Comparison

Control Ultimate Edition vs Nova Drift Lite

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

Head to head
About

Control Ultimate Edition

Engage in a supernatural third-person action-adventure where you wield telekinetic powers and transforming weaponry to combat an ominous enemy. Uncover the dark secrets of a secretive government agency and fight to regain control of a world under threat.

Highlights
  • Supernatural combat
  • Transforming weaponry
  • Telekinetic powers
  • Uncover mysteries
  • Explore hidden world
  • Challenging boss fights
Features
Read full description

A corruptive presence has invaded the Federal Bureau of Control… Only you have the power to stop it. The world is now your weapon in an epic fight to annihilate an ominous enemy through deep and unpredictable environments. Containment has failed, humanity is at stake. Will you regain control? Winner of over 80 awards, CONTROL is a visually stunning third-person action-adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Blending open-ended environments with the signature world-building and storytelling of renowned developer, Remedy Entertainment, CONTROL presents an expansive and intensely gratifying gameplay experience. CONTROL Ultimate Edition has now been adapted to iOS. We have implemented touch controls and made changes to the in-game UI and game mechanics, like aiming and puzzles to provide a great experience for supported touch devices. The game renders beautifully through Metal and supports Ray Tracing on supported hardware. Key features UNCOVER THE MYSTERIES: Can you handle the bureau’s dark secrets? Unfold an epic supernatural struggle, filled with unexpected characters and bizarre events, as you search for your missing brother, and discover the truth that has brought you here. EVERYTHING IS YOUR WEAPON: Unleash destruction through transforming weaponry and telekinetic powers. Discover new ways to annihilate your enemies as you harness powerful abilities to turn everything around you into a lethal weapon. EXPLORE A HIDDEN WORLD: Delve deep into the ominous expanses of a secretive government agency. Explore the Bureau’s shifting environments only to discover that there is always more than meets the eye… FIGHT FOR CONTROL: Battle a relentless enemy through exciting missions and challenging boss fights to earn powerful upgrades that maximize abilities and customize your weaponry. CONTROL Ultimate Edition on iOS supports the following MetalFX features: MetalFX TAAU - Temporal Anti-Aliasing and upscaling MetalFX Frame Interpolation Ray-Tracing is supported on devices with M3+ or A19 Pro with 10Gb of memory.

About

Nova Drift Lite

Experience a roguelike space shooter with deep customization and rapid ship evolution. Build your ideal spacecraft through modular upgrades and engage in intense, unpredictable arcade combat. This version offers limited access to content.

Highlights
  • Roguelike space shooter gameplay
  • Deep ship customization
  • Rapid ship evolution
  • Modular upgrades
  • Randomly generated levels
  • Arcade combat
Features
Read full description

- SURVIVE - EVOLVE - DOMINATE - Nova Drift is a roguelike space shooter that combines classic arcade combat with action-rpg elements, emphasizing build-crafting and deep customization. Your ship rapidly evolves as you defeat enemies, allowing you to take a build from inception to execution in a single, captivating game session. The Lite version allows players to experience the game up to wave 60 and play with a limited set of upgrades and game modes. The Full Version Features: - Quick gameplay sessions (15-45 minutes) that allow for rapid experimentation, iteration, and advancement. - Over 200 modular upgrades, unlocked over time, to create your ideal build with. Snipe, command a drone army, discharge your shields, charge up, burn enemies with your thrusters, or smash right through them... there's a way to make it work. - Modular challenge modes to unlock and activate, providing greater risk and rewards. The stakes are high, as death is permanent! - Every game is randomly generated, keeping the fight intense and unpredictable. Fight through the campaign or play endlessly... Nova Drift is created by Chimeric, with music by Miles Tilmann. Website: https://novadrift.io/ Discord: https://discord.com/invite/Zp2MkPJ

Screenshots

Control Ultimate Edition4 screens
Nova Drift Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nova Drift Lite at Free against Control Ultimate Edition's $4.99. Nova Drift Lite also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (75% vs 62%). Control Ultimate Edition's advantage is ratings volume (290 vs 12) and chart position (#14 vs unranked). On update cadence, 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

Nova Drift Lite is free to download; Control Ultimate Edition costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nova Drift Lite holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Control Ultimate Edition has 290 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Control Ultimate Edition's written reviews are positive against 75% of Nova Drift Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Control Ultimate Edition ships an update every 5 days, Nova Drift Lite every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Control Ultimate Edition versus Nova Drift Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterControl Ultimate EditionNova Drift Lite
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (290 ratings)4.6 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.8% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings290 — better12
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 10 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#14 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.110.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size568 MB573 MB
Age rating17+9+
DeveloperRemedy Entertainment PLCChimeric LLC

Customer experience

Control Ultimate Edition

All ratings290 ratings
Positive73.4%
Neutral6.6%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive61.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative27.1%

Nova Drift Lite

All ratings12 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral8.3%
Negative16.7%

In-app purchases

None

Control Ultimate Edition

No in-app purchases

None

Nova Drift Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Control Ultimate Edition free?
Control Ultimate Edition costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nova Drift Lite free?
Nova Drift Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Control Ultimate Edition or Nova Drift Lite?
Nova Drift Lite is rated higher. Control Ultimate Edition averages 4.0 out of 5 from 290 ratings, while Nova Drift Lite averages 4.6 from 12 ratings.
Do Control Ultimate Edition or Nova Drift Lite have ads?
Neither Control Ultimate Edition nor Nova Drift Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Control Ultimate Edition or Nova Drift Lite?
Control Ultimate Edition ships an update every 5 days, and Nova Drift Lite every 10 days. Most recently, Control Ultimate Edition was updated on September 26, 2026 and Nova Drift Lite on September 8, 2026.

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