Comparison

Sky Force vs Mayday!

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Stunning 3D graphics
  • Intuitive touchscreen controls
  • Powerful ship upgrade system
  • Weekly player tournaments
  • Rescue fallen pilots for rewards
  • Multiple boss battles
  • In-game achievements
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Mayday!

Pilot your way through a relentless barrage of missiles in this action-packed survival game. Collect power-ups to enhance your abilities, provoke spectacular collisions, and upgrade your skills to outlast the increasing threat. Can you achieve the highest score and prove yourself the greatest pilot?

Highlights
  • Avoid incoming missiles
  • Provoke missile collisions
  • Collect power-ups
  • Upgrade skills
  • Increase speed
  • Use shields
  • Deflect missiles
Features
Read full description

Avoid the missiles. Surviving is your mission! Mayday! is a challenging and addictive game and your mission is to survive, avoiding to be hit by enemy' artillery. Do your best to show who is the greatest pilot. The missiles are getting closer and you do not know what to do? - Avoid missiles - Provoke awesome collisions between missiles - Experience incredible action scenes - Do an EPIC dodge Collect the power-ups and turn the game around! - Increase your speed - Protect yourself with the shield - Easily deflect by reducing missiles' speed - Explode them all! Get all the coins to purchase power-ups and upgrades inside the store! Upgrades and power-ups can help you to survive longer. Show your stealth skills, but be careful! The more you play, the more missiles shows up! -- .- -.-- -.. .- -.--

Screenshots

Sky Force4 screens
Mayday!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Sky Force at 2.1K against Mayday!'s 5. Mayday!'s advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 89%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Sky Force sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Mayday! sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mayday! holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sky Force has 2.1K ratings behind it against 5, 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 100% of Mayday!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sky Force ships an update every 2 months, Mayday! monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Sky Force versus Mayday!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSky ForceMayday!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.1K ratings)5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews89.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.1K — better5
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size260 MB77 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperInfinite Dreams Inc.Felipe Goulart

Customer experience

Sky Force

All ratings2,062 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews1,957 reviews
Positive89.5%
Neutral3.4%
Negative7.1%

Mayday!

All ratings5 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Mayday!

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Sky Force

One-time4
  • Precious Cargo$1.99
  • Ads Removal$3.99
  • Plane Generator$3.99
Show 1 more
  • SX2 - Star Doubler$3.99
5 purchases

Mayday!

One-time5
  • Fistful of gems$0.99
  • Pack of gems$1.99
  • Bag of gems$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Box of gems$3.99
  • Chest of gems$4.99

Questions

Is Sky Force free?
Sky Force is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mayday! free?
Mayday! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sky Force or Mayday!?
Mayday! is rated higher. Sky Force averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Mayday! averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.
Do Sky Force or Mayday! have ads?
Both Sky Force and Mayday! show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sky Force or Mayday!?
Sky Force ships an update every 2 months, and Mayday! monthly. Most recently, Sky Force was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mayday! on June 1, 2026.

Other comparisons