Comparison

Nodewar vs Neon Tentacles

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

Head to head
About

Nodewar

Features
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Welcome to Nodewar! Command nodes, outsmart the AI, and conquer the grid across 40 handcrafted levels and 5 unique worlds. Nodewar is a minimalist strategy game where you command nodes on a grid to capture enemy territory. Send units along connections, outgrow your opponents, and conquer every node to claim victory. FIVE UNIQUE WORLDS โ€ข Foundations โ€” Learn the basics of node warfare โ€ข Strategy โ€” Generators, fortresses, and relays change the game โ€ข Mastery โ€” Limited moves and chain reactions test your skill โ€ข Fog of War โ€” Hidden nodes add tension and surprise โ€ข Time Attack โ€” Race against the clock with every constraint combined 40 HANDCRAFTED LEVELS Each level is a unique puzzle of positioning, timing, and resource management. Earn up to 3 stars per level based on your speed. DAILY CHALLENGES A new procedurally generated level every day. Build your streak and sharpen your tactics. KEY FEATURES โ€ข Clean, minimalist design with smooth animations โ€ข Three AI personalities: aggressive, defensive, and balanced โ€ข Undo system to correct mistakes โ€ข Adjustable game speed (1x, 2x, 3x) โ€ข Five premium cosmetic themes to customize your style โ€ข iCloud sync across devices โ€ข No ads. Ever. Nodewar rewards careful thinking over quick reflexes. Every level can be won with the right strategy.

About

Neon Tentacles

Features
Read full description

Drag a tentacle โ€” and the whole screen comes alive. NEON TENTACLES is a glowing strategy game about warring luminous cells, where every level is won by cunning, not by finger speed. HOW IT WORKS Stretch a tentacle from your cell to another โ€” charges run down the strand and start pumping life across. When two strands meet, a duel begins: charges collide midway and annihilate each other, and the stronger flow pushes through. Swipe across an enemy strand to cut it and collapse the enemy's supply line. A cell's charge is its power: new tentacle slots unlock at thresholds of 15, 60, 120 and 250, and cells mutate as they grow. 240 LEVELS, 10 CHAPTERS From the first steps of Awakening to the final Core, every chapter adds a new mechanic โ€” mutant strains, fast and slow zones, pulsars that cut everything around them, drifting spores, bombs, fog of war. Bosses await at the end of chapters. EVOLUTION Earn up to three stars per level, collect DNA and invest it in the evolution tree: charge speed, cell capacity, regeneration. Build a genome that fits your style. WHAT'S INSIDE - 240 levels across 10 chapters with rising difficulty - bosses and unique mechanics in every chapter - tentacle duels: real-time clashes of opposing flows - an evolution tree: speed, capacity and regeneration upgrades - Daily Trial โ€” a fresh level every day - achievements and detailed statistics - up to three stars per level and DNA for mastery - English and Russian localization - smooth 120 fps on supported devices FAIR PLAY No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscriptions. No account required, no data collection, and the game is fully playable offline โ€” on a plane, on the subway, anywhere. Easy to pick up, deep to master: early levels take a minute, while late chapters will make you cut supply lines, feed the front and plan every tentacle. Ready for the clinch?

Screenshots

Nodewar4 screens
Neon Tentacles4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Neon Tentacles at none against Nodewar's 6. Neon Tentacles also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 2 days) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.4). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Nodewar sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Neon Tentacles asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nodewar ships an update every 2 days, Neon Tentacles daily. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Nodewar versus Neon Tentacles: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNodewarNeon Tentacles
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 daysDaily โ€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.416.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size4 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPragmaTecArtem Kopaleyshvili

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Nodewar

One-time6
  • Neon Glow$0.99
  • Toxic$0.99
  • Solar Flare$0.99
Show 3 more
  • Phantom$0.99
  • Royal$0.99
  • Unlock Full Game$4.99
None

Neon Tentacles

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nodewar free?
Nodewar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Neon Tentacles free?
Neon Tentacles is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Nodewar or Neon Tentacles have ads?
Neither Nodewar nor Neon Tentacles shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nodewar or Neon Tentacles?
Nodewar ships an update every 2 days, and Neon Tentacles daily. Most recently, Nodewar was updated on October 14, 2026 and Neon Tentacles on October 19, 2026.

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