Comparison

DESERTOPIA vs Cats and Sharks

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

Head to head
About

DESERTOPIA

Transform a barren desert island into a thriving habitat at your own pace. Care for the island, restore wildlife, and make choices that influence its development. Enjoy a therapeutic idle simulator with beautiful art and evolving music.

Highlights
  • Storybook-style art
  • 100+ animals and 25+ terrain types
  • Weather and water evaporation mechanics
  • Multi-layered, evolving music
  • Interactive events influencing island development
  • Collect trash to clean the environment
Features
Read full description

///// Achievements ///// ・2018 Tokyo Game Show | Official Selection ・2018 Kyoto BitSummit Vol.6 | Official Selection ・2018 Kyoto BitSummit Vol.6 | Indie Megabooth Selection ・2017 IMGA Global | Nominee ・2017 IMGA SEA | Nominee ・App Store Earth Day 2018, 2019, 2020 | Featured “A simple game with a deep meaning.” — INSIDE “Experience the role humans play in the ecosystem, and understand that we cannot take whatever we want from Mother Nature without repercussion. Learn how to cherish valuable resources.” — App Store Feature ///// Introduction ///// Desertopia is a relaxing and therapeutic idle simulator where you can spend just 5–10 minutes a day transforming a barren desert island into a vibrant, thriving habitat — all at your own pace. Your goal is to care for the island and help restore its wildlife. Occasionally, you’ll need to pick up floating trash to keep the environment clean. You’ll also make decisions about events triggered by human activity. Will you allow a tour group to visit the island? Should you build a resort? Every choice you make will directly influence how the island develops. ///// Features ///// ・Storybook-style art: Simply watching the animals roam the island can feel therapeutic on its own. ・100+ animals: Desertopia features over 100 unique creatures and 25+ terrain types. More than 15 legendary species may appear under special conditions — some only during festivals and holidays! ・Weather and water evaporation: Water evaporation is a unique gameplay mechanic. You’ll need to summon rain regularly to maintain livable conditions for your wildlife. If neglected, the island will gradually revert to a barren desert. ・Multi-layered music: Enjoy rich, evolving background music that shifts depending on the area and the animals inhabiting it. ・Events: Cruise ships bring visitors and special events to the island, each with both benefits and drawbacks. How your island evolves is entirely up to you. //////////////////// This game contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premium items with real-world currency (or with virtual coins and other in-game currencies purchasable using real-world money), where players do not know in advance which specific items they will receive (e.g., loot boxes, item packs, or mystery rewards). Terms of Use: https://gamtropy.com/term-of-use-en/ Privacy Policy: https://gamtropy.com/privacy-policy-en/ © 2017 Gamtropy Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

About

Cats and Sharks

Cultivate a delightful 3D garden to draw in numerous feline companions. Observe over 40 distinct cat breeds and their herbivorous shark friends engage in adorable animations. Simply provide food to foster friendships and discover what other creatures might visit.

Highlights
  • Create a charming 3D garden
  • Attract over 40 types of cats
  • Befriend herbivorous sharks
  • Observe cute animal actions
  • Easy to play simulation
Features
Read full description

A simulation game that is easy to play. Create a charming garden to attract a variety of cats. See over 40 types of cats and their friend sharks perform some cute actions. *The sharks of this town are herbivorous, and they love seaweed! Easy to play! Just leave them some food and become friends with the cats! Maybe animals other than sharks will come to play too? Note: This app includes AD(banner/video) This app requests notification (option). This app requests access to Album storage for game screenshot. (option)

Screenshots

DESERTOPIA4 screens
Cats and Sharks4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cats and Sharks at none against DESERTOPIA's 15. Cats and Sharks also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (69% vs 45%). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. DESERTOPIA sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Cats and Sharks asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Cats and Sharks holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 287 and 473 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of DESERTOPIA's written reviews are positive against 69% of Cats and Sharks's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, Cats and Sharks every 6 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
DESERTOPIA versus Cats and Sharks: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDESERTOPIACats and Sharks
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (287 ratings)4.8 (473 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.3% of reviews68.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings287473 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size218 MB75 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGamtropy Co., Ltd.Ryota Kikuchi

