Comparison

CosmoGen vs Retro TD

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

Head to head
About

CosmoGen

Features
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CosmoGen is a premium cosmic civilization simulator where you guide life from its first fragile spark to an interstellar Kardashev Type-II civilization. Begin with a young planet, a microscopic species, and a universe full of uncertainty. As a cosmic overseer, your choices shape the destiny of an evolving civilization across deep time — from primordial survival to advanced technology, social complexity, planetary crisis, and the possibility of reaching the stars. Inspired by real scientific ideas, CosmoGen blends planetary physics, evolution, sociology, technology, and the mystery of the Fermi Paradox into an immersive strategy experience. Guide your civilization through major evolutionary eras, unlock powerful technologies, respond to world-changing events, and survive the Great Filters that may destroy advanced life before it becomes interstellar. Your civilization is not just a number. It has stress, harmony, inequality, trust, population pressure, technological ambition, and environmental limits. Every decision affects its future. Will you build a balanced society, push dangerous technologies too quickly, protect your planet, or risk everything for rapid progress? FEATURES • Guide life from microscopic origins to an advanced space civilization • Experience a procedurally generated planet with habitability, climate, resources, moons, axial tilt, and carrying capacity • Survive Great Filters such as solar super-flares, climate collapse, resource depletion, AI singularity, and cosmic disasters • Make strategic choices through scientific, ethical, and risky paths • Unlock a deep technology tree across Biology, Physics, Society, and Space • Manage population, energy, stress, harmony, technology, and social stability • Watch your civilization evolve through eras inspired by Earth’s deep history • Meet Lumina, an AI companion that provides contextual narrative and scientific explanations • Enjoy a cinematic interface with 3D planets, starfields, particles, aurora gradients, and frosted glass visuals • Designed with accessibility in mind, including dynamic typography, semantic colors, VoiceOver support, and high-contrast visual layers A SCIENTIFICALLY INSPIRED GOD GAME CosmoGen is built around one of the greatest questions in science: Why is the universe so quiet? The game transforms the Fermi Paradox into an interactive journey. Each civilization faces existential challenges that test its intelligence, ethics, resilience, and ability to survive its own progress. Some civilizations collapse before reaching the stars. Others adapt, transform, and rise beyond their home planet. Your choices decide which story will be written. AN EVOLVING COSMIC STORY No two civilizations feel exactly the same. Your planet, your events, your risks, your technologies, and your decisions create a unique timeline every time you play. CosmoGen is a strategy game, a scientific narrative, and a cinematic simulation of life’s greatest challenge: Can intelligence survive long enough to become cosmic?

About

Retro TD

Features
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Build mazes. Watch creeps puzzle through. Hold the line. Retro TD is a hexagonal-arrow tower defense game. Place towers along the path, upgrade between waves, and survive against creeps that follow the arrows you've drawn. Tight, decision-heavy play — no filler, no grind. AI-GENERATED LEVELS Describe a shape — spiral, figure-8, knot, hourglass, twin loop — and the game generates a new level matching it. Each generation uses one credit; the Starter Pack includes 4, and you can top up when you want more. WHAT'S INSIDE • 30 hand-designed campaign levels, from gentle tutorial to boss-tier • Four tower types with directional aim-lock • A radial build menu that keeps your finger out of the action • Game Center high-wave leaderboards on every level • Reduced Motion option in Settings • Portrait, single-handed play IN-APP PURCHASES • Starter Pack ($2.99): unlocks levels 11–30 and includes 4 AI level credits • Credits 4-Pack ($1.99): four additional AI level credits SHARING Custom levels can be shared with friends by tapping an import link. Levels are filtered for objectionable content; long-press any received level to report it. No ads. No tracking. No account required.

Screenshots

CosmoGen4 screens
Retro TD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CosmoGen at none against Retro TD's 2. Retro TD's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Retro TD sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. CosmoGen asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CosmoGen ships an update every 3 months, Retro TD every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 4 level
CosmoGen versus Retro TD: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCosmoGenRetro TD
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB11 MB
Age rating12+9+
Developerpezhman mohammadzadehkordestaniDoug Barrett

In-app purchases

None

CosmoGen

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Retro TD

One-time2
  • 4 AI Level Credits$1.99
  • Starter Pack$2.99

Questions

Is CosmoGen free?
CosmoGen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retro TD free?
Retro TD is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do CosmoGen or Retro TD have ads?
Neither CosmoGen nor Retro TD shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CosmoGen or Retro TD?
CosmoGen ships an update every 3 months, and Retro TD every 3 days. Most recently, CosmoGen was updated on October 24, 2026 and Retro TD on October 7, 2026.

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