Comparison

Red Fire vs Heliopoly

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

Head to head
About

Red Fire

Engage in turn-based strategic warfare across East Asia from 1950-1975. Command diverse land, air, and naval forces of numerous nations in historical and fictional conflicts. Experience realistic Cold War combat with intelligent AI and hotseat multiplayer.

Highlights
  • Turn-based strategy
  • East Asian Cold War setting
  • Land, air, and naval forces
  • Dozens of nations
  • Realistic combat simulation
  • Intelligent adaptive AI
  • Hotseat multiplayer
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Red Fire is a turn-based strategic wargame set in East Asia between the years 1950-1975. Take command of land, air, and naval forces of dozens of nations including the US, USSR, China, Taiwan, North and South Korea, North and South Vietnam, France, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Experience Korean War, Vietnam War, and many other conflicts - both historical and fictional. Command squadrons of more than 500 types of aircraft, from biplanes to multirole fighter jets. Control the seas with more than 500 types of warships including submarines, battleships and aircraft carriers. Leverage new tools like surface-air missiles, air-air refueling tankers, attack helicopters, and missile cruisers to dominate the battlefield. Red Fire is powered by a detailed and realistic simulation of Cold War-era air, naval, and ground combat. Fight against an intelligent AI which constantly adapts its strategy to ensure every game is challenging and unique. Challenge a friend in hotseat multiplayer (pass-and-play). Red Fire contains no in-app purchases or ads of any kind, and an internet connection is not required to play. Buy the game once and get access to all current and future content.

About

Heliopoly

Features
Read full description

Heliopoly is orbital economics on the Mainline of our solar system (Helios): buy claims, burn propellant, duel rivals, and try not to go broke. Currency is Angzarr (⍼). Every buy, rent, and duel hits the Automated Interplanetary Asset Ledger. Last rocket flying wins — no timer, no “enough Angzarr.” THREE DOORS The first screen is three doors: • Arcade — the big door. One-minute play: Bot Evolution, Backup Fuel, and Hull Panel. Arcade never moves a charter you already started. • Journey — the full charter. Name a rocket, pick methane or hydrogen, and Launch against AI pilots from Mercury to the Saturn moons. • Lab — experiments. Gravity Duel practice, Deseret Letters, Urinal-rule Parking, and more. Lab unlocks after you finish one Arcade toy. Home brings you back to the doors without quitting a flight. In Journey, own systems, plant fuel depots, and stay solvent long enough for the ledger to write your name. ONLY ON THE MAINLINE • As of 2026, the only space game where a rogue Tesla can trash your fuel pods • Trade in Angzarr (⍼) — the ledger remembers every bad decision • Bring enough propellant, or become a very expensive monument • The only space game where “feral” doesn’t just apply to cats • Blank lane? Gravity Duel. Smile for the 2d6. • Last rocket flying. No timer. The cosmos does not care about your schedule. Got ideas? Contribute on GitHub: https://github.com/diagonalcounty/heliopoly — issues welcome, MIT, same engine as heliopoly.live. HOW AN EXPEDITION FEELS • Path — One circuit: Earth → Venus → Mercury → Mars → belt → Jupiter → Saturn → home • Claims — Buy planets and moons; own a full system and rent doubles • Stations — Trade hubs that get meaner as you collect more of them • Fuel — Landing is free; leaving a gravity well costs propellant • Parking — Sit still too often and claims can go feral back to the bank • Gravity Duel — Meet another rocket on a blank lane: secret Low/High, 2d6 PLAY YOUR WAY • 2–6 pilots (you plus AI, or full self-play) • Easy through Expert AI packs • Full Helios Ops Manual in-app: rules, glossary, rival-rocket civilopedia • iPhone and iPad NO WI‑FI NEEDED Heliopoly ships the complete game in the app package. Open the app and play — no account, no network required. Also free in the browser at heliopoly.live — same rules engine, open source (MIT). Not affiliated with Solarquest or any commercial board game.

Screenshots

Red Fire4 screens
Heliopoly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Heliopoly at every 9 days against Red Fire's every 6 weeks. Heliopoly also leads on price ($3.99 vs $5.99). Red Fire's advantage is chart position (#97 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases 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

Red Fire costs $5.99 and Heliopoly $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Red Fire ships an update every 6 weeks, Heliopoly every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Red Fire versus Heliopoly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRed FireHeliopoly
Price$5.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.8 (93 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews92.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings93 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#97 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size166 MB12 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGeoffrey AyreJacob Roecker

Bugs and requests

Red Fire

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Game crashes frequently
  • Freezes on resolving conflicts preventing turn progression
  • Aircraft auto-renew orders system malfunction
  • Naval and land forces stuck on Guam island
  • Ships unable to find routes from Guam
Show 6 more
  • AI captures areas behind player lines unrealistically
  • Carrier planes launch from destroyers instead of carriers
  • Notch display compatibility issue
  • Campaign Red Fire ends prematurely at March 26, 1969
  • Nuclear war notifications trigger without player action
  • Game lag with large unit concentrations (6.7M+ troops)

Requested features

20 requests
  • European theatre/Cold War Europe map
  • Middle East and North Africa campaigns
  • South America and Central America scenarios
  • Modern era (1970s-2020s) game version
  • Group land and air units like naval units
Show 15 more
  • Artillery units with ranged mechanics
  • Individual aircraft selection from squadrons
  • WWI and Gulf War scenarios
  • India and Pakistan as playable nations
  • Mission editor for campaign customization
  • Ability to disband units and ships
  • Force allied AI to move troops
  • More save slots
  • PC/desktop port
  • Star Wars version
  • American Civil War scenario
  • Cuban Missile Crisis campaign
  • Diplomacy complexity improvements
  • Vehicle variants expansion
  • Reduced AA missile quantities

Heliopoly

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Red Fire

No in-app purchases

None

Heliopoly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Red Fire free?
Red Fire costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Heliopoly free?
Heliopoly costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Red Fire or Heliopoly have ads?
Neither Red Fire nor Heliopoly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Red Fire or Heliopoly?
Red Fire ships an update every 6 weeks, and Heliopoly every 9 days. Most recently, Red Fire was updated on October 30, 2026 and Heliopoly on October 25, 2026.

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