# Sliding Seas vs Close Cities

Sliding Seas and Close Cities both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Sliding Seas's written reviews are positive against 69% of Close Cities's. Sliding Seas also leads on ratings volume (3.6K vs 362). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sliding Seas sells 16 one-off in-app purchases and Close Cities sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Sliding Seas against 4.8 for Close Cities. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sliding Seas has 3.6K ratings behind it against 362, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Sliding Seas's written reviews are positive against 69% of Close Cities's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sliding Seas | Close Cities |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sliding-seas/id1436245163/reviews)** | [4.8 (362 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/close-cities/id6475958084/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **3.6K** | 362 |
| Positive reviews | **91.7% of reviews** | 69.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 574 MB | 158 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mugshot Games Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/957253932) | [Juan Manuel Altamirano Argudo](https://appshunter.io/developer/391953849) |

## What reviewers say

### Sliding Seas

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sliding-seas/id1436245163)

Build and decorate your own tropical island paradise by matching and merging land. Collect VIP characters, complete puzzles, and enjoy a relaxing match-3 experience with daily missions and events. Escape to a world of fun with over 1000 levels.

**Highlights:** Match and merge land to create islands, Decorate and grow your home island, Collect cute VIP characters, Multiple game modes, Daily missions and weekend events, Offline play support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Handful of Diamonds | $1.99 | one-time |
| 2 Hours Unlimited Lives | $2.99 | one-time |
| Beginner's Bundle | $3.99 | one-time |
| Moonflower Bundle | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Event Tickets | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Diamonds | $5.99 | one-time |
| Modern Mayor's Bundle | $5.99 | one-time |
| Luxury Rescue Boat | $5.99 | one-time |
| Rescuer's Bundle | $6.99 | one-time |
| Large Power-Up Bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| Diamond Trader Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Mayor's Mansion Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Penguin Lodge | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bucket of Diamonds | $9.99 | one-time |
| Super Bundle | $14.99 | one-time |
| Mega Bundle | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 🚀 No forced ads
- 💡 Unique twist on match-3 mechanics
- 👍 Cute graphics and animations
- 👍 Relaxing and challenging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Difficulty spikes at certain levels
- 💡 Lack of customization options for island
- 💡 Repetitive gameplay after a while
- 🐛 Hints/tutorials can be intrusive
- 💡 Desire for more game modes/endless play

**Reported bugs**

- Some levels feel impossible without using boosters
- Occasional crashes or loss of progress after updates

**Requested features**

- Add more levels and content updates
- Implement an endless/survival mode
- Allow replaying of completed levels
- Improve contrast between ocean tile colors
- Add option to skip survivor arrival animation


### Close Cities

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/close-cities/id6475958084)

Build beautiful cities on diverse worlds by solving unique puzzles. This relaxing game guides you through 160 levels with a simple tap or drag interface, requiring no architectural knowledge. Conquer each world's challenges and travel through time with its calming soundtrack.

**Highlights:** Build cities on empty maps, Solve 160 unique puzzle levels, Intuitive tap and drag controls, No architectural knowledge needed, Travel through different worlds, Relaxing music and pace

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hints - Small Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Hints - Medium Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads + Hints | $2.99 | one-time |
| Hints - Big Pack | $5.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sliding Seas free?

Sliding Seas is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Close Cities free?

Close Cities is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Sliding Seas or Close Cities?

Sliding Seas is rated higher. Sliding Seas averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.6K ratings, while Close Cities averages 4.8 from 362 ratings.

### Do Sliding Seas or Close Cities have ads?

Both Sliding Seas and Close Cities show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Sliding Seas or Close Cities?

Sliding Seas ships an update every 3 weeks, and Close Cities every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sliding Seas was updated on October 27, 2026 and Close Cities on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*