XenoShyft vs Gaia Project
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 1-4 player cooperative gameplay
- Deck-building mechanics
- Base defense strategy
- Strategic planning and coordination
- Inventive armor and weapon upgrades
- Beautifully illustrated universe
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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!
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.
- 14 unique factions
- Peaceful galactic colonization
- Terraforming mechanics
- Adaptable environmental needs
- Official digital board game adaptation
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | XenoShyft | Gaia Project |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (28 ratings) | 4.0 (38 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.8% of reviews | 59.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 28 | 38 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 7.0 — better | 14.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 504 MB | 371 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Twin Sails Interactive | DIGIDICED |
Customer experience
XenoShyft
Gaia Project
In-app purchases
XenoShyft
- Grafting Lab$0.99
- Psychogenics Lab$0.99
- The Hive Expansion$0.99
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- NorTec Elite$1.99
- Forbidden Sciences$2.99
- Dreadmire$3.99
Gaia Project
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is XenoShyft free?
Is Gaia Project free?
Which has better reviews, XenoShyft or Gaia Project?
Do XenoShyft or Gaia Project have ads?
Which is updated more often, XenoShyft or Gaia Project?
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