Tetrobe vs The Needle in the Haystack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tetrobe
Experience a competitive real-time multiplayer stacking puzzle game. Outmaneuver rivals on a shared board, strategically placing blocks to deplete their hearts before they deplete yours. Enjoy solo practice or private matches with friends.
- Real-time multiplayer matches
- Shared world grid mode
- Single player practice mode
- Special strategy blocks
- Private lobbies with friends
- Easy to learn, hard to master
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Falling blocks were never this competitive. Tetrobe turns the stacking puzzle you grew up on into a real-time multiplayer contest - place fast, think faster, and outmaneuver everyone else sharing your board. This isn't a race to clear lines. It's a contest to outlast. Every player has hearts to protect. Reach your rivals' hearts before they reach yours, and be the last one holding the board. WORLD MODE - ONE SHARED GRID Drop into a persistent world where far more than a handful of players build and expand at the same time. Wander too far and edge markers show you exactly which direction each rival lies in, color-matched to their blocks - and one tap takes you straight back to your own heart. REAL-TIME MULTIPLAYER MATCHES Prefer something tighter? Start a match with up to six players at once. The board is shared and the pace is quick: one clever placement can undo a rival's plan while setting up your next move. SINGLE PLAYER, ANY TIME No connection, no problem. Play a full match against a built-in opponent across three difficulty levels - the same rules engine the live servers run, so practice genuinely carries over. SPECIAL BLOCKS, REAL STRATEGY Walls shield the ground you have claimed. Hearts are what everyone is playing for. Read the board, plan two moves ahead, and place at exactly the right moment. FRIENDS & PRIVATE LOBBIES Add friends with a friend code, see who's online, and open a private lobby to settle who is actually the best. EASY TO LEARN, HARD TO PUT DOWN Anyone can place a block. Winning takes nerve. Balance speed against strategy, draw your rivals into a mistake, and claim the space they leave open. Free to play. Gather your friends or take on the world.
The Needle in the Haystack
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The impossible search becomes a game: every new haystack hides exactly one needle among five million individually addressable straws. Circle the whole pile, zoom down to individual fibres and pull straws directly from the material. The haystack visibly reacts to every removal. No artificial hint automatically reveals the needle. The complete manual search is free and always solvable. Optional Haystack Credits (in-app purchase) unlock the Poke and timed power-ups. The app shows ads; you decide at first launch and any time in Settings whether they may be personalised. No subscriptions. Included: - a deterministically generated 3D haystack with exactly 5,000,000 straw IDs - direct searching on iPhone and iPad - a companion Apple Watch experience - VoiceOver, large text, Reduce Motion, and separate audio and haptic controls - local saves and optional private iCloud backup - no mandatory account; Sign in with Apple only for the optional credit purchase Patience game, technical simulation and performance art meet in one improbably large task.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tetrobe at none against The Needle in the Haystack's 7. Tetrobe also leads on ads (none vs shown). The Needle in the Haystack's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, 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
Both are free to download. The Needle in the Haystack sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Tetrobe asks for nothing beyond the download.
Tetrobe ships an update every 3 weeks, The Needle in the Haystack every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Tetrobe | The Needle in the Haystack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 29 MB | 42 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sean Wagner | Alessandro Brning |
In-app purchases
Tetrobe
No in-app purchases
The Needle in the Haystack
- 100 Credits$0.99
- 300 Credits$2.99
- 500 Credits$3.99
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- 1,000 Credits$8.99
- 2,000 Credits$17.99
- 5,000 Credits$44.99
- 10,000 Credits$89.99
Questions
Is Tetrobe free?
Is The Needle in the Haystack free?
Do Tetrobe or The Needle in the Haystack have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tetrobe or The Needle in the Haystack?
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