Sid Meier's Colonization vs Subnautica
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sid Meier's Colonization
Lead a colonial power to explore, settle, and develop new lands in the Colonial Era. Manage resources, establish trade, and engage in diplomacy and warfare to achieve independence. Offers deep strategic gameplay with customizable options.
- Explore and colonize new lands
- Manage growth, development, and trade
- Engage in diplomacy and military strategy
- Play as four distinct colonial powers
- Customize game difficulty and maps
- Advanced artificial intelligence opponents
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The Tradition of Civilization Continues The New World lies before you with all its peril, promise and infinite possibility. Your colonists anxiously follow you to shore. The treasures of an entire continent await you. Finally, the much-anticipated follow-up to Civilization is here! Sid Meier's Colonization takes you into the Colonial Era to discover, explore and colonize vast territories that promise both danger and reward. Play one of four colonial powers as you set sail to discover the New World. Explore new lands and strategically plant your first colony. Direct its growth, manage its resources and establish lucrative trade routes. Balance economics, political and military strategy to create your own powerful nation. But beware of your enemies! Angry natives and rival powers can encroach upon your territory. You'll have to overcome your foes with superior military strategy and wily diplomacy. Only then can you launch your revolution and declare your independence. Colonization, The newest strategy game from Sid Meier continues the great tradition of Civilization. —User Reviews— “The game is a rich and varied Gestalt of top colony activity. Strategies must be divined with care, and constantly modified to ride the chaotic rapids of the thousands of interactive elements in this opus of creative genius. Perhaps. Or it could just be a damn fine game.” “Colonization offers hours and hours of entertainment. I played it for over a week to write this review and it commanded my total concentration all the time to play it once through. Because the game can be very different every time you play it, this means that Colonization is the sort of game you could play for ever.” FEATURES • Manage your growth, development and trade to create a powerful nation. • Pit your strategic skills against Colonization's advanced artificial intelligence. • Play either the French, English, Dutch or Spanish colonial powers each with distinct characteristics and political situations. • Customize your games and choose your own level of difficulty so you never play the same game twice. • Discover and explore the Americas or create your own scenario with a random map generator. • Same design principles and interface as award-winning Civilization, making game play easy and fun.
Subnautica
Embark on an underwater survival adventure in an arctic alien ocean. Investigate mysteries, craft equipment, and explore new biomes and creatures. Survive the cold and uncover the truth behind an ancient alien civilization.
- Explore alien ocean biomes
- Craft habitats and equipment
- Survive freezing temperatures
- Investigate alien mysteries
- Discover new creatures
- Pilot vehicles like Seatruck and Snowfox
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*Please make sure your device is supported before purchasing Below Zero!* Below Zero is the next chapter of Subnautica, the underwater survival open world set on an alien ocean planet. Submerge yourself in an all-new, sub-zero expedition in an arctic region of Planet 4546B. After crash landing planetside, set out into frigid waters to investigate what happened to your sister... Discover new biomes, creatures, challenges and story! Below Zero expands the Subnautica universe, diving deeper into the adventure and mysteries introduced in the original game. FEATURES UNCOVER THE TRUTH - Who were the aliens who came here before? Why were they on this planet? What really happened to your sister? And will exposing the truth give some closure to your loss? SURVIVE THE COLD - The freezing temperatures of this arctic region pose a new challenge. Craft a toasty cold suit, sip on piping hot coffee, and warm up next to Thermal Lilies to stave off the chill. CRAFT YOUR WAY - Survive the harsh climate by constructing extensive habitats, scavenging for resources, and crafting equipment. Blast across the snowy tundra on a Snowfox hoverbike. Cruise through enchanting and perilous biomes in your modular Seatruck. EXPLORE THE PLANET - Swim beneath the blue-lit, arching expanses of Twisty Bridges, be mesmerized by the Crystal Caverns, venture into the icy caves of Glacial Basin or maneuver between erupting Thermal Vents to discover ancient alien artifacts. MEET NEW CREATURES - Something undiscovered lurks around every corner. Swim through the giant Titan Holefish, encounter the haunting Shadow Leviathan, and visit the adorable Pengwings. Keep your wits about you. Not all creatures in this strange world are friendly. CAREFULLY REDESIGNED FOR MOBILE - Revamped interface – exclusive mobile UI with complete touch control - Game Center achievements - Cloud Save – Share your progress between iOS devices - iPhone 17 Optimization (including Pro Max) ----- *DEVICES NOT SUPPORTED (THE GAME WON'T WORK)*: - iPhone Xr, iPhone SE Gen 2 (2020) - iPad Mini Gen 5, iPad Air Gen 3, iPad Gen 8, iPad Gen 9 *SUPPORTED DEVICES ON LOW RESOLUTION ONLY*: - iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone SE Gen 3 (2022) - iPad Pro 10.5", iPad Mini Gen 6, iPad Air Gen 4, iPad Gen 10, iPad Pro 11" Gen 1, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 3 *SUPPORTED DEVICES* : - iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14 AND ABOVE - iPad Pro 11" Gen 2, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 4, iPad Air Gen 5, iPad Pro 11" Gen 3, iPad Pro 11" Gen 4, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 5, iPad Pro 12.9" Gen 6 AND ABOVE
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Subnautica at 85% against Sid Meier's Colonization's 21%. Subnautica also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). Sid Meier's Colonization's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $9.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Sid Meier's Colonization costs $2.99 and Subnautica $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Subnautica holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 213 and 130 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 21% of Sid Meier's Colonization's written reviews are positive against 85% of Subnautica's.
Sid Meier's Colonization ships an update every 4 months, Subnautica every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and November 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sid Meier's Colonization | Subnautica |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 2.3 (213 ratings) | 4.5 (130 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.6% of reviews | 85.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 213 — better | 130 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #91 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 17 MB | 2.2 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Atari | Unknown Worlds |
Customer experience
Sid Meier's Colonization
Subnautica
Bugs and requests
Sid Meier's Colonization
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game crashes on launch
- Cursor/touch input issues
- Performance problems and slowdowns
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for Bluetooth keyboard and mouse
- Optimize touch controls for mobile
- Implement drag-and-drop functionality
- Provide a tutorial or instructions on how to use the controls
Subnautica
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sid Meier's Colonization
No in-app purchases
Subnautica
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sid Meier's Colonization free?
Is Subnautica free?
Which has better reviews, Sid Meier's Colonization or Subnautica?
Do Sid Meier's Colonization or Subnautica have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sid Meier's Colonization or Subnautica?
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