Comparison

Subterfuge vs Crownfall

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

Head to head
About

Subterfuge

Engage in a week-long real-time strategy and diplomacy game. Gather intelligence, coordinate with others, and issue orders to influence the game's outcome. Master both strategic planning and player negotiation to achieve victory.

Highlights
  • Week-long real-time gameplay
  • Strategy and diplomacy mechanics
  • Intelligence gathering
  • Order issuance
  • Player coordination
  • Unlimited scheduled orders (with IAP)
  • Private game creation (with IAP)
Features
Read full description

• Multiplayer Game of the Year 2015 by Pocket Tactics * • Best Mobile Games of 2015 by CNET * Subterfuge is a week-long multiplayer game of strategy, diplomacy, and betrayal that plays out in real time. Check in for ten minutes, a few times a day: read the sonar, schedule your orders, and reply to the ally who insists the fleet massing on your border is "purely defensive." Then close the game and get on with your day while your plans execute. BUY ONCE, PLAY ANYWHERE Buying the game on mobile gives you full access to the Steam version. DRIVE THE TIME MACHINE Drag the Time Machine forward and watch tomorrow unfold. See where every visible sub will be, how combat resolves, and what your factories will have produced by Thursday. Then, schedule your own orders to execute at any moment, hours or days ahead. Launch the invasion at 4:12 a.m. without setting an alarm but remember everyone else has a Time Machine too. DEPTH THAT FITS AROUND YOUR LIFE A game of Subterfuge lasts a week or more, but a session lasts minutes. It was designed by two new parents who wanted Diplomacy-grade scheming without giving up their evenings. The strategy happens in your head and on your schedule. THE REAL MAP IS THE OTHER PLAYERS Every alliance, border pact, joint strike, and deception in Subterfuge happens in chat. None of it is enforced by the game. A treaty is worth exactly as much as the person who signed it, intel is worth exactly as much as its source, and the player feeding you sonar reports may be feeding your rival the same. Winning means reading people as sharply as you read the map. NO DICE. NO LUCK. ONLY PEOPLE. The Time Machine can show you tomorrow because there is no randomness. Every battle can be forecast down to the last driller before it happens. Recruit powerful specialists to tilt the math and bend the rules. The only truly unknowable variable in Subterfuge is human intention. COMMUNITY CROSSPLAY SINCE 2015 Join a cross-platform player pool that has kept Subterfuge alive and updated for over a decade. Play the same game from your desk and your phone. Open the war room on a second monitor at work, then answer a treacherous counter-offer from the school pickup line. A TYPICAL WEEK • Day 1: Nine polite introductions. Four proposed alliances. One of them is sincere. • Day 2: You and your neighbor agree to keep borders demilitarized. You both start counting drillers. • Day 4: Your ally proposes a joint strike on the olive. Olive has just proposed the same about your ally. • Day 5: Drill a mine. Sonar picks up a "defensive" fleet drifting towards it, thirty hours out. Plenty of time. You schedule your counter, draft two very different messages, and head to lunch. • Day 6: The trap you scheduled yesterday ago springs mid-meeting, exactly as planned. You watch it from your desk and say nothing. • Day 7: Trap closed. Olive's mine captured. • Day 8: Victory. Your former ally sends a simple message: "Well played. Rematch?"

About

Crownfall

A fantasy strategy board game blending classic chess with modern tactical play. Command the board, plan your moves, and outmaneuver opponents with layered strategy and clean visuals. Designed for players who enjoy thoughtful board games and fantasy-inspired competition.

Highlights
  • Chess-inspired strategy
  • Fantasy board-game presentation
  • Mobile-first interface
  • Turn-based tactical decisions
  • Clean visual design
  • Quick to learn, rewarding to master
Read full description

Crownfall: Arcane Chess is a fantasy strategy board game inspired by classic chess and modern tactical play. Command the board, plan your moves, and outmaneuver your opponent through layered strategy, clean visuals, and fast mobile gameplay. Crownfall is designed for players who enjoy thoughtful board games, tactical decision-making, and fantasy-inspired competition. Features: • Chess-inspired strategy gameplay • Fantasy board-game presentation • Mobile-first interface • Turn-based tactical decisions • Clean visual design • Quick to learn, rewarding to master Crownfall: Arcane Chess is built for strategy fans who want a fresh board-game experience with elegant rules, magical presentation, and competitive depth. No account is required. No real-money purchases are available in this version.

Screenshots

Subterfuge4 screens
Crownfall4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crownfall at none against Subterfuge's 5. Crownfall also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). Subterfuge's advantage is ratings volume (586 vs 3) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 4 weeks). 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. Subterfuge sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Crownfall asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Crownfall holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subterfuge has 586 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Subterfuge's written reviews are positive against 100% of Crownfall's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Subterfuge ships an update every 10 days, Crownfall every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Subterfuge versus Crownfall: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSubterfugeCrownfall
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (586 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings586 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB84 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSecret Plan LLCCaivra Tech LLC

Customer experience

Subterfuge

All ratings585 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews300 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative9.7%

Crownfall

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Subterfuge

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Queen randomly loses hire points
  • Win conditions don't trigger
  • Login screen freezes
  • Game crashes on launch
  • Notifications arrive late
Show 2 more
  • Unable to delete subs on iOS
  • Touchscreen issues (not centered, wrong button presses)

Requested features

13 requests
  • Accelerated gameplay
  • Shorter game modes
  • Alliance feature
  • More specialists
  • New game modes
Show 8 more
  • Ability to view player profiles during game
  • Option to privately tag players
  • Refresh button
  • Ability to delete subs on iOS
  • NAP Breaker medal
  • Customizable backgrounds and items
  • Dark mode option
  • Advanced analytics dashboard

Crownfall

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Subterfuge

Subscriptions1
  • Patron (L3)$4.991 Month
One-time3
  • Medal$0.99
  • Pack of 5 Medals$4.99
  • Level 2 Security Clearance2 variants$9.99
None

Crownfall

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Subterfuge free?
Subterfuge is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Crownfall free?
Crownfall is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Subterfuge or Crownfall?
Crownfall is rated higher. Subterfuge averages 4.7 out of 5 from 586 ratings, while Crownfall averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Subterfuge or Crownfall have ads?
Neither Subterfuge nor Crownfall shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Subterfuge or Crownfall?
Subterfuge ships an update every 10 days, and Crownfall every 4 weeks. Most recently, Subterfuge was updated on October 24, 2026 and Crownfall on October 6, 2026.

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