Sky Force Reloaded vs Populus Run
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sky Force Reloaded
Experience an intense scrolling shooter with explosive action, diverse aircraft, and challenging missions. Master beautiful stages, battle colossal bosses, and customize your plane with hundreds of upgrades. Rescue operatives and collect bonus cards for deeper gameplay.
- 15 beautiful and immersive stages
- Enormous and intimidating bosses
- Unlock new difficulty modes
- Rescue missing operatives
- Assemble 9 different aircrafts
- Hunt down 30 bonus cards
- Hundreds of weapon and equipment upgrades
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The shoot ‘em up you were looking for! New entry in the series will keep you entertained with all the things you’ve came to love in scrolling shooters. Meaty explosions, incinerating lasers, collosal bosses and diverse aircrafts to pilot. “Sky Force Reloaded” is not your average scrolling shooter. It will draw you in with its beautiful environments and intense effects. It will keep you with its superb gameplay mechanics, progression system and in-game collectibles. It will leave you wishing for more, once it’s over. Fortunately, there’s a lot to do before that happens. * Master 15 beautiful and immersive stages with challenging missions to complete. * Battle enormous and intimidating bosses, laugh when they explode and cry when you explode. * Unlock new difficulty modes, all the way from Normal to Nightmare. * Put yourself in danger to rescue missing operatives from the battlefield. * Assemble and test 9 different aircrafts. Pick your favorite, with its unique features and play style. * Hunt down 30 elusive bonus cards to add even more depth to the gameplay. Some of them will grant permanent benefits, while others will boost your abilities only temporarily. * Install hundreds of upgrades to your weapons, shields and other equipment. Turn your plane into a flying tank. * Complete in-game objectives to unlock 8 assisting technicians. Choose one of them to help you with their special skill. * Spot the wrecks of your fallen friends and get rewards for picking them up. * Appreciate highly polished gameplay and well balanced difficulty curve, whether you consider yourself a casual gamer or a die-hard shmup fanatic. * Enjoy professional voiceover and incredible electronic soundtrack. Welcome to your new favorite shoot ‘em up. Welcome to Sky Force Reloaded!
Populus Run
Control a crowd of people in this unique running game. Dodge obstacles, battle quirky bosses, and discover hidden characters. Enjoy the full experience with a one-time purchase.
- Control a crowd of people
- Dodge giant fast food
- Slide down pipes
- Battle rapper bosses
- Hardcore mode
- Collect secret characters
- Original soundtrack
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Play the opening levels for free with no ads. Unlock the full game forever with a single in-app purchase. Populus Run is the unconventional running game where you control a crowd of people. • Dodge giant fast food • Slide down pipes like at a waterpark • Battle rapper bosses, including Macaron, Donut, and Burger • Test yourself in Hardcore mode • Collect all the secret characters who are hidden in the levels • Show your respect for the upbeat original soundtrack with its choral singing Populus Run was originally released exclusively on Apple Arcade. Now it's available on the App Store. If you've played the game before, your progress and achievements will be carried over.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Populus Run at none against Sky Force Reloaded's shown. Sky Force Reloaded's advantage is ratings volume (11K vs 1.5K) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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 Reloaded sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Populus Run sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Sky Force Reloaded against 4.7 for Populus Run. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sky Force Reloaded has 11K ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 75% of Sky Force Reloaded's written reviews are positive against 70% of Populus Run's.
Sky Force Reloaded ships an update monthly, Populus Run every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sky Force Reloaded | Populus Run |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (11K ratings) — better | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 74.9% of reviews — better | 69.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 1.5K |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 weeks — 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, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 687 MB | 523 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Infinite Dreams Inc. | FIFTYTWO |
Customer experience
Sky Force Reloaded
Populus Run
User reviews
Sky Force Reloaded
From 11K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 🎨 Excellent graphics
- 💰 Fair monetization
- 🕹️ Addictive arcade-style action
- 🎮 Great for mobile gaming
Room to improve
- 🕰️ Repetitive grinding required
- 🔁 Difficulty increases too rapidly
- 🔒 Lack of account sync across devices
- 🔇 Unresponsive controls at times
- 📢 Intrusive ads
Populus Run
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Amazing game
- 👍 Great developers
- 👍 Fantastic music
- 👍 Relaxing and fun
- 👍 Colorful and visually appealing
Room to improve
- 💰 Paywall after first few levels
- 🐛 Occasional performance issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on some devices
Bugs and requests
Sky Force Reloaded
Reported bugs
3 issues- Occasional crashes
- Inconsistent performance on some devices
- Syncing issues with saved progress
Requested features
5 requests- More level variety
- Ability to customize controls
- Landscape mode support
- Expanded upgrade system
- Multiplayer or co-op modes
Populus Run
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing on login screen
- Graphical glitches on certain devices
- Saved data not restoring properly
Requested features
4 requests- Make the full game free to play
- Add more levels and worlds
- Improve level selection UI
- Allow customization of controls
In-app purchases
Sky Force Reloaded
- Precious Cargo$1.99
- SX2 - Star Doubler$3.99
- Ads Removal$3.99
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- Plane Generator$3.99
- Starter Pack$9.99
Populus Run
- Full Game$3.99
Questions
Is Sky Force Reloaded free?
Is Populus Run free?
Which has better reviews, Sky Force Reloaded or Populus Run?
Do Sky Force Reloaded or Populus Run have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sky Force Reloaded or Populus Run?
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