Celestrike vs XCOM 2
Published 19 October 2026 · All guides
In short: both are strategy games on iPhone and Android with something alien in them, and that is about where the similarity ends. XCOM 2 is a premium turn-based tactics game in which aliens have already won and you lead the resistance. Celestrike is a free satellite-espionage game in which the alien is a slow, deniable mystery you uncover from orbit. Written by Celestrike's developer.
The premise
XCOM 2, made by Firaxis Games, is set twenty years after aliens conquered the Earth. You command a resistance force, recruit and train soldiers, and fight the occupation. The aliens are known, named and everywhere from the first mission.
Celestrike starts as an ordinary spy game: you take a black-budget satellite programme rogue and sell what it sees. Only gradually do your cameras catch things that answer to no registry: shapes in low orbit, craft that land and leave. The game never says what they are.
How you play
XCOM 2: turn-based battles on a grid. You move a squad from cover to cover, weigh percentage shots, and lose soldiers permanently. Between missions you run a base and a research tree.
Celestrike: a management and strategy game on a live globe. You aim satellites at targets on real orbits, wait for passes, spend what you earn on upgrades, and later fight foreign satellites with mines, a railgun and EMPs. Late on you can build a black-triangle craft and fight UFOs yourself in a short real-time, arcade-style dogfight.
Session length
XCOM 2 missions take a while, and the game is happiest with a long sit-down and, ideally, an iPad or a controller.
Celestrike is built for a phone held upright and a few minutes at a time. Time keeps passing while the app is closed, so you come back to work that has finished.
Platforms and price
- XCOM 2 Collection: ported by Feral Interactive to iOS in November 2020 and Android in July 2021, with the War of the Chosen expansion and four DLC packs included. A one-off premium price with no in-app purchases. It is demanding, so check your device is supported.
- Celestrike: iPhone and Android since 2026. Free, with no ads and no accounts; the only purchase is optional packs of hours that fast-forward the game clock.
Which is for you?
If you want deep squad tactics and a full alien war, XCOM 2 is one of the best strategy games on any platform and well worth its price. If you are more interested in the UFO lore of black triangles and the Black Knight satellite, in real orbits, or in something you can play in a spare five minutes, try Celestrike.
Where Celestrike comes in
Celestrike is free, so it costs nothing to see whether its slower, stranger take on the unexplained is for you. Celestrike is a free spy-satellite strategy game for iPhone and Android, played on real orbits — on the App Store and Google Play.