Comparison

Red 1 vs Strayward

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

Head to head
About

Red 1

Test your knife-throwing accuracy against waves of approaching enemies. Aim precisely and throw with skill to eliminate threats before they reach you and survive each level.

Highlights
  • Knife throwing mechanics
  • Precise aiming
  • Wave-based enemy survival
  • Accuracy-focused gameplay
Features
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Enemies are everywhere and they're coming for you. Use your knife-throwing skills to stop them before they reach you. Aim well, throw with precision, and survive every wave of enemies.

About

Strayward

Features
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Strayward is an endless vertical-descent arcade. One thumb. Endless floors. A different face of abandonment every run. In the Forgotten City, every stray has heard the same legend — at the very bottom there is a Door, and beyond it, a place where every stray belongs. So they descend. Through Neon Ruins, Flooded Metro, Forgotten Foundations. Floor after floor. Faster than the chase that follows. Each run picks one danger — the Flood, the Cold, Traffic, the Dark, Hunger, Illness, Loneliness, or the Rogue Animal — and that danger drives both the rising chase behind you and the obstacles on the floors. Floor types bias with the threat: ice on cold nights, conveyor belts under traffic, crumbling ledges when the ground itself is unwell. Pick a stray: Ash the orange cat — a Slink that makes the chase lose ground. Patch the Shiba Inu — a Guard invulnerability for the moments that matter. Nix the raccoon — Scavenge pulls coins out of the bins (magnet included). Pip the pigeon — Preen shakes off sickness, vertigo, and frostbite. One more run. Modes for every night: Normal descent, Daily with a pinned threat, Living (survive on the clock), Boss (race the Door Boss for your fastest kill), and Creative (author a challenge, share a code, or browse what others published). Personal-best toasts mid-descent. A leaderboard of strays who got further than you last night. Spend a Boss ticket in Boss mode (earn via Normal or buy for 100 coins in the shop) and you drop straight into the Door Boss fight — bank shards on the way down, then Strike to win. Your fastest kill tops the Boss board. Free to play. Soft currency only — every character is unlockable through play. Optional Remove Ads purchase. Downward. Homeward.

Screenshots

Red 14 screens
Strayward4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Strayward at none against Red 1's shown. Strayward also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Red 1's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, 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

Red 1 ships an update every 3 weeks, Strayward every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Red 1 versus Strayward: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRed 1Strayward
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size248 MB83 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperZain UI AbideenYiu Tung LAM

In-app purchases

None

Red 1

No in-app purchases

None

Strayward

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Red 1 free?
Red 1 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strayward free?
Strayward is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Red 1 or Strayward have ads?
Red 1 shows ads; Strayward does not.
Which is updated more often, Red 1 or Strayward?
Red 1 ships an update every 3 weeks, and Strayward every 4 days. Most recently, Red 1 was updated on October 16, 2026 and Strayward on October 20, 2026.

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