# Tropico vs Crying Suns

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crying Suns at none against Tropico's 1. Crying Suns also leads on price ($8.99 vs $12.99). Tropico's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Tropico costs $12.99 and Crying Suns $8.99 up front. Tropico sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Crying Suns asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Tropico against 4.8 for Crying Suns. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2K and 2.2K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 73% and 73% positive.

Tropico ships an update fortnightly, Crying Suns monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tropico | Crying Suns |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $12.99 | **$8.99** |
| Rating | [4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tropico/id1264531625/reviews) | **[4.8 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crying-suns/id1511788295/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2K | **2.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **73.4% of reviews** | 72.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #84 | **#75** |
| Size | 2.3 GB | 1014 MB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Feral Interactive Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/402470125) | [Alternative Shift](https://appshunter.io/developer/394617049) |

## What reviewers say

### Tropico

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tropico/id1264531625)

**Currently charting:** #84 Top Paid · Strategy, #89 Top Paid · Simulation (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Tropican Dream | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Crying Suns

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crying-suns/id1511788295)

**Currently charting:** #75 Top Paid · Role Playing, #135 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

Command a space fleet in a tactical rogue-lite inspired by classic sci-fi. Explore a procedurally generated universe, engage in strategic ship battles, and uncover a deep storyline across six chapters. Experience a rich narrative and atmospheric gameplay designed for mobile.

**Highlights:** Procedurally-generated space exploration, Tactical battleship and squadron fleet combat, Over 300 story events, Deep, 6-chapter storyline, Mobile-optimized interface

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fun gameplay
- 🌟 Amazing atmosphere and story
- 👍 Engaging combat system
- 💎 Great value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Small text and UI elements
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and missions

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes when using certain ship abilities
- Crashes during end-of-chapter cutscenes
- Progression-blocking bugs preventing access to new content
- Inability to progress past specific story points due to crashes

**Requested features**

- Zoom functionality for combat screen
- Ability to play own music during gameplay
- Endless mode or sandbox option
- Improved tutorial to explain key mechanics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tropico free?

Tropico costs $12.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Crying Suns free?

Crying Suns costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Tropico or Crying Suns?

Crying Suns is rated higher. Tropico averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2K ratings, while Crying Suns averages 4.8 from 2.2K ratings.

### Do Tropico or Crying Suns have ads?

Neither Tropico nor Crying Suns shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Tropico or Crying Suns?

Tropico ships an update fortnightly, and Crying Suns monthly. Most recently, Tropico was updated on November 6, 2026 and Crying Suns on November 7, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Tropico or Crying Suns?

Tropico currently peaks at #84 in the App Store charts, and Crying Suns at #75. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*