The Game Census
Ikaruga cover art

Ikaruga

TREASURE · 2014-02-18

SteamPlayStation StoreEpic Games StoreXboxMicrosoft Store

ActionIndie

Modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen

Releases: Jun 29, 2018 (PlayStation 4), Aug 08, 2013 (Arcade), Apr 15, 2003 (Nintendo GameCube), May 29, 2018 (Nintendo Switch), Jan 18, 2013 (Android), Sep 05, 2002 (Dreamcast)

Shoot! Dodge! and... Get Hit!? "Ikaruga" is a vertical shoot 'em up that features an unique polarity-switching gameplay. Switch the ship's polarity and "get hit and absorb" enemy bullets! Achieve High Score with the chain bonus!

12
playing now
95%
positive of 2.4k reviews
Very Positive
steam rating
100,000–200,000
owners (SteamSpy est.)
90/100
critic score (1 outlets, IGDB)
76/100
IGDB user rating (11 ratings)
platinum
deck/linux tier (ProtonDB)
$9.99
steam price (US)

12 players in-game as of 2026-08-30 05:00 UTC (census sample)

Ikaruga is a bullet hell game developed by Treasure. It is the spiritual sequel to Radiant Silvergun (1998) and was originally released in Japanese arcades in December 2001. The story follows a rebel pilot named Shinra as he battles an enemy nation using a specially designed fighter called the Ikaruga which can flip between two polarities, black and white. This polarity mechanism is the game's key feature and the foundation for its stage and enemy design. All enemies and bullets in the game are either black or white. Bullets which are the same color as the player are absorbed while the others will kill the player. The game features both single-player and cooperative modes.

Health check

Quietly active
  • · 12 players in-game at the last census sample.
  • · 84 reviews in the last 8 weeks (~11/week).
  • · Review velocity up 18% vs the prior 8 weeks.
  • · Top 24% of 10,862 Action games in the census by review count.

Health tier since 2026-08-30

Estimated sales: 59k–142k copies

Review-multiple estimate from 2,363 total reviews — how this is computed.

Current store prices

Microsoft Store$3.29-67%

Deal snapshots via CheapShark, refreshed daily.

All-time low: $4.99 at Steam (2014-06-19)via IsThereAnyDeal

12-month high $9.99 · on sale 6 of 11 observed days · at its all-time low (census price snapshots)

Review momentum

PositiveNegative
242420182026Week of 2018-01-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2018-01-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-02-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2018-02-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2018-03-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2018-04-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2018-05-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2018-06-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2018-06-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2018-07-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2018-08-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2018-09-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2018-10-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2018-11-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2018-11-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2018-12-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2018-12-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2019-01-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2019-02-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2019-02-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-03-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2019-04-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2019-05-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2019-05-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-06-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2019-06-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-07-01: 23 positiveWeek of 2019-08-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2019-09-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2019-10-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2019-10-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-11-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2019-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2019-12-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2019-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-01-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2020-01-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-02-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2020-03-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2020-03-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-04-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 24 positiveWeek of 2020-05-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2020-06-01: 23 positiveWeek of 2020-06-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2020-07-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2020-07-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2020-08-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2020-09-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2020-09-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-10-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2020-10-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-11-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2020-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2020-12-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2020-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2021-01-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2021-02-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2021-03-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2021-04-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2021-05-01: 23 positiveWeek of 2021-05-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2021-06-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2021-07-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2021-07-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2021-08-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2021-09-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2021-10-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2021-10-01: 5 negativeWeek of 2021-11-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2021-11-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2021-12-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2021-12-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2022-01-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2022-01-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-02-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2022-02-01: 3 negativeWeek of 2022-03-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2022-03-01: 4 negativeWeek of 2022-04-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2022-04-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-05-01: 14 positiveWeek of 2022-05-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-06-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2022-07-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2022-07-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-08-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2022-08-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-09-01: 15 positiveWeek of 2022-10-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2022-11-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2022-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2022-12-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2023-01-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2023-01-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-02-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2023-02-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-03-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2023-03-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-04-01: 13 positiveWeek of 2023-05-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2023-06-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2023-07-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2023-07-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2023-08-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2023-09-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2023-09-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-10-01: 22 positiveWeek of 2023-11-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2023-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2023-12-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2024-01-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2024-02-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2024-03-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2024-04-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2024-05-01: 4 positiveWeek of 2024-05-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2024-06-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2024-06-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2024-07-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2024-08-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2024-09-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2024-10-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2024-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2024-12-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2024-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-01-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2025-01-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-02-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2025-02-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-03-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2025-03-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-04-01: 8 positiveWeek of 2025-04-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-05-01: 3 positiveWeek of 2025-06-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 10 positiveWeek of 2025-07-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2025-08-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2025-09-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 9 positiveWeek of 2025-10-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-11-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2025-11-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2025-12-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2025-12-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2026-01-01: 11 positiveWeek of 2026-01-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2026-02-01: 7 positiveWeek of 2026-03-01: 12 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 5 positiveWeek of 2026-04-01: 1 negativeWeek of 2026-05-01: 6 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 16 positiveWeek of 2026-06-01: 2 negativeWeek of 2026-07-01: 17 positiveWeek of 2026-08-01: 9 positive
Weekly review counts (Steam review histogram). Positive above the line, negative below.

