Comparison

Playground AR vs Sandbox

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

Head to head
About

Playground AR

Transform your space into an augmented reality physics sandbox. Build intricate structures, design functional machines, and unleash epic destruction with realistic physics. Play with friends in real-time and capture your creations.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality physics sandbox
  • Infinite construction with diverse blocks
  • Design functional machines with joints and wheels
  • Realistic physics simulations
  • Control RC vehicles
  • Multiplayer and social sharing
  • In-game screenshot tool
Read full description

Playground AR: The Ultimate Physics Sandbox in Augmented Reality Turn your room into a digital laboratory! Playground AR is the next generation of physics sandboxes, giving you an infinite supply of blocks, toys, and gadgets to create and destroy in your real-world environment using Augmented Reality. Build, Imagine, and Experiment With intuitive AR controls, placing and moving objects feels natural: Infinite Construction: Use a massive variety of blocks and materials to build anything from tall skyscrapers to complex domino runs. Advanced Engineering: Design your own functional machines using joints, wheels, and thrusters. Realistic Physics: Pick up objects and throw them, freeze them in mid-air, or connect them to see realistic physical reactions. RC Vehicles and Action It’s not just about building—it’s about the thrill of play: RC Toys: Take command of RC helicopters, drones, and cars with responsive controls. Epic Destruction: Test the strength of your castles. Use bombs and explosives to watch your structures collapse with satisfying, realistic physics. Interactive Challenges: Try to land your helicopter on a moving platform or build the most complex chain reaction. Multiplayer and Social Sharing Play with Friends: Join others to see who can build the highest tower or the longest domino course in real-time. Capture the Moment: View your creations from any angle. Use the in-game screenshot tool to take high-quality photos and share them instantly. Have you ever dreamed of having a room full of infinite toys? The only limit is your imagination. Download Playground AR now and start creating!

About

Sandbox

Explore a creative sandbox world where you can mix elements to discover their reactions and create dynamic environments. Experiment with physics, build structures, and witness exciting events like explosions and growth. New modes allow for planet destruction and life cycle simulation.

Highlights
  • Element mixing and reaction discovery
  • World building with plants and weather
  • Physics experiments (fire, explosions)
  • Planet destruction mode
  • Life cycle simulation mode
Features
Read full description

Sandbox - Physics Simulation Do you curious what happened when lighting hit firework powder? Would you like to mix gas with gun powder and let them explode? Would you like to create a sandbox world, plant trees, flowers & watching them growing? Let download Sandbox game to enjoy a creative & relaxing game! You have many elements in game, you can mix them together & discover how them react to each other, how they turn to different form! You can build strong platform, grow your world, put fire, lighting, rain, plants,... on it! With SandBox you can create & destroy everything, you will find many exciting experiment: boil water, making rain, making fire & explosion,... Big Update: - new game mode Planet Destroy: use powerful weapons to destroy whole planet - new game mode Life Box: simulate real life cycle Let download & Relax with Sandbox!

Screenshots

Playground AR4 screens
Sandbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sandbox at 4.4 against Playground AR's 3.0. Sandbox also leads on ratings volume (8.4K vs 2). Playground AR's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (66% vs 48%). On price, update cadence, 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. Playground AR sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sandbox sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sandbox holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sandbox has 8.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of Playground AR's written reviews are positive against 48% of Sandbox's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Playground AR ships an update every 3 weeks, Sandbox monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Playground AR versus Sandbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlayground ARSandbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings)4.4 (8.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.8% of reviews — better47.6% of reviews
Number of ratings28.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size133 MB208 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarc SuredaTran Dinh Hung

Customer experience

Playground AR

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews146 reviews
Positive65.8%
Neutral8.2%
Negative26.0%

Sandbox

All ratings8,435 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral5.2%
Negative11.2%
Written reviews658 reviews
Positive47.6%
Neutral9.9%
Negative42.6%

User reviews

Playground AR

From 2 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Amazing AR experience
  • 🎮 Fun sandbox gameplay
  • 🔥 Great physics engine
  • 💫 Impressive AR detection
  • 👍 Intuitive controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional glitches and bugs
  • 🔍 Difficulty in surface detection
  • 🤖 Limited NPC/character options
  • 🔒 Locked content behind ads
  • 🔀 Multiplayer functionality not working

Sandbox

From 8.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Unique and creative concept
  • 🔬 Interesting physics and chemistry experiments
  • 🕹️ Fun and addictive gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Excessive and intrusive ads
  • 🤖 Lack of customization and control options
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding certain elements

Bugs and requests

Playground AR

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Devices unable to detect surfaces properly
  • Saved creations not persisting across sessions
  • Controls for vehicles/devices not intuitive
  • Occasional freezing and crashing of the app
  • Incompatibility issues with certain device models

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add human/character models to interact with
  • Implement liquids and more environmental elements
  • Introduce terraforming and customizable terrain
  • Provide more building/creation tools and options
  • Enable seamless multiplayer and sharing of creations

Sandbox

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Certain elements not functioning as expected
  • Saved files becoming corrupted
  • Inconsistent performance and stability issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more elements and materials to experiment with
  • Implement a pause/speed up time feature
  • Introduce a sandbox mode without any ads
  • Allow users to save and load custom creations

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Playground AR

One-time1
  • Premium Blocks$3.99
1 purchases

Sandbox

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Playground AR free?
Playground AR is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sandbox free?
Sandbox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Playground AR or Sandbox?
Sandbox is rated higher. Playground AR averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Sandbox averages 4.4 from 8.4K ratings.
Do Playground AR or Sandbox have ads?
Sandbox shows ads; Playground AR does not.
Which is updated more often, Playground AR or Sandbox?
Playground AR ships an update every 3 weeks, and Sandbox monthly. Most recently, Playground AR was updated on September 20, 2026 and Sandbox on September 24, 2026.

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