 100% of Blackbeard's Wake's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swarm Game ships an update every 2 weeks, Blackbeard's Wake every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Swarm Game versus Blackbeard's Wake: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwarm GameBlackbeard's Wake
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (48 ratings)5.0 (14 ratings) — better
Positive reviews95.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings48 — better14
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size298 MB290 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperEvan CarrBlackbeard World Inc.

Customer experience

Swarm Game

All ratings41 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative2.4%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive95.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.0%

Blackbeard's Wake

All ratings14 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Swarm Game

One-time12
  • Grieg Maps$1.99
  • Tchaikovsky Maps$1.99
  • Hymns Maps$1.99
Show 9 more
  • Mozart Maps$1.99
  • Vivaldi Maps$1.99
  • Bach Maps$1.99
  • Christmas Maps$2.99
  • No Ads$2.99
  • Espionage Expansion$4.99
  • War Expansion$4.99
  • Colonies$5.99
  • Everything Bundle$12.00
1 purchases

Blackbeard's Wake

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$1.99

Questions

Is Swarm Game free?
Swarm Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Blackbeard's Wake free?
Blackbeard's Wake is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swarm Game or Blackbeard's Wake?
Blackbeard's Wake is rated higher. Swarm Game averages 4.8 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Blackbeard's Wake averages 5.0 from 14 ratings.
Do Swarm Game or Blackbeard's Wake have ads?
Both Swarm Game and Blackbeard's Wake show ads.
Which is updated more often, Swarm Game or Blackbeard's Wake?
Swarm Game ships an update every 2 weeks, and Blackbeard's Wake every 10 days. Most recently, Swarm Game was updated on October 24, 2026 and Blackbeard's Wake on October 21, 2026.

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