Comparison

DESERTOPIA vs Idle Pocket Planet

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

Idle Pocket Planet

Explore and colonize a mysterious galaxy by merging settlements and ships to build technological fortresses. Collect artifacts, expand your empire across unusual planets, and enjoy a relaxing idle experience as your colonies grow automatically.

Highlights
  • Colonize mysterious galaxies
  • Merge settlements and ships
  • Discover new planets
  • Collect artifacts
  • Expand galactic empire
  • Idle gameplay
Features
Read full description

Grow your little planets into technological fortresses and discover new (and kind of weird) galaxies! Set out on a cosmic voyage into the vast expanse and discover new planets to claim! COLONIZE this mysterious galaxy as your technological achievements lead you to new stages of scientific evolution! COMBINE your settlements and ships to create new constructs, each more powerful than the last and able to yield greater rewards! COLLECT tons of artifacts to complete your scientific journal and decorate your ship! EXPAND your galactic empire into sci-fi colonies, and settle on unusual planets! RELAX in a contemplative idle experience as you marvel at the soothing strangeness of space while your colonies grow on their own.

Screenshots

DESERTOPIA4 screens
Idle Pocket Planet4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Idle Pocket Planet at 92% against DESERTOPIA's 45%. Idle Pocket Planet also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and Idle Pocket Planet sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Idle Pocket Planet holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Idle Pocket Planet has 2.2K ratings behind it against 287, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of DESERTOPIA's written reviews are positive against 92% of Idle Pocket Planet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, Idle Pocket Planet monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
DESERTOPIA versus Idle Pocket Planet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDESERTOPIAIdle Pocket Planet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (287 ratings)4.8 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.3% of reviews91.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2872.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size218 MB202 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGamtropy Co., Ltd.Mum Not Proud

Customer experience

DESERTOPIA

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

Idle Pocket Planet

All ratings2,213 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews615 reviews
Positive91.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative4.4%

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

Idle Pocket Planet

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Cute and fun game
  • 🎨 Adorable art style
  • 🌟 Relaxing and calming gameplay
  • 🕹️ Engaging merging mechanics
  • 🌍 Interesting planet exploration

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Game ends too quickly
  • 💰 Difficult to earn in-game currency
  • 🔍 Unclear progression/objectives
  • 🔔 Excessive notifications
  • 🚫 Lack of ad-free purchase option

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

Idle Pocket Planet

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Occasional crashes or freezes
  • Issues with ad rewards not working as expected

Requested features

4 requests
  • More planets and content to explore
  • Ability to customize planets further
  • Cross-game integration with other Hyperbeard titles
  • Improved tutorial and guidance

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
7 purchases

Idle Pocket Planet

One-time7
  • Pack 1$0.99
  • Starter Pack$1.99
  • Pack 2$3.99
Show 4 more
  • Pack 3$9.99
  • Special Offer$11.99
  • Pack 4$19.99
  • Pack 5$24.99

Questions

Is DESERTOPIA free?
DESERTOPIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Pocket Planet free?
Idle Pocket Planet is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DESERTOPIA or Idle Pocket Planet?
Idle Pocket Planet is rated higher. DESERTOPIA averages 4.5 out of 5 from 287 ratings, while Idle Pocket Planet averages 4.8 from 2.2K ratings.
Do DESERTOPIA or Idle Pocket Planet have ads?
Both DESERTOPIA and Idle Pocket Planet show ads.
Which is updated more often, DESERTOPIA or Idle Pocket Planet?
DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, and Idle Pocket Planet monthly. Most recently, DESERTOPIA was updated on October 29, 2026 and Idle Pocket Planet on October 30, 2026.

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