Comparison

Game Dev Tycoon vs Tropico

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Game Dev Tycoon

Build your own game development company from the 1980s to the present. Design and create your own games, research new technologies, and manage a team to become a market leader. Enjoy a full simulation experience without ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Start a game development company
  • Design and create your own games
  • Research new technologies
  • Hire and manage a development team
  • Replay gaming history
  • Built-in screen recording and streaming
Features
Read full description

"It’s the perfect sort of game for mobile devices and there’s so much to do here [...]" - 5/5 - Toucharcade Game Dev Tycoon is a casual business simulation game where your success depends on your creativity and willingness to experiment. The game does *not* contain any in-app purchases or ads. Slip into the role of a game developer: start your own company, design your own games and make your way to the top to become a Game Dev Tycoon. - Start your own game development company in the 80s - Replay gaming history - Design and create your own games - Hold your breath and wait for reviews to come in - Research new technologies - Hire and manage a world-leading development team - Become the leader of the market - Gain worldwide fans Game Dev Tycoon for iPhone and iPad introduces: - An updated story line - New topics to enable even more varied games - A challenging (but optional) ‘pirate mode’ - Built-in screen recording and streaming support Game Dev Tycoon does not require an internet connection so go ahead and build your gaming empire in Airplane Mode.

About

Tropico

Lead an underdeveloped Caribbean island to glory as its elected ruler. Manage every aspect of your nation, from infrastructure and economy to politics and foreign policy, in this humorous city-builder with a political twist. Transform your island into a tourist paradise, industrial powerhouse, or a police state.

Highlights
  • Island nation management
  • Political strategy
  • City building
  • Economic development
  • Foreign policy
  • Customizable nation types
Read full description

All hail El Presidente! The proud nation of Tropico is now in your hands and badly in need of modernisation! As the freshly elected leader of an underdeveloped Caribbean island with untapped resources and enormous potential, hopes are high that you will deliver Tropico into the glorious future its people deserve. The opportunities are boundless in this humorous city-builder with a political twist. YOU RULE! Develop and manage every aspect of Tropico, from its roads, buildings and people, to its military, trade and foreign policies. BE A VISIONARY LEADER Transform Tropico into the country you want it to be: a booming tourist paradise, an industrial powerhouse, a police state, or all three! PLAY POLITICS Recount elections, calm unruly elements, manage public opinion and reward your loyal followers… BUILT FOR iOS Exercise complete control with an intuitive touch interface and gameplay mechanics designed and refined for mobile gaming. EXERT ABSOLUTE POWER! From printing your own money to growing your own fanclub, Tropico includes all the extra edicts, missions, landmarks and leisure facilities of its popular expansion pack, Absolute Power. ADDITIONAL MISSION PACKS Fleece revolutionary llamas and search for alien life in the free 'Postcards from Tropico' mission pack. Or play the markets and face God’s wrath in 'The Tropican Dream' mission pack, available via in-app purchase. This game requires iOS 14 or later and just under 3GB of space to install. Supported iPhones: • iPhone 6S / 6S Plus and later • Any iPhone SE • iPod Touch (7th generation, 2019) Supported iPads: • iPad mini (5th generation, 2019) and later • iPad Air (3rd generation, 2019) and later • iPad (5th generation, 2017) and later • Any iPad Pro Copyright © 2023 Kalypso Media Group GmbH. Tropico is a registered trademark of Kalypso Media Group GmbH. All rights reserved. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive Ltd. Apple, the Apple logo and iOS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other logos, copyrights and trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

Game Dev Tycoon4 screens
Tropico4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Game Dev Tycoon at $4.99 against Tropico's $12.99. Game Dev Tycoon also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (91% vs 73%). Tropico's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.0). On ads, chart position and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Game Dev Tycoon costs $4.99 and Tropico $12.99 up front. Tropico sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Game Dev Tycoon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Game Dev Tycoon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Game Dev Tycoon has 24K ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 91% of Game Dev Tycoon's written reviews are positive against 73% of Tropico's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Game Dev Tycoon ships an update every 3 months, Tropico fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Game Dev Tycoon versus Tropico: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGame Dev TycoonTropico
Price$4.99 — better$12.99
Rating4.9 (24K ratings) — better4.7 (2K ratings)
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews — better73.4% of reviews
Number of ratings24K — better2K
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#51 — better#100
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB2.3 GB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGreenheart Games Pty. Ltd.Feral Interactive Ltd

Customer experience

Game Dev Tycoon

All ratings24,004 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews1,110 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative5.0%

Tropico

All ratings2,019 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews688 reviews
Positive73.4%
Neutral6.0%
Negative20.6%

User reviews

Game Dev Tycoon

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Cheap price
  • 👍 No in-app purchases or ads
  • 👍 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 👍 Realistic game development simulation
  • 👍 Detailed and complex mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Game crashes on launch for some users
  • 🐛 Orientation issues on iPhone X
  • 🐛 Difficulty remembering research and specialist information
  • 🔋 Game can be very time-consuming
  • 🤔 Lack of difficulty options or sandbox mode

Tropico

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Faithful port of PC version
  • 💰 Fair one-time purchase price
  • 🎨 Excellent graphics
  • 🕹️ Intuitive touch controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and save data loss
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🤔 Clunky road building
  • 🕰️ Slow construction speed
  • 🕹️ Finicky camera controls

Bugs and requests

Game Dev Tycoon

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Loan payback amount inconsistency
  • Game reports not carrying over knowledge

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more console and game genre options
  • Implement employee personalities and interactions
  • Provide more detailed game performance history
  • Allow simultaneous game development
  • Add difficulty settings and sandbox mode
Show 1 more
  • Implement mod support and custom content

Tropico

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Missions not triggering properly
  • Inability to build or demolish roads
  • Audio issues (speed up, no sound)
  • Flickering minimap

Requested features

5 requests
  • More campaign missions and scenarios
  • Improved population growth and AI
  • Ability to customize terrain
  • Multiplayer or online features
  • Support for older iPad models

In-app purchases

None

Game Dev Tycoon

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Tropico

One-time1
  • The Tropican Dream$2.99

Questions

Is Game Dev Tycoon free?
Game Dev Tycoon costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tropico free?
Tropico costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Game Dev Tycoon or Tropico?
Game Dev Tycoon is rated higher. Game Dev Tycoon averages 4.9 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Tropico averages 4.7 from 2K ratings.
Do Game Dev Tycoon or Tropico have ads?
Neither Game Dev Tycoon nor Tropico shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Game Dev Tycoon or Tropico?
Game Dev Tycoon ships an update every 3 months, and Tropico fortnightly. Most recently, Game Dev Tycoon was updated on October 17, 2026 and Tropico on October 17, 2026.
Which is more popular, Game Dev Tycoon or Tropico?
Game Dev Tycoon currently peaks at #51 in the App Store charts, and Tropico at #100. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons