DESERTOPIA vs Idle Pocket Planet
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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///// 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.
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.
- Colonize mysterious galaxies
- Merge settlements and ships
- Discover new planets
- Collect artifacts
- Expand galactic empire
- Idle gameplay
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | DESERTOPIA | Idle Pocket Planet |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (287 ratings) | 4.8 (2.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.3% of reviews | 91.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 287 | 2.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 218 MB | 202 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Gamtropy Co., Ltd. | Mum Not Proud |
Customer experience
DESERTOPIA
Idle Pocket Planet
User reviews
DESERTOPIA
From 287 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
DESERTOPIA
- Ad-Free Pass (30 Days)$19.991 Month
- Gem Pack I$0.99
- Ad Ticket Pack 1$1.99
- Gem Pack II$4.99
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- 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
Idle Pocket Planet
- Pack 1$0.99
- Starter Pack$1.99
- Pack 2$3.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Pack 3$9.99
- Special Offer$11.99
- Pack 4$19.99
- Pack 5$24.99
Questions
Is DESERTOPIA free?
Is Idle Pocket Planet free?
Which has better reviews, DESERTOPIA or Idle Pocket Planet?
Do DESERTOPIA or Idle Pocket Planet have ads?
Which is updated more often, DESERTOPIA or Idle Pocket Planet?
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