Sim Empire vs Armchair Commander
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sim Empire
Build and manage an ancient city, growing a small village into a thriving empire. Explore diverse civilizations like Egypt, Persia, Greece, and China, constructing wonders and developing your domain.
- City building and management
- Resource production
- Scientific research
- Troop training
- Wonder construction
- Multiple ancient civilizations
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In the ancient times when story happened, when people began to build cities, The earliest human ancient civilizations was born. You will play a ruler, the small village will be bloomed into an empires. Civilization included Egypt, Persia, Greece, China, in the game, you will appreciate the exotic scenery, building cities, production resources, scientific research, training troops, and even the construction of the wonders of the world.
Armchair Commander
Engage in historical turn-based strategy simulations of World War 2 and the Cold War. Create and play an unlimited number of missions, command over 50 countries with diverse units, and experience dynamic political systems. Master strategic command to conquer your enemies.
- Unlimited player-created missions
- Command 50+ countries
- Turn-based wargame simulation
- Customizable maps and scenarios
- Simulated politics and alliances
- Historical generals
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Relive history! This is the only game out there with an unlimited number of missions you can play - there are thousands of them… many created by committed players! Play or create your own missions in World War 2 and all the way through the Cold War. Learn to master the skill of the commander and conquer every enemy! Wargame & Turn-based Simulation From the Battle of Stalingrad to the Normandy landings, it’s got the vast majority of WW2 covered. Play as Germany, the Soviet Union, Republic of China, United States, Great Britain, or really any of the 50+ countries with more coming soon. Attack enemy strongholds and defend your cities with 20+ land, naval, and air units. Even the same unit has special functionalities differing by country! Campaigns & Conquests There are currently about 30 or so missions and conquest maps. The missions can be played through the story line, and the conquests (you get to choose your country) feature 1939-1943 Europe and 1937-1941 Asia. All the campaign maps can be downloaded and modified at your own will, as seen in the following section... Sandbox & Custom Maps Like I said, you can create your own maps; you can even upload them for the world to see! The map editor is readily available for use inside the base game. Every aspect of a mission is customizable: a country’s alliance, resources, cities, airports, troops, veterency, troop attack distance, winning conditions, and even which troops have generals can be customized. Simulated Politics From custom events to war declarations, this recent addition allows dynamic games of multiple alliances and betrayals; custom events can also be made to reflect historical events with different types of consequences (changes to resources, alliances, unit experience). Aid can also be given to allies like Lend Lease in the real WW2. Historical Generals Hundreds of generals - with more coming by each update - from various countries around the world. Generals are not tied to specific units; they can be sacked from a unit on the spot and be replaced at any time. About Me I’m an indie student developer, so this app is very flexible in terms of update content. Please feel free to contact me if you want to make suggestions or collaborate to make the game better. Game Engine: Unity3d (c# + python)
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Armchair Commander at 4.5 against Sim Empire's 3.4. Armchair Commander also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 46%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Sim Empire sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Armchair Commander sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Armchair Commander holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 474 and 1.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Sim Empire's written reviews are positive against 79% of Armchair Commander's.
Sim Empire ships an update every 5 weeks, Armchair Commander every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sim Empire | Armchair Commander |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (474 ratings) | 4.5 (1.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 45.8% of reviews | 79.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 474 | 1.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| 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 | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 846 MB | 145 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | TKG Technology Co., Ltd. | Segment Games |
Customer experience
Sim Empire
Armchair Commander
User reviews
Sim Empire
From 474 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Good game
- 🚀 Fun and addictive
- 🎨 Nice graphics and art style
- 🕹️ Reminds of classic city-building games
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 💰 Monetization issues, pay-to-progress
- 📚 Lack of clear instructions and tutorials
- 🔍 Unclear mechanics and requirements
- 🌐 Server and connectivity problems
Armchair Commander
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Amazing game
- 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 💡 Customizable maps and levels
- 👍 Good for history and strategy fans
- 🚀 Lots of content and campaigns
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
- 🐛 Buggy community map features
- 🐛 Difficulty spikes in some missions
- 🐛 Confusing UI and controls
- 🐛 Overused ads
Bugs and requests
Sim Empire
Reported bugs
5 issues- Progress reset or lost after updates
- Inability to access purchased content
- Stuck on certain levels or tasks
- Inconsistent or broken game mechanics
- Crashes and freezes during gameplay
Requested features
6 requests- More building and customization options
- Ability to change civilization/region
- Improved trading and player interaction
- Better tutorial and in-game guidance
- Faster progression and reduced waiting times
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- More diverse and challenging content
Armchair Commander
Reported bugs
4 issues- Inability to save progress
- Community maps not loading
- Sandbox mode not functioning properly
- Generals and units not working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- More terrain and map options
- Diplomacy and alliance features
- Custom unit and general creation
- Larger map sizes and global maps
- Multiplayer and online features
In-app purchases
Sim Empire
- Egypt Civilization DLC(a)$0.99
- Green Diamonds 90(a)$2.99
- Gold Coin 9000(a)$2.99
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- 18 Gift Package(a)$2.99
- Green Diamonds 90$2.99
- Gold Coin 9000$2.99
- Green Diamonds 180(a)$4.99
- Green Diamonds 180$4.99
- Green Diamonds 480(a)$9.99
- Gold Coin 68k(a)$9.99
- Green Diamonds 480$9.99
- Gold Coin 68k$9.99
Armchair Commander
- 1000 Coins$1.99
- 5000 Coins$4.99
- Soviet Generals$4.99
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- Allied Generals$4.99
- German Generals$5.99
- 15000 Coins$9.99
Questions
Is Sim Empire free?
Is Armchair Commander free?
Which has better reviews, Sim Empire or Armchair Commander?
Do Sim Empire or Armchair Commander have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sim Empire or Armchair Commander?
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