# Virtual Villagers 5 for iPad — Protect your New Believers!

> Island simulation game where you guide villagers to convert heathens and explore. (iPhone/iPad app by LDW Software, LLC.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-villagers-5-for-ipad/id446411456 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [LDW Software, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/297606729)
- Category: Games, Entertainment, Family, Simulation
- Price: $1.99
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 207 App Store ratings · 101 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 8.0 · 86 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2011-07-14
- Data updated: 2026-06-11
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-villagers-5-for-ipad/id446411456/reviews.md

## What is Virtual Villagers 5 for iPad?

Virtual Villagers: New Believers is the fifth chapter in the award-winning Virtual Villagers series from the creators of Fish Tycoon and Virtual Families.  This is the same game that became a best-selling Windows and Mac sensation! 

Explore the center of Isola in this innovative new chapter in the Virtual Villagers series, while you reckon with a band of mysterious masked heathens, who do not believe in you! Guide your tribe as they attempt to convert the savages, by dismantling their precious totems and removing their scary masks! Make them believe!

Exclusive features in the iPad version include:

* Support for multiple simultaneous players, so that up to 5 people can have their own separate tribe on the same iPad!
* Personalize your tribe by renaming your villagers!
* Customize the epitaph for favorite villagers who have died.

More about Virtual Villagers: New Believers:

* Visit the center of the Island of Isola.
* Masked heathens that need to be shown the light. 
* Mysterious heathen Totems to be dismantled.
* Many God Powers to impress your villagers and the heathens!
* New puzzles, new collectibles, new Island Events!
* Dozens of achievements for players to accomplish.
* Real-time weather! Clouds, fog, and sudden downpours!
* Real-time gameplay: new surprises every time you turn the game on!

The game continues to progress in true real time, even when your iPad is turned off, so don’t forget to check in regularly to care for your tribe, help them gain skills and technology, and enable them to discover the secrets that lay waiting for them. How will you lead your tribe? 

Virtual Villagers have been awarded with:

* Sim Game of the Year – Game Tunnel
* The Zeebys – Gamezebo
* Parents Choice Recommended Award
* iParenting Media Award

Recommended for people who enjoy casual simulations and adventure stories like the Lost TV series and Survivor!

## Key features

- Explore the center of Isola
- Convert masked heathens
- Dismantle heathen totems
- Utilize God Powers
- Solve new puzzles
- Collect new items
- Real-time weather and gameplay

## What do users think of Virtual Villagers 5 for iPad?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 🎮 Engaging gameplay with unique god-like mechanics
- 💰 No in-app purchases required after initial purchase
- 🧩 Challenging puzzles and totem-breaking mechanics
- ⏰ Long-lasting gameplay that keeps players engaged for hours
- 🎨 Innovative concepts compared to previous games in series
- 👥 Interesting heathen conversion mechanic
- 📱 Works offline without requiring WiFi
- 🏆 Addictive progression system with tech points

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent game crashes and freezes
- 💾 Save data deletion/progress loss issues
- 🎨 Sprite graphics are unsettling to some players
- ⏱️ Slow gameplay requiring constant attention
- 🚫 Heathens block access to resources frequently
- 👶 Eternal nursing bug prevents population growth
- 📊 Tech points capped at 99 or difficult to earn
- 🎮 Jerky/unresponsive villager movement controls
- 🔧 Tutorial lacks clear guidance for new players
- 👥 Limited population cap (50-90) prevents full completion
- 🎯 Love Shack building mechanic frequently glitches

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Game deletes all progress when closing app
- Save files disappear without user deletion
- Game crashes during tutorial and early gameplay
- Villagers freeze when building Love Shack
- Master Builder challenge causes villager glitches/teleportation
- Eternal nursing bug - mothers never stop nursing
- Tech points won't accumulate above 99
- Game resets after completing specific puzzles
- Villagers don't age properly or die unexpectedly
- Duplicate heathens appear at end game
- Speed power-up causes villager teleportation
- Game crashes when paused and exited
- Heathen blocking prevents access to food sources
- Villagers refuse to work on assigned tasks
- Free version progress doesn't transfer to paid version
- Population limit prevents achieving 100 villagers goal

**Most requested features**

- Update sprites to be less scary/unsettling
- Add in-game pause button without menu access
- Increase maximum population limit above 90
- Allow all villagers to pick up special items, not just children
- Add zoom in/out functionality
- Implement faster tech point earning system
- Add purchasable tech points for struggling players
- Reduce nursing time for mothers
- Add heathen mover power-up
- Allow customization of villager appearances
- Create Virtual Villagers 6
- Add ability to revive dead villagers with youth restoration
- Implement rapid time-skip feature for real-life obligations
- Add more housing/building options
- Improve character personality and dialogue

## Recent user reviews (10 of 101)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-villagers-5-for-ipad/id446411456/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Good game, but the sprites scare me

*2022-07-15, version 1.2.0*

This game is very good, how I can see them in my computer, but the sprites scare me. I've only just realized that the sprites in this game are made with CGI, and the faces scare scare the heck out of me. I know this isn’t your latest game, but I'm asking you to update the sprites so they’re less scary to look at. Anyway, I hope you’ll make more games because they are entertaining. Byeee ✌️

### 1/5 — Disappointed

*2022-03-06, version 1.2.0*

The first 4 are fantastic. You can skip this one

### 3/5 — I love it but...

*2021-04-14, version 1.2.0*

I love this game but I keep getting to like the 5th generation and then it glitches. My villagers will be nursing and then the time never goes down but my villagers age and die. I just wanna finish the game.

