Banner Saga vs XCOM 2 Collection
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Banner Saga
Embark on an epic tactical RPG journey where your strategic choices shape your personal story and the world. Lead a caravan across stunning environments, battle enemies, and build relationships to ensure your clan's survival in a bleak, Norse-inspired fantasy realm.
- Epic tactical RPG journey
- Norse mythology-inspired world
- Branching narrative with real consequences
- Strategic turn-based combat
- Over 25 playable characters
- Beautiful 2D rotoscope animation
Read full descriptionHide full description
Embark on your own epic journey in Banner Saga, the critically acclaimed tactical RPG where your strategic choices directly affect your personal story and the world around you. Leave your home and strike out on a desperate journey to save your people. Lead your caravan across stunning environments and into war with enemy clans and vicious Drudge soldiers. Build relationships and make choices that will shape the future of your clan as you scramble to survive in this beautiful, bleak world. Banner Saga Features: - A unique fantasy realm inspired by Norse mythology – explore a grim world shaped by the legends of the Vikings. Uncover ancient lore and battle tooth and nail to carve out a new bastion in a world abandoned by the gods. - Beautiful 2D rotoscope animation - immerse yourself in beautifully hand drawn combat sequences and animations, accompanied by an evocative score from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory. - Real choices with real consequences – every decision you make on the trail, in conversation and during combat has a meaningful effect on the outcome as your unique story unfolds. - Over 25 playable characters with unique personalities – form relationships in and out of combat with a variety of characters from 7 different classes, each with unique abilities and upgrade options to fit your play style. - Strategic combat with permanent repercussions – choose your warriors, form your strategy and strike. Adapt to a dynamic battlefield where your tactics determine who lives and who dies. Victory, defeat and even the permanent loss of a character depends on the choices you make. - Winner of the Geekie Award for best Indie Video Game, 2014, Independent Games Festival Finalist for Excellence in Visual Art and Honorable mentions for Design and Audio. Only your choices can guide your caravan through the harsh winter, past mystical enemies and brutal Viking clans. When the trail is uncertain, can you take the lead? Download Banner Saga and begin your journey today. NOTE: Banner Saga does NOT run on iPhone 4. iPhone 4S and more modern devices recommended.
XCOM 2 Collection
Lead a resistance against an alien occupation on Earth. Engage in turn-based tactical combat, customize your soldiers, and undertake unique missions. This collection includes the full game and all DLC packs, optimized for mobile devices.
- Turn-based tactical combat
- Full game and DLC included
- Mobile-optimized touch interface
- Soldier customization
- Procedurally generated missions
- Alien resistance gameplay
Read full descriptionHide full description
READ BEFORE BUYING: Please expand this description and read the full list of supported devices below to confirm that your device is supported. Aliens rule Earth with a new order promising a brilliant future for those who conform, while silencing all those who do not. At the edges of the world, the scattered forces of XCOM gather to defend humanity, ignite a global resistance, and reclaim the planet. Bring down the alien regime from your iPad or iPhone with the XCOM 2 Collection; the complete experience of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen and four DLC packs in a single package with no in-app purchases. COMPLETE COMMAND Delivers all the turn-based tactical challenges of XCOM 2: War of the Chosen. ENGINEERED FOR iOS Lead the Resistance using a touch-screen Command Interface designed for mobile. CUSTOMISE YOUR SQUADS Customise each soldier’s look, loadout and abilities. EVERY GAME A UNIQUE CHALLENGE Direct your forces through a near-infinite combination of goals, missions, and maps. INCLUDES FOUR DLC PACKS Access new missions, soldier types, and enemies with XCOM 2's DLC packs. XCOM 2 Collection requires iOS 18 or later. You need 11GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. Supported iPhones: • iPhone XR and later • iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020) and later • iPhone Air (2025) Supported iPads: • iPad - 8th Generation (2020) and later • iPad mini - 5th Generation (2019) and later • iPad Air - 3rd Generation (2019) and later • iPad Pro - 3rd Generation (2018) and later • If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com © 2026 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Originally developed by Firaxis Games. Take-Two Interactive Software, 2K, Firaxis Games, XCOM, XCOM 2, and their respective logos are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive. iOS and the iOS logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other marks and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Banner Saga at 4.8 against XCOM 2 Collection's 4.4. Banner Saga also leads on price ($9.99 vs $14.99) and review sentiment (73% vs 62%). XCOM 2 Collection's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Banner Saga costs $9.99 and XCOM 2 Collection $14.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Banner Saga holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.1K and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Banner Saga's written reviews are positive against 62% of XCOM 2 Collection's.
Banner Saga ships an update every 3 months, XCOM 2 Collection monthly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Banner Saga | XCOM 2 Collection |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 — better | $14.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.1K ratings) — better | 4.4 (1.1K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 72.5% of reviews — better | 62.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | 1.1K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #144 | #56 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.9 GB | 3.4 GB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Stoic | Feral Interactive Ltd |
Customer experience
Banner Saga
XCOM 2 Collection
User reviews
Banner Saga
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🎨 Beautiful artwork and animation
- 🎵 Excellent music and sound design
- 📚 Compelling and immersive story
- 🤔 Meaningful choices with consequences
- 🕹️ Engaging and challenging tactical combat
Room to improve
- 🔍 Small text and UI elements on smaller devices
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🕰️ Slow loading times between scenes
- 🗺️ Limited exploration of the game world
- 💰 Perceived high price for the length of the game
XCOM 2 Collection
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 🎮 Excellent mobile controls
- 💎 Full game experience with DLC
- 👍 Faithful port of PC version
Room to improve
- 🔋 High battery drain
- 🔍 Graphical downgrade from PC
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🤔 Difficulty with double-tap movement
Bugs and requests
Banner Saga
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on loading screens or during battles
- Unresponsive or misregistered touch controls
- Graphical glitches and visual artifacts
Requested features
4 requests- Cloud save support for cross-device play
- Optimization for larger screens and newer devices
- More frequent updates and content expansions
- Additional difficulty settings and challenge modes
XCOM 2 Collection
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to change equipment
- Crashes on certain missions
- Disappearing save files
- Issues with device compatibility
Requested features
4 requests- Add controller support
- Provide option to disable War of the Chosen
- Improve camera controls and UI
- Add more graphical settings
In-app purchases
Banner Saga
No in-app purchases
XCOM 2 Collection
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Banner Saga free?
Is XCOM 2 Collection free?
Which has better reviews, Banner Saga or XCOM 2 Collection?
Do Banner Saga or XCOM 2 Collection have ads?
Which is updated more often, Banner Saga or XCOM 2 Collection?
Which is more popular, Banner Saga or XCOM 2 Collection?
Other comparisons















