Sky Force vs Explodey
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sky Force
Experience a classic arcade shooter reborn with stunning 3D graphics and intuitive touch controls. Upgrade your ship, battle intense bosses, and compete in weekly tournaments against other players. Rescue fallen pilots for rewards and achieve victory in this action-packed scrolling shooter.
- Stunning 3D graphics
- Intuitive touchscreen controls
- Powerful ship upgrade system
- Weekly player tournaments
- Rescue fallen pilots for rewards
- Multiple boss battles
- In-game achievements
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Sky Force - The Legendary Shoot'em Up Reborn for a New Generation Sky Force is a modern arcade shoot'em up that brings classic top-down shooter action back to mobile with explosive 3D visuals, satisfying progression, and endless replay value. The skies are burning. Enemy squadrons, towering war machines, and colossal bosses stand between you and victory. Strap into the cockpit, push the throttle, and rediscover one of the most acclaimed airplane games ever made. A Classic SHMUP Experience, Rebuilt for Modern Players Inspired by the golden age of vertical arcade shooters, Sky Force 2014 combines fast-paced aerial combat with smooth touch controls, handcrafted enemy waves, and intense bullet-dodging action. Every mission challenges your reflexes, your timing, and your ability to stay calm when the screen fills with fire. Whether you are a longtime fan of classic shoot'em up games, a bullet hell veteran, or discovering the genre for the first time, Sky Force delivers a polished, accessible, and deeply rewarding arcade experience. Explosive 3D Action on Mobile Sky Force takes the classic top-down shooter formula and upgrades it with detailed 3D environments, cinematic explosions, dynamic effects, and beautifully designed battlefields. Fight across oceans, scorched war zones, and storm-filled skies as you blast through enemy forces and push deeper into the campaign. Every stage is built to feel fast, readable, and satisfying - perfect for quick mobile sessions, but deep enough to keep you coming back for perfect runs. Play online or take the action offline anywhere you go. Epic Boss Battles That Test Your Skill Massive flying fortresses. Mechanized war machines. Screen-filling enemies armed with devastating bullet patterns. Sky Force's boss battles are designed to be both spectacular and demanding. Learn their attacks, dodge incoming fire, strike at the right moment, and prove you have what it takes to become an ace pilot. Upgrade Your Ship and Master Every Mission This is more than a one-run arcade shooter. Sky Force rewards persistence, precision, and smart upgrades. Collect stars, improve your aircraft, and return stronger after every mission. Upgrade your main cannon, side guns, magnets, shields, missiles, and special weapons. Rescue civilians, complete objectives, unlock new difficulty levels, and chase medals as you work toward 100% completion. Every run matters. Every upgrade brings you closer to building the ultimate fighter. Built for Replayability Sky Force is easy to start, but hard to master. Replay missions on higher difficulties, improve your score, perfect your routes, and compete for better results. With multiple objectives, upgrades, medals, tournaments, and leaderboards, every level gives you a reason to return. Why Players Love Sky Force - Classic vertical shoot 'em up gameplay reimagined for modern devices - Intuitive touch controls designed for fast arcade action - Explosive 3D visuals, cinematic effects, and detailed environments - Deep aircraft upgrade system with meaningful progression - Massive bosses and intense bullet hell combat - Multiple difficulty modes for casual players and hardcore arcade fans - Missions, medals, tournaments, and leaderboards for long-term replay value - Retro arcade soul with modern mobile polish - Plays online or offline, anywhere you go Take to the Skies Sky Force is a love letter to classic arcade shooters - fast, explosive, challenging, and endlessly satisfying. It is the airplane game that redefined mobile shoot 'em ups and continues to thrill millions of pilots worldwide. Download Sky Force free, upgrade your aircraft, and fight your way through one of the most iconic plane shooter experiences ever made. The war for the skies has begun. The leaderboard is waiting. Take off now.
Explodey
Pilot a fighter through exotic planets, battling enemies and solving puzzles to save the galaxy. Customize your ship with a variety of weapons and face challenging bosses. Engage in multiplayer battles with friends and unlock cosmetic hats.
