Comparison

Subnautica vs Frontier Bound

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

Head to head
About

Subnautica

Embark on an underwater survival adventure in an arctic alien ocean. Investigate mysteries, craft equipment, and explore new biomes and creatures. Survive the cold and uncover the truth behind an ancient alien civilization.

Highlights
  • Explore alien ocean biomes
  • Craft habitats and equipment
  • Survive freezing temperatures
  • Investigate alien mysteries
  • Discover new creatures
  • Pilot vehicles like Seatruck and Snowfox
Read full description

*Please make sure your device is supported before purchasing Below Zero!* Below Zero is the next chapter of Subnautica, the underwater survival open world set on an alien ocean planet. Submerge yourself in an all-new, sub-zero expedition in an arctic region of Planet 4546B. After crash landing planetside, set out into frigid waters to investigate what happened to your sister... Discover new biomes, creatures, challenges and story! Below Zero expands the Subnautica universe, diving deeper into the adventure and mysteries introduced in the original game. FEATURES UNCOVER THE TRUTH - Who were the aliens who came here before? Why were they on this planet? What really happened to your sister? And will exposing the truth give some closure to your loss? SURVIVE THE COLD - The freezing temperatures of this arctic region pose a new challenge. Craft a toasty cold suit, sip on piping hot coffee, and warm up next to Thermal Lilies to stave off the chill. CRAFT YOUR WAY - Survive the harsh climate by constructing extensive habitats, scavenging for resources, and crafting equipment. Blast across the snowy tundra on a Snowfox hoverbike. Cruise through enchanting and perilous biomes in your modular Seatruck. EXPLORE THE PLANET - Swim beneath the blue-lit, arching expanses of Twisty Bridges, be mesmerized by the Crystal Caverns, venture into the icy caves of Glacial Basin or maneuver between erupting Thermal Vents to discover ancient alien artifacts. MEET NEW CREATURES - Something undiscovered lurks around every corner. Swim through the giant Titan Holefish, encounter the haunting Shadow Leviathan, and visit the adorable Pengwings. Keep your wits about you. Not all creatures in this strange world are friendly. CAREFULLY REDESIGNED FOR MOBILE - Revamped interface – exclusive mobile UI with complete touch control - Game Center achievements - Cloud Save – Share your progress between iOS devices - iPhone 17 Optimization (including Pro Max) ----- *DEVICES NOT SUPPORTED (THE GAME WON'T WORK)*: - iPhone Xr, iPhone SE Gen 2 (2020) - iPad Mini Gen 5, iPad Air Gen 3, iPad Gen 8, iPad Gen 9 *SUPPORTED DEVICES ON LOW RESOLUTION ONLY*: - iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone SE Gen 3 (2022) - iPad Pro 10.5", iPad Mini Gen 6, iPad Air Gen 4, iPad Gen 10, iPad Pro 11" Gen 1, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 3 *SUPPORTED DEVICES* : - iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 AND ABOVE - iPad Pro 11" Gen 2, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 4, iPad Air Gen 5, iPad Pro 11" Gen 3, iPad Pro 11" Gen 4, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 5, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 6 AND ABOVE

About

Frontier Bound

Recruit adventurers, build a trading guild, and embark on expeditions through a perilous frontier in this turn-based strategy RPG. Permanent death means your guild's legacy grows stronger with each run, offering new stories and challenges.

Highlights
  • Recruit and customize adventurers
  • Build and manage a trading guild
  • Send expeditions through a dangerous frontier
  • Hundreds of hand-crafted encounters
  • Permanent progression and upgrades
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

Will you dive into the ancient ruins to find an enchanted amulet...or maybe death? Frontier Bound is a text-based strategy RPG where you recruit adventurers, build a trading guild, and send expeditions through a dangerous frontier. Death is permanent but your guild will live on. Every run tells a new story and every defeat leaves your guild stronger. BUILD YOUR CREW Hire mercenaries with unique stats, traits, and backstories. Customize them with specializations and artifacts. Watch them grow into legends or bury them in the frontier. RUN THE FRONTIER Face hundreds of hand-crafted encounters across escalating stages: ambushes, trade negotiations, rival showdowns, ancient ruins, and the Warlord boss. Roll the dice. Live with the result. GROW YOUR GUILD Between expeditions, manage your guild hub: upgrade facilities, stock provisions, trade cargo for profit, and recruit your next roster. Permanent progression means every run advances your legacy. BECOME A LEGEND Unlock three specialization paths: Merchant, Warlord, or Explorer. Earn titles and traits for your adventurers and conquer the Frontier. — Offline play, no internet required — Roguelite progression: permanent upgrades survive every run — No pay-to-win: deep strategy, fair progression — Game is now fully playable in: English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Russian

Screenshots

Subnautica4 screens
Frontier Bound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Subnautica at 4.6 against Frontier Bound's 3.0. Subnautica also leads on review sentiment (86% vs 50%) and ratings volume (107 vs 2). Frontier Bound's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $9.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Subnautica costs $9.99 and Frontier Bound $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Subnautica holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subnautica has 107 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Subnautica's written reviews are positive against 50% of Frontier Bound's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Subnautica ships an update fortnightly, Frontier Bound every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Subnautica versus Frontier Bound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubnauticaFrontier Bound
Price$9.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.6 (107 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews86.1% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings107 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#166 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size2.2 GB280 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperUnknown WorldsLuis Herskovic

Customer experience

Subnautica

All ratings107 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral1.9%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews101 reviews
Positive86.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative8.9%

Frontier Bound

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Subnautica

No in-app purchases

None

Frontier Bound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Subnautica free?
Subnautica costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Frontier Bound free?
Frontier Bound costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Subnautica or Frontier Bound?
Subnautica is rated higher. Subnautica averages 4.6 out of 5 from 107 ratings, while Frontier Bound averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Subnautica or Frontier Bound have ads?
Neither Subnautica nor Frontier Bound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Subnautica or Frontier Bound?
Subnautica ships an update fortnightly, and Frontier Bound every 3 weeks. Most recently, Subnautica was updated on October 14, 2026 and Frontier Bound on September 28, 2026.

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