Comparison

DESERTOPIA vs Auric

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

Auric

Features
Read full description

There’s a moment in every run when the screen fills with light, motion, and gold. Your aura hums. The next challenge is forty seconds away. You keep moving, collecting, and choosing. Magnet, or Power? Faster blades, or more of them? Auric: Eclipse is that moment, stretched out. A fast arcade bullet-heaven built for one thumb. Your abilities activate automatically. You move, collect gold, and choose what to upgrade. No menus during gameplay. No aiming. Just movement, timing, and builds that grow every minute. Wave after wave, the sky grows darker. Every coin strengthens your build. Every level changes the direction of the run. Every minute brings a new challenge with new patterns to learn. Hold on long enough and the eclipse breaks. INSIDE • 4 weapons, each upgradeable through 5 tiers • 6 passive stats — Magnet, Regen, Power, Speed, Heart, Luck • Dozens of build combinations every run • 4 enemy types — drifters, runners, tanks, shooters • A major challenge every 60 seconds with unique patterns • Endless scaling and persistent high scores • Fully offline on iPhone and iPad NOT INSIDE • Energy meters · timers · pay-to-win · forced ads • Interruptions during gameplay · pop-ups · Wi-Fi requirement • Battle passes · daily login screens · cluttered menus One optional rewarded ad per run — watch to continue from a difficult moment. That’s it. Auric: Eclipse is designed for phone-speed play. Two minutes between classes or thirty during a flight — same feeling. Jump in, learn, improve, repeat. The kind of game where “one more run” quietly becomes four. The eclipse keeps growing. Stay bright long enough to outlast it. — Genre: bullet-heaven · survivors-like · roguelite · arcade Controls: touch joystick (any thumb position) / WASD Age: 0+ · fantasy arcade action

Screenshots

DESERTOPIA4 screens
Auric4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Auric at none against DESERTOPIA's 10. Auric also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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 10 one-off in-app purchases. Auric asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, Auric daily. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
DESERTOPIA versus Auric: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDESERTOPIAAuric
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (287 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews45.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings287 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size218 MB4 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperGamtropy Co., Ltd.Arsenii Borodin

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

Auric

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

DESERTOPIA

One-time10
  • Gem Pack I$0.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 1$1.99
  • Gem Pack II$4.99
Show 7 more
  • NewbiePack$4.99
  • Coral reef$4.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 2$4.99
  • Gem Pack III$9.99
  • Unlock Ancient Island$9.99
  • Cat Pack 1$9.99
  • Gem Pack IV$19.99
None

Auric

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DESERTOPIA free?
DESERTOPIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Auric free?
Auric is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do DESERTOPIA or Auric have ads?
DESERTOPIA shows ads; Auric does not.
Which is updated more often, DESERTOPIA or Auric?
DESERTOPIA ships an update every 2 months, and Auric daily. Most recently, DESERTOPIA was updated on November 2, 2026 and Auric on October 31, 2026.

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