- AAA side-scroller gameplay
- Battle across 5 exotic planets
- Customize fighter with diverse weaponry
- Conquer ground and air units
- Solve challenging puzzles
- LAN multiplayer battles
- Unlock cosmetic hats
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The galaxy is in peril. Equipped with the latest weaponry, pilot your heavily armed fighter through 5 exotic planets to destroy the evil Dr Grag and save the Life Spark. Joining you on your journey is The Engineer, a silicon being capable of building anything you need. Unfortunately, he's also a bit of a jackass... ENGAGE THE ENEMY AND BLOW THEM TO BITS * AAA side scroller * Battle across 5 exotic planets * Conquer a large variety of ground and air units * Deliver precision strikes with an advanced dual joystick configuration * Solve challenging puzzles CUSTOMIZE YOUR FIGHTER WITH EXPLOSIVE WEAPONRY * 5 Ship Bodies - Each improving in destructive power as you progress * 5 Blasters - Normal, Spread, Heal, Cannon, and Sniper * 4 Rockets - Normal, Rapid Fire, Fire Ball, BIG ONE * 4 Bombs - Normal, Mini, Napalm, Fast Drop * 2 Special Weapons - Floating Mine, Shield BATTLE 5 CHALLENGING BOSSES * Battle The Ice Elemental, Mega Tank, Xenogiger, Zargbots, and Dr Grag - the evil mastermind who is holding the galaxy hostage * Recover each of 5 powerful crystals to re-ignite the Life Spark and save the galaxy * Follow along with a riveting story and cast of characters, including you (The Soldier), The Engineer, Dr Grag, and General Goat (The Leader of Resistance, Leader of The Knights of Galadorn, Defender of the Universe, and our pet). DESTROY YOUR FRIENDS IN MULTIPLAYER * Engage in LAN battles with friends. Show them who's boss by exploding them. INCREASE YOUR SOCIAL STATUS WITH HATS * Yeah, they don't do anything special except make you look awesome * Complete all levels and earn The General's Hat, complete with Cigar * Complete all achievements and earn The Mighty Beanie of Galderon. MAKE TRIPS TO THE TOILET LAST 4x LONGER * Forget sending email and browsing Instagram on the toilet - what a waste of time. Play Explodey for hours and hours and when your boss asks what's been going on, you can say EXPLODEY JERK. MORE INFO * Works with just the touch screen, but you can also use a gamepad (must be MFi compatible) * Headphones recommended to soak up the sound * The game is free to play the first world and to play LAN multiplayer. $2.99 unlocks the rest of the galaxy. You can also buy hats on the cheap or you can find them during missions. All proceeds go to tacos, coffee, the kids' college fund, and my next insane project. * iMessage stickers include a dancing engineer, for your dancing engineer convenience. Come chat on our Discord channel! https://discord.gg/7cRKNqD
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Sky Force at 4.7 against Explodey's 3.9. Sky Force also leads on ratings volume (2.1K vs 9) and review sentiment (89% vs 67%). Explodey's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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
Both are free to download. Sky Force sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Explodey sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Sky Force holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sky Force has 2.1K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Sky Force's written reviews are positive against 67% of Explodey's.
Sky Force ships an update every 2 months, Explodey every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sky Force | Explodey |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (2.1K ratings) — better | 3.9 (9 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 89.5% of reviews — better | 66.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 9 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 8.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 260 MB | 1.1 GB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Infinite Dreams Inc. | YitYat Studios |
Customer experience
Sky Force
Explodey
Bugs and requests
Sky Force
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game crashes on launch for some users
- Saved progress not syncing across devices
- Ads not working as expected
Requested features
4 requests- More levels and content updates
- Controller support
- Ability to reset progress
- Customization options for the ship
Explodey
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sky Force
- Precious Cargo$1.99
- Ads Removal$3.99
- Plane Generator$3.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- SX2 - Star Doubler$3.99
Explodey
- VR Goggles$0.99
- Mohawk$0.99
- Pirate Hat$0.99
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Plain Hat$0.99
- Top Hat$0.99
- Wizarding Hat$0.99
- Hair Bow$0.99
- Hard Hat$0.99
- Elf Hat$0.99
- Viking Hat$0.99
- Cheese$0.99
- Unlock All Worlds$2.99