Customer experience

DESERTOPIA

All ratings287 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive45.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative37.1%

Cats and Sharks

All ratings472 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral3.4%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews197 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral14.2%
Negative17.3%

User reviews

DESERTOPIA

From 287 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌳 Beautiful art style and relaxing atmosphere
  • 🌱 Environmentally-conscious themes
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases required to progress

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes preventing gameplay
  • 🤔 Unclear game mechanics and lack of instructions

Cats and Sharks

From 473 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 😻 Adorable and cute cat designs
  • 😌 Relaxing and healing gameplay
  • ⏱️ Quick play sessions (5 minutes)
  • 🎮 Simple and easy to understand
  • 🐱 Unique cat and shark combination

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent freezing after watching ads
  • 🐛 Rewards not received after ads
  • 📹 Ads fail to load or play
  • 🎥 OK button unresponsive after videos
  • 📱 Limited camera rotation (fixed viewpoint)

Bugs and requests

DESERTOPIA

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to exit tutorial or instructions screen
  • Disappearing wetlands and other lost progress
  • Compatibility issues on certain devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More in-depth tutorial and gameplay explanations
  • Ability to reset or restart progress
  • Faster ways to earn resources and unlock new areas

Cats and Sharks

Reported bugs

15 issues
  • Freezing after watching advertisement videos
  • OK button becomes unresponsive after ads
  • Rewards not credited despite watching ads
  • Advertisement videos fail to load
  • Camera rotation stuck or limited
Show 10 more
  • Items disappearing from game world
  • Items unable to be repositioned
  • Game crashes on initial menu interaction
  • Tutorial menu unresponsive
  • Daily mission counters not updating
  • Notification system not functioning
  • Cats disappearing or going 'on holiday'
  • Red ball and watermelon vanishing
  • Screen freezing during item placement
  • Fish bone rewards not accumulating properly

Requested features

18 requests
  • 360-degree camera rotation capability
  • Slower day/night cycle transitions
  • Expand island/map size
  • New cat species and varieties
  • More shark types and interactions
Show 13 more
  • Interior house expansion (multiple floors)
  • Cat customization and naming
  • Direct cat interaction (petting, tricks)
  • New locations and environments
  • More furniture and decoration items
  • Sound notifications for new cat arrivals
  • Music/audio in gameplay
  • Ability to own/raise sharks
  • Mini-games and activities
  • Cloud save/account system
  • Toggle UI elements visibility
  • Better furniture placement mechanics
  • Seaweed farming for sharks

In-app purchases

15 purchases

DESERTOPIA

Subscriptions1
  • Ad-Free Pass (30 Days)$19.991 Month
One-time14
  • Gem Pack I$0.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 1$1.99
  • Gem Pack II$4.99
Show 11 more
  • NewbiePack$4.99
  • Coral reef$4.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 2$4.99
  • DNAPack001$4.99
  • Gem Pack III$9.99
  • Unlock Ancient Island$9.99
  • Cat Pack 1$9.99
  • (Limited) New Year Pass$9.99
  • (Limited) New Year Pack 3$9.99
  • Gem Pack IV$19.99
  • (Limited) New Year Pack 4$29.99
None

Cats and Sharks

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DESERTOPIA free?
DESERTOPIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Cats and Sharks free?
Cats and Sharks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, DESERTOPIA or Cats and Sharks?
Cats and Sharks is rated higher. DESERTOPIA averages 4.5 out of 5 from 287 ratings, while Cats and Sharks averages 4.8 from 473 ratings.
Do DESERTOPIA or Cats and Sharks have ads?
Both DESERTOPIA and Cats and Sharks show ads.
Which is updated more often, DESERTOPIA or Cats and Sharks?
DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, and Cats and Sharks every 6 days. Most recently, DESERTOPIA was updated on October 24, 2026 and Cats and Sharks on October 24, 2026.

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