Comparison

DESERTOPIA vs Mini Farmstay

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

Mini Farmstay

Create and manage a charming pixel art farmstay. Tap to collect resources, attract customers, and unlock new items and decorations to expand your idyllic retreat.

Highlights
  • Build and develop a farmstay
  • Pixel art graphics
  • Idle gameplay with tapping
  • Collect Hearts and attract customers
  • Unlock items and decorations
Features
Read full description

Build your own farmstay, enjoy and relax with pixel art style. Easy to play. You just tap to collect Hearts and attract more customers come to your farm. Start to develop the farm, unlock more items and decorations. I hope you enjoy the game ^^

Screenshots

DESERTOPIA4 screens
Mini Farmstay4 screens

Verdict

The call

DESERTOPIA and Mini Farmstay both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of Mini Farmstay's written reviews are positive against 45% of DESERTOPIA's. Mini Farmstay also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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 Mini Farmstay sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for DESERTOPIA against 4.7 for Mini Farmstay. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 287 and 170 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of DESERTOPIA's written reviews are positive against 84% of Mini Farmstay's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, Mini Farmstay every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
DESERTOPIA versus Mini Farmstay: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDESERTOPIAMini Farmstay
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (287 ratings)4.7 (170 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.3% of reviews84.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings287 — better170
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size218 MB124 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGamtropy Co., Ltd.Tle7

Customer experience

DESERTOPIA

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

Mini Farmstay

All ratings170 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews120 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative8.3%

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

Mini Farmstay

From 170 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Cute and relaxing game
  • 💰 Affordable in-app purchases
  • 🇹🇭 Thai language support
  • 🎨 Charming pixel art style

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Slow progression and earnings
  • 🔒 No offline earnings
  • 🐛 Issues with ad doubling functionality

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

Mini Farmstay

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Ad doubling not always working as intended
  • UI elements sometimes cover important parts of the screen

Requested features

3 requests
  • Offline earnings or idle mode
  • Larger game world and more content
  • Mini-games or additional gameplay mechanics

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
3 purchases

Mini Farmstay

One-time3
  • Auto collect hearts$1.99
  • Free for attract customers$2.29
  • Auto Double Coins$2.99

Questions

Is DESERTOPIA free?
DESERTOPIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mini Farmstay free?
Mini Farmstay is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DESERTOPIA or Mini Farmstay?
Mini Farmstay is rated higher. DESERTOPIA averages 4.5 out of 5 from 287 ratings, while Mini Farmstay averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.
Do DESERTOPIA or Mini Farmstay have ads?
Both DESERTOPIA and Mini Farmstay show ads.
Which is updated more often, DESERTOPIA or Mini Farmstay?
DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, and Mini Farmstay every 2 weeks. Most recently, DESERTOPIA was updated on October 29, 2026 and Mini Farmstay on October 27, 2026.

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