Comparison

Game Dev Tycoon vs Space Farmer Alien Tycoon

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

Space Farmer Alien Tycoon

Features
Read full description

Build, automate, and expand your own alien planet in Space Farmer, a relaxing idle management game set in space! Start with a small farm, produce strange alien resources, develop new businesses, and transform your planet into a thriving intergalactic empire. BUILD YOUR ALIEN FARM Grow extraterrestrial crops, upgrade your production, increase your storage, and unlock new farming slots. Hire alien workers to harvest and transport your resources automatically. MANAGE AN ALIEN RESTAURANT Turn your crops into delicious meals and serve customers from across the galaxy. Upgrade your kitchen, improve your service, add more seats, and handle intense customer rushes to earn even more money. EXPAND YOUR SPACE BUSINESS Unlock new activities as your planet grows. Mine valuable alien resources, supply your buildings, develop your Space Lab, and create a complete production network across your base. AUTOMATE YOUR PLANET Recruit and upgrade specialized alien workers. Improve their speed, capacity, and efficiency to keep your businesses running automatically—even while you are away. EARN OFFLINE REWARDS Your planet continues producing resources and generating income when you are not playing. Return regularly, collect your rewards, and invest them in powerful upgrades. EXPERIENCE SPECIAL EVENTS React to customer rushes, temporary slowdowns, unexpected situations, and other events that can change the rhythm of your planet. Make the right decisions and keep your alien economy running! CUSTOMIZE AND EXPAND Unlock new areas, place your buildings, improve your planet, and decorate your base with unique items. Create an alien world that truly belongs to you. SPACE FARMER FEATURES: • Relaxing idle tycoon gameplay • Alien farming and resource production • Restaurant and Space Lab management • Mines and interconnected businesses • Automatic workers and deliveries • Offline income and rewards • Building and worker upgrades • Special events and customer rushes • Planet expansion and customization • Free-to-play with optional rewarded ads Can you turn a small alien farm into the greatest business empire in the galaxy? Download Space Farmer and start building your planet today!

Screenshots

Game Dev Tycoon4 screens
Space Farmer Alien Tycoon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Space Farmer Alien Tycoon at Free against Game Dev Tycoon's $4.99. Space Farmer Alien Tycoon also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Game Dev Tycoon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and chart position (#52 vs unranked). On ads 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

Space Farmer Alien Tycoon is free to download; Game Dev Tycoon costs $4.99 up front. Space Farmer Alien Tycoon sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Game Dev Tycoon asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Game Dev Tycoon ships an update every 3 months, Space Farmer Alien Tycoon every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Game Dev Tycoon versus Space Farmer Alien Tycoon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGame Dev TycoonSpace Farmer Alien Tycoon
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (24K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews91.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings24K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#52 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size204 MB354 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperGreenheart Games Pty. Ltd.Seven Spirit Studio

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

Space Farmer Alien Tycoon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Game Dev Tycoon

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Space Farmer Alien Tycoon

One-time6
  • 1starter$0.99
  • shielded$2.99
  • boost$4.99
Show 3 more
  • royal$8.99
  • mythic$17.99
  • ultimate$24.99

Questions

Is Game Dev Tycoon free?
Game Dev Tycoon costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Space Farmer Alien Tycoon free?
Space Farmer Alien Tycoon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Game Dev Tycoon or Space Farmer Alien Tycoon have ads?
Neither Game Dev Tycoon nor Space Farmer Alien Tycoon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Game Dev Tycoon or Space Farmer Alien Tycoon?
Game Dev Tycoon ships an update every 3 months, and Space Farmer Alien Tycoon every 5 days. Most recently, Game Dev Tycoon was updated on November 4, 2026 and Space Farmer Alien Tycoon on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons