Blackbox vs Phoenix Games
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Blackbox
This puzzle game challenges you to solve intricate problems without touching the screen. It utilizes minimalistic visual cues, sonic interfaces, and haptic feedback to guide you through unique challenges that require thinking outside the box. Discover a new way to interact with your device and prove your cleverness.
- Touchless gameplay
- Minimalistic visual clues
- Sonic interfaces
- Haptic feedback
- External puzzle solving
- Easter eggs
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So you think you understand this thing you’re holding? Think again. Stop tapping. Stop swiping. In fact, stop touching the screen at all. To crack Blackbox’s puzzles you’ll need to find solitude and stillness, climb mountains, call on friends, get in tune with the cosmos, and think outside the box. Minimalistic visual clues make for incredibly satisfying “Aha!” moments, while sonic interfaces provide an extra level of guidance and nuance that makes Blackbox accessible with or without vision. Thoughtful haptic feedback, Easter eggs on Easter eggs, and solutions that can’t be found beneath the glass of your screen redefine what a puzzle can be. You’ll never see your device the same way again. Think you’re clever? Prove it. (Blackbox is a living game under active development by Ryan McLeod. When not eating burritos or drinking coffee, he’s busy designing and developing new Blackbox challenges.) ■
Phoenix Games
Discover a vast collection of over 60 diverse mini-games, including word, card, puzzle, and math challenges. Engage with a unique plant idle game that ties everything together.
- Over 60 mini-games
- Word games
- Card games
- Color sorting games
- Maths games
- Plant idle game
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Phoenix Games is a collection of mini games, word games, card games, colour sorting games, maths games, grid games... And a Plant idle game to unite them all
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Phoenix Games at none against Blackbox's 10. Blackbox's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, 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. Blackbox sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Phoenix Games asks for nothing beyond the download.
Blackbox ships an update every 9 days, Phoenix Games every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Blackbox | Phoenix Games |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (109K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 92.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 109K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #37 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 209 MB | 308 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Shapes and Stories LLC | Arnaud Jeanroch |
Customer experience
Blackbox
Phoenix Games
Bugs and requests
Blackbox
Reported bugs
2 issues- Hints not working as expected
- Progress reset after app update
Requested features
4 requests- Add ability to earn hint credits through watching ads
- Include more free puzzles
- Improve accessibility for users with limited mobility
- Provide better guidance and instructions for puzzles
Phoenix Games
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Blackbox
- Tiny Hint Pack$1.19
- Small Hint Pack$2.39
- Erudite Pack$2.99
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- Push Pack$2.99
- Coffee for Ryan$4.49
- Basic Pack$4.99
- Medium Hint Pack$5.00
- All Knowing Pack$7.99
- Large Hint Pack$10.00
- Extra Large Hint Pack$20.00
Phoenix Games
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Blackbox free?
Is Phoenix Games free?
Do Blackbox or Phoenix Games have ads?
Which is updated more often, Blackbox or Phoenix Games?
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