Hive® Game vs Abducktion
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hive® Game
Experience the award-winning strategy board game digitally. This app offers a faithful adaptation of the classic game, featuring challenging AI, all official expansions, and customizable visuals. Perfect for both new players and seasoned veterans.
- Official Hive® rules and design
- Includes all three official expansions
- Advanced RustyBlade™ AI
- Adjustable difficulty for beginners
- Video tutorial by game creator
- Customizable visual settings
- Local network play
Read full descriptionHide full description
"What impresses me most about this Hive® app is how the AI plays with true strategic depth—enough to challenge even seasoned Hive veterans. The developers have captured the purity of the game beautifully: no clutter, no distractions, just clean design that lets the elegance of Hive shine through. A thoughtful, well-crafted adaptation." – John Yianni, creator of Hive® The award-winning tabletop classic Hive® is now in your pocket. Created with the blessing of the game’s designer, John Yianni, this app delivers a clean, focused, and beautifully polished digital Hive® experience. Hive® is a captivating strategy game often described as “nature’s chess.” There is no board — the game itself is built from the creatures you place. Your goal is simple: surround your opponent’s Queen Bee while keeping your own safe. Easy to learn, endlessly deep to master. OFFICIAL HIVE® EXPERIENCE Faithful to the vision of its original designer, this app captures the award-winning rules and timeless elegance of Hive® without compromise. THE COMPLETE HIVE® Play Hive® exactly as intended. Alongside the base game, all three official expansion pieces are included: Mosquito, Ladybug, and Pillbug. THE RUSTYBLADE™ AI Don’t settle for predictable opponents. RustyBlade™ is a bold, aggressive AI engine that plays with initiative and intent. It doesn’t aim for safe draws — it fights for victory. Expect intense, uncompromising strategic battles. PERFECT FOR BEGINNERS TOO New to Hive®? The fully adjustable difficulty lets RustyBlade™ become a patient training partner. Learn the ropes with a video tutorial by John Yianni (the creator of Hive), while the illustrated rulebook and Undo feature allow you to learn, experiment, and improve without pressure. ELEGANT & FULLY CUSTOMIZABLE A sleek design that adapts to your style. Choose your preferred board orientation (flat or pointy-top), select custom colors, and adjust wood grain intensity. Responsive controls, subtle animations, and haptic feedback ensure a smooth, immersive experience that brings the hive to life. UNIVERSAL PURCHASE Unlock the Elite Edition once and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. ELITE EDITION: - Full access to all official expansions: Mosquito, Ladybug, and Pillbug. - Test your skills against advanced RustyBlade™ AI difficulty levels. - Personalize your experience with premium backgrounds and visual settings. - Detailed player statistics. - Game Center support (friend-invite matches only). - Local network play over the same Wi-Fi network. - Family Sharing: Share the Elite experience with your family at no extra cost. The Hive is humming. The army is ready. Are you? Official Website: https://hivegameapp.com
Abducktion
Arrange adorable ducks in specific formations to beam them up to your UFO. Compete in a solo classic mode or a rogue-like career challenge with upgradeable decks and perks.
- Arrange ducks in formations
- Beam ducks to UFO
- Classic solo mode
- Rogue-like career challenge
- Upgradeable action card deck
- Research perks
Read full descriptionHide full description
You're an intern at Abducktion Labs Intergalactic, racing to arrange adorable ducks in specific formations before beaming them up to your UFO. CLASSIC MODE Experience the original Abuducktion board game solo mode by abducting as many ducks as you can. CAREER MODE Put your research skills to the test in this all-new rogue-like challenge mode. Earn research points each round to upgrade your action card deck, or buy research perks for your ever-expanding lab. But be careful - challenge rounds will alter how the game plays and test your abduction skills. Do you have what it takes to become the new Abducktion Labs CEO?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Abducktion at 5.0 against Hive® Game's 4.5. Abducktion also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 63%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Hive® Game's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (310 vs 12). On price, monetization model and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Hive® Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Abducktion asks for nothing beyond the download.
Abducktion holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hive® Game has 310 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Hive® Game's written reviews are positive against 100% of Abducktion's.
Hive® Game ships an update every 11 days, Abducktion every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Hive® Game | Abducktion |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (310 ratings) | 5.0 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 310 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 166 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | GiantStep Kft. | Very Special Games |
Customer experience
Hive® Game
Abducktion
In-app purchases
Hive® Game
- Elite Edition$9.99
Abducktion
No in-app purchases









