# Game of Life Cellular Automata — See your patterns come alive!

> Cellular automata simulation based on Conway's Game of Life. (iPhone/iPad app by Nathan Pool.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-of-life-cellular-automata/id1026735601 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Nathan Pool](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435986466)
- Category: Games, Education, Board, Simulation
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 74 App Store ratings · 57 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 26.0 · 2 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2015-08-17
- Data updated: 2026-08-28
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-of-life-cellular-automata/id1026735601/reviews.md

## What is Game of Life Cellular Automata?

A simple implementation of the cellular automata Game of Life, as described by John Conway in 1970.

For iPhone and iPad.

## Key features

- Cellular automata simulation
- John Conway's Game of Life
- Pattern evolution
- iPhone and iPad compatible

## Recent user reviews (10 of 57)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/game-of-life-cellular-automata/id1026735601/reviews.md

### 2/5 — Add a randomizer!!

*2026-07-23, version 4.0*

Okay, so this app is actually pretty good with a handfull of basic structures for you to mess around with. However, the most important part of Conway’s Life is, in my opinion, the randomizer. It’s always fun to watch random patterns emerge and disappear. Also, sometimes, I see rule modifiers, so you can set birth and survival conditions to however many neighbors you want. Just a thought :)

### 5/5 — Just needs one more thing

*2026-07-02, version 4.0*

Please, PLEASE ADD AN OPTION TO CHANGE THE RULES OF CONWAYS GAME OF LIFE SO THAT WE CAN DO SIMILAR THINGS LIKE HIGHLIFE

### 5/5 — Settings

*2025-11-26, version 3.0*

I like this game, but give us more settings! Like more colors, shapes, or probably an option between limited board and infinite board, maybe like putting saves into the board without clearing the board, button should be indicated with “IMPORT”. Also, developer, please respond. Although you don’t have to do this list but I like REALLY REALLY REALLY want the infinite board so my netmacer is infinite.

### 5/5 — Thank you for making this free

*2025-06-10, version 3.0*

This app was perfect for demonstrating the Game of Life to my homeschool math circle. It has just enough functionality to be useful and engaging. It lacks advanced features like selecting, copying, pasting, color by generation, different rule sets, and larger machines, but for the price the current functionality is fantastic. And thank you for not filling it with adware. Very classy.

### 5/5 — Game of Life

*2025-02-06, version 3.0*

This is a wonderful game that shows the very interesting properties of John Conway's game of life. I believe that this is the best game of life application on the App Store. I would appreciate a setting to turn on the HighLife variant, where cells are also born with 6 neighbors along with 3. I have been using this app for many years and i appreciate the developer's prolonged support. Thank you.

### 5/5 — Love it good job!

*2025-02-05, version 3.0*

It is a well done app

### 4/5 — Drag

*2024-11-14*

Make a dragging option for the cells and let the user be able to simply drag a time bar so they don’t have to spam the back button.

### 4/5 — Good but a couple of small nitpicks

*2024-10-14, version 3.0*

Nearly everything about this game is perfect. The board is not too big, and not too small. The amount of things you can customise is quite a lot. But there are two things that I feel you could fix, or add an option in the settings menu for. 

Firstly, while the board is the perfect size, it is not infinite. This means that your machines can get broken if they hit the map border. I feel that the way to fix this would be to add a settings option for either a wraparound function, like in Pac Man, or simply have an infinite board. 

Secondly, I don’t like the fact that if there are no changes in the next generation, time just stops. I feel you should also add a settings option for this, as it has really been nagging me for quite some time. 

Other than that, it’s an amazing game! I really like how you interpreted Conway’s game of life on to a digital format, and bye! I really hope you design more brilliantly crafted games like this!

### 4/5 — Классика

*2024-09-19, version 3.0*

Классический клеточный автомат конвея, единственное чего не хватает, так это изначальной генерации клеток и ввода условий лимитов рождения и выживания клеток.

### 4/5 — Bigger map

*2024-06-21, version 3.0*

My creature is too big for the table . . Could I get a bigger table?

## Frequently asked questions about Game of Life Cellular Automata

### What is the Game of Life Cellular Automata app?

This app is a straightforward implementation of John Conway's Game of Life, a famous cellular automaton. It allows you to observe how simple rules can lead to complex and evolving patterns.

### What are the key features of this app?

The app's main feature is its simulation of Conway's Game of Life. You can witness patterns come alive and evolve based on the defined rules. It is designed for both iPhone and iPad.

### Is this app free to download and use?

Yes, the application is completely free to download and use. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements, offering an uninterrupted experience.

### What devices is this app compatible with?

The app is compatible with both iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to run on Apple's mobile operating systems.

### What are some common use cases for this app?

Users can explore the emergent complexity of cellular automata, use it as a tool for generative art, or simply enjoy observing the fascinating patterns that arise from the simulation's rules.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0 — 2025-11-23

Improvements and fixes for iOS 26

### 3.0 — 2023-09-18

Significant improvements including a larger board and reduced memory usage.

### 2.1 — 2023-08-13

Combine Play and Pause into a single button and improve icons
Fix the Settings button becoming inaccessible on certain screens

### 2.0 — 2022-06-22

* There is now the ability to Save and Load boards! Boards will be also remembered even after a device restart.
* Improved CPU usage when running large patterns for a long time
* Fix some difficult to read text and icons when in Dark Mode

### 1.14 — 2021-09-09

Adds a button to clear and reset the board
Adds a circle cell style along with the default square style
Also fixes an bug where the iteration count sometimes goes negative after an undo

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-28.*