### 1/5 — Seriously?

*2021-01-17, version 1.2.0*

The game UI is terrible. First time I try it since the review were positive. Who writes these? Terrible. Stay away from it.

### 4/5 — Love it BUT

*2019-01-24, version 1.2.0*

I have played this over and over for years now.  But recently the game deletes all progress and you have to start over.  If you have paused games it will delete the game you are playing and go to a paused game then that will delete itself.  I think there is a bug of some kind.  As I paid to get this game I hope they fix it it’s very very annoying.  I have all the games and game four does this too. I don’t play the origins 2 game as it was too slow, 2 hard to manipulate the villagers physically like pick them up and move them, and they refused to stay on task when you were away. I’m hoping the bugs in the older games aren’t to force us to play the newer game. I gave it up even though I spent real money on it as it just isn’t as good as the older games.

### 2/5 — Don’t buy it!

*2018-07-26, version 1.2.0*

I wanted a bigger population, so I bought it for $1.99. Bad idea! Cause of course I’d have to start over, which wouldn’t be so bad. I gotten pretty far in the lite game so I knew what to do. But EVERY TIME, I close out of the game, it would WIPE my progress and would have me START ALL OVER AGAIN!!! Ive restarted my game 4 times in the past 2 days!! I love the idea of the game, but it’s not worth it if it losses all of my progress and makes me restart EVERY TIME I close game!!!!! Think you can fix it???

### 2/5 — Why do I have to start all over after buying the full version

*2018-07-16, version 1.2.0*

Love the game but, why do I have to start all over again! I don’t want to start all over....

### 1/5 — Terrible

*2018-04-16, version 1.2.0*

I love this game but something terrible keeps happening. Basically the first time I played I got very far and all was good until one day I go back onto the game and it just wiped everything. So I start again and this time I am basically finished...until I log back a few minutes after closing the app and it’s wiped everything. I think I’ll just delete it. So sick of the trouble.not worth it

### 5/5 — Love it!

*2017-10-26, version 1.2.0*

I am in love with this game and I absolutely adore the idea of the player being a god. The only things I would suggest is give the characters more personality and maybe make the overall look of the game more fun? Maybe one day be able to customise their looks? Again, those are just suggestions. Other than that, amazing work and I absolutely love it!

### 5/5 — I used to play the free version

*2016-08-04, version 1.0.0*

I used to play the free version of each of these, but because this one was in particularly good, I bought it. The people who made the game obviously deserve the $

## Frequently asked questions about Virtual Villagers 5 for iPad

### What is Virtual Villagers 5 about?

Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers is a simulation and adventure game where you guide a tribe of villagers. Your goal is to explore the island of Isola, convert a group of masked heathens by dismantling their totems, and help your tribe grow and discover secrets.

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

Key features include exploring a new island, converting heathens, dismantling totems, using God Powers, solving puzzles, collecting items, and experiencing real-time weather and gameplay that progresses even when the app is closed.

### How much does Virtual Villagers 5 cost?

Based on the provided information, this application is a paid download. There are no mentions of in-app purchases or advertisements within the game.

### What devices is Virtual Villagers 5 compatible with?

The application is specifically mentioned as being available for iPad. It is designed to run on Apple's tablet devices, offering exclusive features for this platform.

### Who would enjoy playing Virtual Villagers 5?

This game is recommended for individuals who enjoy casual simulation games and adventure stories. Fans of titles like the Lost TV series or Survivor might find the narrative and gameplay engaging.

## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.2.0 — 2017-09-19

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Hello Virtual Villagers fans!

We've updated Virtual Villagers 5: New Believers to support the latest devices and iOS versions!  Join millions of players who have discovered the mystical island of Isola, and prepare your tiny tribe to confront a new challenge...  A group of masked heathens has threatened your village's survival, and it's up to you to show them the path.  Guide your tribe like never before in the fifth episode of the award-winning Virtual Villagers series!

Revisit Isola and help your villagers thrive in the face of this heathen menace!

If you enjoy the Virtual Villagers series, don't forget to check out our other chapters!

### 1.0.0 — 2011-07-01

No release notes.

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## More apps by LDW Software, LLC

- [Fish Tycoon](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fish-tycoon/id297606726)
- [Fish Tycoon Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fish-tycoon-lite/id298856977)
- [Virtual Villagers 2](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-villagers-2/id306610000)
- [Virtual Villagers 2 Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-villagers-2-lite/id308377432)
- [Virtual Families](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-families/id320300350)
- [Virtual Families Lite](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/virtual-families-lite/id323390111)

All apps by LDW Software, LLC: https://appshunter.io/developer/297606729

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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 2026-06-11.*