Comparison

Nova Drift vs Clay Jam Classic

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

Head to head
About

Nova Drift

This roguelike space shooter blends arcade combat with RPG elements for deep ship customization. Evolve your vessel through rapid gameplay sessions, experimenting with over 200 modular upgrades to craft unique builds and dominate unpredictable, randomly generated challenges.

Highlights
  • Roguelike space shooter gameplay
  • Deep ship build-crafting
  • Over 200 modular upgrades
  • Quick, iterative gameplay sessions
  • Randomly generated challenges
  • Permanent death
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. Featuring: - 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

About

Clay Jam Classic

Guide Fat Pebble as he rolls down five unique hills, squashing monsters to grow and save the land of Clay Jam from fearsome Bully Beasts. This family-friendly action game features a world made entirely from real clay and a unique control system.

Highlights
  • World made from real clay
  • Family-friendly, no in-app purchases or ads
  • Offline play
  • Unique clay-gouging controls
  • Hand-made monsters and bosses
  • 5 unique hills to explore
Features
Read full description

Clay Jam is back! The classic fun-packed action game, with over 10 million downloads, is ready to roll again! Save the land of Clay Jam from the fearsome Bully Beasts. Guide Fat Pebble as he rolls down five weird and wonderful hills in a world made entirely from clay! Squash monsters on the way, and he'll grow and grow and GROW! Get all the way to the bottom of the hill and meet the nasty Bully Beasts. Can you collect enough clay to free the monsters and save Clay Jam?! Features: ● EVERYTHING in the game is made from real clay! ● Family-friendly - no in-app purchases or ads, plus offline play ● Squash, roll and bounce your way through a very peculiar world ● A unique control system - gouge paths in the clay to steer ● Loads of hand-made monsters to discover ● 5 amazingly strange hills to rebuild ● 5 fearsome Bully Beasts to defeat ● Brilliantly original music ● Fantastically funny sound effects ● A game of hope & kindness for the whole family! *************** Editor's Choice in over 100 countries #1 Kids game in 46 countries #1 Action game in 10 countries Nominated for a BAFTA! Nominated for the Pocket Gamer awards! Over 10 million downloads! *************** USA Today “Clay Jam is a blast to play for kids and kids at heart, so be sure to roll over to the App Store to download the game.” Pocket Gamer Full of character and colour, Clay Jam is easy to pick up and very hard to put down. It's also one of the most refreshing freemium games around, rewarding you for continual play rather than punishing you for not spending money. Modojo An incredible artistic and technical achievement with very satisfying gameplay and progression. Kotaku ... every lovingly-molded inch of Clay Jam is an uncanny delight. Gametrailers - App of the Day Clay Jam is a very rare treat on the App Store. It's refreshingly different from the rest of the pack, plays like a dream, and is balanced so perfectly that both kids and adults alike will get a suitable level of challenge from the game. Download this immediately. Gamezebo ... Clay Jam is an extremely satisfying experience shaped from mounds of sheer joy.

Screenshots

Nova Drift4 screens
Clay Jam Classic4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Clay Jam Classic at 5.0 against Nova Drift's 4.4. Clay Jam Classic also leads on price ($2.99 vs $9.99) and review sentiment (99% vs 80%). Nova Drift's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 costs $9.99 and Clay Jam Classic $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Clay Jam Classic holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clay Jam Classic has 499 ratings behind it against 54, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of Nova Drift's written reviews are positive against 99% of Clay Jam Classic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Drift ships an update every 10 days, Clay Jam Classic every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Nova Drift versus Clay Jam Classic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova DriftClay Jam Classic
Price$9.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.4 (54 ratings)5.0 (499 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.6% of reviews98.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings54499 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank—#24 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size573 MB182 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperChimeric LLCYumYumYukYuk

Customer experience

Nova Drift

All ratings54 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral9.3%
Negative11.1%

Clay Jam Classic

All ratings499 ratings
Positive99.0%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.4%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive98.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.5%

In-app purchases

None

Nova Drift

No in-app purchases

None

Clay Jam Classic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nova Drift free?
Nova Drift costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Clay Jam Classic free?
Clay Jam Classic costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nova Drift or Clay Jam Classic?
Clay Jam Classic is rated higher. Nova Drift averages 4.4 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Clay Jam Classic averages 5.0 from 499 ratings.
Do Nova Drift or Clay Jam Classic have ads?
Neither Nova Drift nor Clay Jam Classic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nova Drift or Clay Jam Classic?
Nova Drift ships an update every 10 days, and Clay Jam Classic every 5 days. Most recently, Nova Drift was updated on September 21, 2026 and Clay Jam Classic on September 25, 2026.

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