PROTOCOL vs Subterranean
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
PROTOCOL
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The day dimensional rifts opened, monsters and the Dimension Awakened appeared at the same time. As monsters spread across the world, the government gathered students with dimensional powers and established the Tactical Academy. Become its commander, train your students, and deploy to a city under threat. Control the leader directly and give orders to two fellow agents. Combine their abilities, weapons, and parts to lead a three-person squad. โข Survive the waves of monsters. โข Train distinctive students and build your squad. โข Find powerful combinations, overcome each battle, and protect the city. A two-person indie game. PROTOCOL: Zero Rift
Subterranean
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Dig deep in a retro pixel world and see how far underground you can go. Control a small mining vehicle, dig through the earth, and uncover gems, ore, fossils, and other valuable resources. Sell what you find, upgrade your vehicle, and head back down to dig even deeper. Improve your drill, light, cargo, temp, fuel, and hull to stay underground longer and reach rare riches hidden far below the surface. Inspired by classic mining games, this 2D side-scrolling adventure is easy to pick up and satisfying to play, whether you have a few minutes or want to keep digging just one more run. Dig, mine, upgrade, repeat. How deep can you go?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Subterranean at none against PROTOCOL's 10. Subterranean also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. PROTOCOL sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Subterranean asks for nothing beyond the download.
PROTOCOL ships an update every 3 days, Subterranean every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | PROTOCOL | Subterranean |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Every 2 days โ better |
| Ads | Yes | No โ better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No โ better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 258 MB | 142 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SungGwon Han | Tayin Wallace |
In-app purchases
PROTOCOL
- Beginner Package 1$0.99
- Sale Package 3$1.99
- Sale Package 1$2.99
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- Sale Package 2$4.99
- Beginner Package 2$4.99
- Remove Ad$5.99
- Daily Special Mission Ticket$7.99
- Mission Energy Booster (30 Days)$9.99
- Stage Pass$9.99
- Beginner Package 3$14.99
Subterranean
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is PROTOCOL free?
Is Subterranean free?
Do PROTOCOL or Subterranean have ads?
Which is updated more often, PROTOCOL or Subterranean?
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