Comparison

XenoShyft vs Gaia Project

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

Head to head
About

XenoShyft

Defend your base from relentless alien waves in this cooperative deck-building strategy game. Coordinate with up to three other players to outfit your troops, plan your defenses, and survive nine rounds of intense combat.

Highlights
  • 1-4 player cooperative gameplay
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Base defense strategy
  • Strategic planning and coordination
  • Inventive armor and weapon upgrades
  • Beautifully illustrated universe
Features
Read full description

The hit Kickstarter boardgame, now available on mobile! IMPORTANT: This app requires iPhone 5 or newer, iPad 3 or newer, iPad Mini or iPod Touch 5th generation or newer! Defend against waves of horrific aliens in this beautifully illustrated, base defense, deck-building game for 1 to 4 players! "One of the most fun co-op games I have played in a long time!" - Tom Vasel (The Dice Tower) "The enemies are just monstrous and difficult!" - Rodney Smith (Watch it Played) In XenoShyft Onslaught players take on the role of a commander in the NorTec Corporation. You're tasked with defending your division of the NorTec base as wave after wave of horrific aliens attempt to destroy the base and end NorTec's strip mining operation. Gameplay Features 1 - 4 players - Single player compatible, fully cooperative gameplay. Strong focus on coordination and strategic planning - to overcome the game's intense difficulty players will need to work together. Base-Defense with deck-building elements Incredible art - Illustrated by three amazing artists, XenoShyft features beautiful and consistent art. All of which creates one cohesive and frightening universe. Inventive and exciting armor and weapon upgrade cards - You'll need to outfit your troops with the best equipment if you hope to survive. Xenoshyft is a game for 1-4 players, with each player controlling one of the divisions of the Nortec military: The Science Labs, Med Bay, Armory, Weapon's Research, Barracks and Command Center. Each of these divisions represents one part of the overall Nortec base, and it is your job as Commander of these divisions to protect the base while its field operations are completed. You and your teammates will have to work together to survive the continuous onslaught of powerful alien threats and horrors – the goal of the mission is not to wipe out these threats, it is merely to outlast them! Survive through nine rounds of combat with these horrors and the base will have succeeded in its mission, and you and your allies will have survived to fight another day!

About

Gaia Project

Embark on a strategic journey to colonize the galaxy by mastering terraforming. Each of the 14 unique factions has distinct environmental needs, driving the need to adapt planets for survival. This is the official digital adaptation of the acclaimed board game.

Highlights
  • 14 unique factions
  • Peaceful galactic colonization
  • Terraforming mechanics
  • Adaptable environmental needs
  • Official digital board game adaptation
Features
Read full description

In Gaia Project, each player controls one of 14 factions striving to peacefully colonize the Terra Mystica galaxy. Each faction has different environmental needs to survive on a planet. These needs have led the factions to master terraforming, enabling them to make different planet types habitable for themselves. This is the official digital version of the board game Gaia Project by Feuerland Verlag. Minimum RAM: 3 GB Recommended RAM: 4 GB Gaia Project is a graphics-heavy board game with advanced AI opponents. Your gameplay speed and AI strength may be limited with older devices.

Screenshots

XenoShyft4 screens
Gaia Project4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Gaia Project at 4.0 against XenoShyft's 3.5. Gaia Project also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and review sentiment (59% vs 46%). XenoShyft's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (7.0 vs 14.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

XenoShyft costs $4.99 and Gaia Project $9.99 up front. XenoShyft sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Gaia Project asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Gaia Project holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 28 and 38 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of XenoShyft's written reviews are positive against 59% of Gaia Project's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
XenoShyft versus Gaia Project: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXenoShyftGaia Project
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating3.5 (28 ratings)4.0 (38 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.8% of reviews59.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2838 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size504 MB371 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTwin Sails InteractiveDIGIDICED

Customer experience

XenoShyft

All ratings27 ratings
Positive48.1%
Neutral22.2%
Negative29.6%
Written reviews72 reviews
Positive45.8%
Neutral15.3%
Negative38.9%

Gaia Project

All ratings39 ratings
Positive71.8%
Neutral10.3%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive59.1%
Neutral15.9%
Negative25.0%

In-app purchases

6 purchases

XenoShyft

One-time6
  • Grafting Lab$0.99
  • Psychogenics Lab$0.99
  • The Hive Expansion$0.99
Show 3 more
  • NorTec Elite$1.99
  • Forbidden Sciences$2.99
  • Dreadmire$3.99
None

Gaia Project

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XenoShyft free?
XenoShyft costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Gaia Project free?
Gaia Project costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, XenoShyft or Gaia Project?
Gaia Project is rated higher. XenoShyft averages 3.5 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Gaia Project averages 4.0 from 38 ratings.
Do XenoShyft or Gaia Project have ads?
Neither XenoShyft nor Gaia Project shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XenoShyft or Gaia Project?
XenoShyft ships an update monthly, and Gaia Project monthly. Most recently, XenoShyft was updated on October 26, 2026 and Gaia Project on October 27, 2026.

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