Comparison

Pocket Galaxy vs Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Galaxy

Design and simulate your own solar systems and galaxies with realistic physics. Customize planets, stars, and orbits, then share your creations. Features smooth 3D graphics and a user-friendly interface.

Highlights
  • 3D galaxy sandbox
  • Realistic physics simulation
  • Planet and star customization
  • Smooth 3D graphics
  • User-friendly interface
  • Shareable creations
Features
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Drop a planet into empty space and watch gravity take hold of it. Pocket Galaxy is a 3D gravity sandbox where you place planets, stars and moons and then watch them orbit under real, physics-based simulation. Arrange a solar system exactly how you like it, then take it apart: heat worlds until they glow, freeze them solid, hurl asteroids, fire solar rays and set off chain reactions. There are no levels and no timers. The sandbox is the whole game, and the only clock is the one gravity keeps. What you can do • Sculpt entire solar systems from a near-infinite variety of worlds • Tune each world's gravity, size and orbit, even flip gravity to repulsive • Reach for cosmic tools: asteroid storms, solar rays, ice rays and explosions • Unlock new world and star types as you experiment • Discover procedural worlds, gas giants and glowing stars • Track your creations, and how life develops, in the Planet Journal • Save, load and screenshot your universe to share Relaxing and powerful at once, Pocket Galaxy turns real orbital mechanics into a toy box. Build a calm, life-bearing system, or smash it to particles; there is no wrong way to play it. This is the full paid version. No ads, no in-app purchases, no interruptions. Pay once and own the whole universe.

About

Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator

Experience the Mars Perseverance rover's landing and exploration. Pilot the rover across the Martian surface and fly the Ingenuity drone in this realistic space simulator.

Highlights
  • Relive Perseverance rover's Mars arrival
  • Enter Martian atmosphere and land
  • Pilot the rover on the surface
  • Fly the Ingenuity drone
  • Based on real NASA mission
Features
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Explore the journey of Perseverance on Mars in a 3D space simulator. Guide the descent through the atmosphere, attempt a landing, drive the rover across the surface and fly the Ingenuity helicopter. Take on different stages of the journey: • Atmospheric entry and descent • Landing on Mars • Rover driving on the surface • Ingenuity helicopter flight Choose a stage from the mission menu and return to try again. Each activity uses the game's on-screen controls. This is a game inspired by the Perseverance mission, rather than a scientific training tool.

Screenshots

Pocket Galaxy4 screens
Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator at Free against Pocket Galaxy's $3.99. Pocket Galaxy's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and review sentiment (95% vs 59%). On in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator is free to download; Pocket Galaxy costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket Galaxy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Galaxy has 10K ratings behind it against 178, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 95% of Pocket Galaxy's written reviews are positive against 59% of Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Galaxy ships an update every 2 months, Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator every 66 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Pocket Galaxy versus Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket GalaxyMars Perseverance 3D Simulator
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (10K ratings) — better4.0 (178 ratings)
Positive reviews95.3% of reviews — better59.1% of reviews
Number of ratings10K — better178
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 66 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB219 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPocket Labs UKRenzo Macedo

Customer experience

Pocket Galaxy

All ratings9,965 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews1,239 reviews
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.5%

Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator

All ratings177 ratings
Positive73.4%
Neutral4.0%
Negative22.6%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive59.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.9%

Bugs and requests

Pocket Galaxy

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Planets not staying in orbit
  • Satellites and black holes causing UI issues
  • Textures disappearing in planet selection
  • Saved universes not loading correctly
  • Inconsistent planet/star coloring after reloading

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more celestial bodies (neutron stars, pulsars, etc.)
  • Improve life simulation and terraforming mechanics
  • Allow custom planet/star creation and editing
  • Implement surface view and spaceship exploration
  • Add more advanced simulation features (galaxy formation, etc.)

Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Galaxy

No in-app purchases

None

Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pocket Galaxy free?
Pocket Galaxy costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator free?
Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Galaxy or Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator?
Pocket Galaxy is rated higher. Pocket Galaxy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10K ratings, while Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator averages 4.0 from 178 ratings.
Do Pocket Galaxy or Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator have ads?
Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator shows ads; Pocket Galaxy does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Galaxy or Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator?
Pocket Galaxy ships an update every 2 months, and Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator every 66 months. Most recently, Pocket Galaxy was updated on November 6, 2026 and Mars Perseverance 3D Simulator on November 3, 2026.

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