# Penguin GO! vs Magic War

The clearest difference is rating: Penguin GO! at 4.6 against Magic War's 3.8. Penguin GO! also leads on review sentiment (46% vs 11%) and ratings volume (3.3K vs 359). Magic War's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Penguin GO! sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Magic War sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penguin GO! holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Penguin GO! has 3.3K ratings behind it against 359, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Penguin GO!'s written reviews are positive against 11% of Magic War's.

Penguin GO! ships an update every 3 weeks, Magic War fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Penguin GO! | Magic War |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (3.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-go-collab/id6740887230/reviews)** | [3.8 (359 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-war-defense/id6747439142/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.3K** | 359 |
| Positive reviews | **46.2% of reviews** | 11.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 2.0 GB | 241 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [MOREFUN (H.K.) LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1773044663) | [Genesis Network](https://appshunter.io/developer/1668975668) |

## What reviewers say

### Penguin GO!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-go-collab/id6740887230)

Engage in addictive roguelike idle gameplay with strategic hero merging and upgrades. Unlock exclusive skins and power-ups to battle through infinite stages and defeat enemies. Enjoy a fun and entertaining experience with a cute art style.

**Highlights:** Roguelike idle gameplay, Hero summoning and merging, Multiple upgrade paths, Limited-time hero and lord skins, Strategic stage progression

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Value Pack1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack12 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack3 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack4 | $8.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack5 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack6 | $14.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack7 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack8 | $28.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack9 | $29.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack10 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack11 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and entertaining game
- 🚀 Great gameplay
- 💡 Cute art style
- 💡 Crafting system for mythic heroes

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Payment walls for progression
- 🔍 Falsified numbers and drop rates
- 🔍 Excessive ads
- 🐛 Laggy performance when playing with others
- 🐛 Annoying tutorial popups

**Reported bugs**

- Game not working due to internet connection issues
- AFK players causing issues

**Requested features**

- More lord customization options
- Larger private chat limit
- Upgrade trees for mythic heroes
- Option to pay to remove ads


### Magic War

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-war-defense/id6747439142)

Protect a magical continent by strategically moving your hero, building defenses, and commanding epic heroes. Face waves of monsters and team up for epic co-op sieges to stop the Demon King.

**Highlights:** Strategic grid-based movement, Tower defense missions, Kingdom building and defense design, Command epic heroes, Real-time co-op sieges

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $0.99 Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| $1.99 Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| $2.99 Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| $3.99 Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| $4.99 Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| $9.99 Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| $19.99 Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| $24.99 Pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| $29.99 Pack | $29.99 | one-time |
| $49.99 Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| $99.99 Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Addictive main tower defense game
- 👍 Lots of features and gameplay loops
- 👍 Great character designs

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unbalanced gameplay
- 🤔 Unrelated minigame not what was advertised
- 👎 Unappealing character style in thumbnails

**Reported bugs**

- Game not working as advertised, switching to different game
- Significant lag issues

**Requested features**

- Focus more on advertising the main game instead of the minigame


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Penguin GO! free?

Penguin GO! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Magic War free?

Magic War is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Penguin GO! or Magic War?

Penguin GO! is rated higher. Penguin GO! averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while Magic War averages 3.8 from 359 ratings.

### Do Penguin GO! or Magic War have ads?

Penguin GO! shows ads; Magic War does not.

### Which is updated more often, Penguin GO! or Magic War?

Penguin GO! ships an update every 3 weeks, and Magic War fortnightly. Most recently, Penguin GO! was updated on October 30, 2026 and Magic War on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*