Players online

1202026-08-11 17:00 — 0 players2026-08-12 09:00 — 4 players2026-08-13 01:00 — 7 players2026-08-13 17:00 — 6 players2026-08-14 08:00 — 7 players2026-08-15 00:00 — 7 players2026-08-15 16:00 — 7 players2026-08-16 08:00 — 7 players2026-08-17 00:00 — 5 players2026-08-17 16:00 — 3 players2026-08-18 08:00 — 4 players2026-08-18 23:00 — 3 players2026-08-19 15:00 — 5 players2026-08-20 07:00 — 4 players2026-08-20 23:00 — 4 players2026-08-21 14:00 — 5 players2026-08-22 06:00 — 5 players2026-08-22 22:00 — 5 players2026-08-23 14:00 — 6 players2026-08-24 05:00 — 1 players2026-08-24 22:00 — 7 players2026-08-25 13:00 — 8 players2026-08-26 06:00 — 1 players2026-08-26 22:00 — 3 players2026-08-27 14:00 — 5 players2026-08-28 05:00 — 3 players2026-08-28 21:00 — 2 players2026-08-29 13:00 — 11 players2026-08-30 05:00 — 12 players
Concurrent players, hourly average, last 30 days (census samples).

Price history

$9.99$3.292015-01-012026-08-282015-01-01 — best price $9.992015-12-01 — best price $9.992016-07-04 — best price $9.992017-01-02 — best price $9.992017-11-01 — best price $9.992018-01-04 — best price $9.992018-11-01 — best price $9.992019-01-03 — best price $9.992019-05-06 — best price $9.992019-11-01 — best price $9.992019-12-03 — best price $9.992020-01-27 — best price $9.992020-07-09 — best price $9.992020-12-01 — best price $9.992021-02-15 — best price $9.992021-07-08 — best price $9.992021-12-01 — best price $9.992022-02-03 — best price $9.992022-06-23 — best price $4.992022-10-18 — best price $7.992022-11-28 — best price $9.992023-03-16 — best price $4.992023-09-25 — best price $4.992023-12-21 — best price $4.992024-03-14 — best price $4.992024-11-27 — best price $4.992025-02-12 — best price $4.992025-06-26 — best price $4.992025-12-18 — best price $4.992026-06-08 — best price $4.992026-08-28 — best price $3.29
Lowest recorded price across tracked stores, per day (census snapshots).

Attention

3101152026-05-30 — 171 pageviews2026-06-02 — 151 pageviews2026-06-05 — 147 pageviews2026-06-08 — 218 pageviews2026-06-11 — 195 pageviews2026-06-14 — 204 pageviews2026-06-17 — 137 pageviews2026-06-20 — 147 pageviews2026-06-23 — 199 pageviews2026-06-26 — 171 pageviews2026-06-29 — 163 pageviews2026-07-02 — 153 pageviews2026-07-05 — 161 pageviews2026-07-08 — 162 pageviews2026-07-11 — 158 pageviews2026-07-14 — 142 pageviews2026-07-17 — 150 pageviews2026-07-20 — 164 pageviews2026-07-23 — 170 pageviews2026-07-26 — 176 pageviews2026-07-29 — 141 pageviews2026-08-01 — 138 pageviews2026-08-04 — 136 pageviews2026-08-07 — 149 pageviews2026-08-10 — 165 pageviews2026-08-13 — 158 pageviews2026-08-16 — 167 pageviews2026-08-19 — 145 pageviews2026-08-22 — 173 pageviews2026-08-25 — 133 pageviews2026-08-27 — 163 pageviews
Daily Wikipedia pageviews (attention proxy, census-recorded).

Completion

25
achievements tracked
66%
earned "Eboshidori"
0.8%
median achievement earned by

Global achievement rates from Steam.

Details

WindowsFull controller supportSingle-playerMulti-playerShared/Split ScreenSteam AchievementsFull controller supportSteam Trading CardsSteam CloudSteam LeaderboardsRemote Play on TVRemote Play Together

1 supported languages: English

Console footprint

PlatformPlayers trackedCompletionTrophies/achievements
Xbox 360 (Xbox)17,8922%12
Steam (Steam)7,0641%25
PS4 (PlayStation)2,3453%26
Switch (Nintendo)1140%0
Switch (Nintendo)80%0

Players tracked by Exophase (achievement/trophy trackers) — a sample of the player base, not total sales.

Player tags

2DIndieRetroActionArcadeSci-fiClassicShooterAddictiveDifficult

Census log

Computed from census-recorded observations only — dates are observation dates.

Players also track

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Similarity via IGDB.

Official site ↗Wikipedia ↗