Comparison

Beach Blocks vs DC34 CTF

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

Head to head
About

Beach Blocks

Features
Read full description

Beach Blocks is the relaxing block puzzle game you've been looking for. Place pieces on the sandy grid, fill complete rows and columns, and watch them disappear in a satisfying chain reaction. HOW TO PLAY • Drag blocks from your hand onto the board • Fill a complete row or column to clear it • Chain multiple clears for bonus points • The game ends when no more pieces can be placed FEATURES • Smooth, satisfying gameplay with a beautiful beach theme • Dozens of unique block shapes to master • Rotation power-up to turn pieces and escape tight spots • Track your best score and beat it every session • Clean, distraction-free design — no timers, no pressure • Play at your own pace, anytime, anywhere Whether you're relaxing on the beach or killing time on your commute, Beach Blocks keeps your mind sharp and your stress low. One more move always feels within reach. Can you beat your best score?

About

DC34 CTF

Engage in a challenging capture-the-flag game with diverse puzzles spanning cryptography, physical challenges, and hardware integration. Unlock fourteen channels, solve intricate problems without hints, and compete on a live leaderboard for prizes. The game is locked until the DEF CON 34 convention begins.

Highlights
  • Capture the Flag gameplay
  • 14 diverse puzzle channels
  • Cryptographic and physical challenges
  • Hardware integration puzzles
  • Live in-app leaderboard
  • Unlockable prizes
  • Hidden secrets
Features
Read full description

DC34 CTF is a capture-the-flag game built for DEF CON 34. Fourteen channels are dark. Your job is to light them up. Download before the con. The app locks until the convention opens. When the doors open at LVCC West Hall in Las Vegas on August 7, it unlocks and the game begins. FOURTEEN CHANNELS. ONE FINAL TARGET. Every channel is a different kind of puzzle. Some are cryptographic. Some are physical. Some require hardware your phone didn't know it would be using. No hints. No walkthrough. Figure it out. The challenges span XOR ciphers, steganography, DTMF tone analysis, radio direction finding, Bluetooth beacon hunting, geolocation, reverse image search, physical navigation, NFC, speech recognition, and more. Your phone's full sensor suite is in play — camera, microphone, GPS, accelerometer, compass, Bluetooth, NFC. PRIZES The first three players to complete all fourteen channels and claim the final flag receive physical prizes: gold, silver, and copper coins. Finishers four through thirteen get pins. Your rank is permanent — logged to the live leaderboard the moment you scan the hand. THE LEADERBOARD A live in-app finishers board tracks every player who completes the game, ranked by completion time. Watch it fill up in real time. THERE IS MORE The app has secrets that have nothing to do with the flags. Some people will find them. Most won't. REQUIREMENTS iOS 17 or later. Game Center must be enabled — the app authenticates silently at launch. Several challenges require network access, Bluetooth, NFC, location services, camera, and microphone. Grant permissions as the game asks for them or miss the challenges that need them. The app is locked until August 7, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT. Show up at DEF CON 34, LVCC West Hall, Las Vegas. You can play anywhere, but final flag unlocking prizes is only available in-person.

Screenshots

Beach Blocks4 screens
DC34 CTF4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Beach Blocks at daily against DC34 CTF's every 3 days. Beach Blocks also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Beach Blocks ships an update daily, DC34 CTF every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Beach Blocks versus DC34 CTF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeach BlocksDC34 CTF
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyDaily — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size53 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerahmet burak tercanJeremy Yablan

In-app purchases

None

Beach Blocks

No in-app purchases

None

DC34 CTF

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Beach Blocks free?
Beach Blocks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DC34 CTF free?
DC34 CTF is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Beach Blocks or DC34 CTF have ads?
Neither Beach Blocks nor DC34 CTF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Beach Blocks or DC34 CTF?
Beach Blocks ships an update daily, and DC34 CTF every 3 days. Most recently, Beach Blocks was updated on October 25, 2026 and DC34 CTF on October 23, 2026.

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