Comparison

Sid Meier’s Railroads! vs After Inc.

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

Head to head
About

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

Become a railroad tycoon by building and managing intricate railway networks. Optimize routes, transport goods and passengers, and grow your profits through shrewd business decisions and innovation. Compete with historical figures to become the greatest rail baron.

Highlights
  • Lay tracks and design routes
  • Transport freight and passengers
  • Acquire patents and trade stocks
  • Build or buy industries
  • Compete with historical figures
  • Collect 40 famous trains
  • Train Table Mode for creative building
Read full description

Become history’s greatest rail baron in Sid Meier’s Railroads!, a classic of the tycoon genre now available for iPhone and iPad. In this captivating mix of model train set and railway management simulator, lay tracks and optimise routes to establish lucrative networks of cities and industries, transporting passengers, raw materials and goods across continents. Grow profits through efficiency, innovation, and shrewd business decisions as you acquire valuable patents, trade stocks, and build or buy industries. Compete with world leaders and industrial titans to achieve the ultimate goal — becoming the greatest railroad tycoon of the age! === TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Lay the foundations of your railroad empire during the Gold Rush, then unlock the full game for more maps, trains, and 16 charming scenarios spanning the golden age of rail. CREATE AN EMPIRE OF THE RAILS Carefully lay tracks and design routes to transport freight and passengers, refining and improving operations until your railroad runs like clockwork. STEAM ACROSS 16 CHALLENGING SCENARIOS Test your entrepreneurial mettle in a mix of historical and fictional scenarios, each with a distinctive map and unique objectives. Establish the first passenger line in 1830s Great Britain, stitch together the American West during the Gold Rush, or help Santa with the Christmas rush at the North Pole! COMPETE WITH HISTORY’S BEST Take on world leaders and captains of industry. Grow your business by acquiring industries and railroad-revolutionising patents, or play the stock market and buy out the competition. BRING 40 FAMOUS TRAINS TO LIFE Play with historically important engines from early steam locomotives like Stephenson’s Planet, to the high-speed French TGV, and many iterations and innovations in between. BUILD THE MODEL RAILROAD OF YOUR DREAMS Take the pressure off in Train Table Mode. No competition, time limits, or financial constraints — just all you need to create a railroad that’s as fun to watch as it is satisfying to build. === We recommend playing Sid Meier's Railroads! on iOS 15.5 or later. You need 1.7GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. Supported iPhones: • iPhone 6S / 6S Plus and later • Any iPhone SE • iPod Touch (7th generation, 2019) Supported iPads: • iPad mini (5th generation, 2019) and later • iPad Air (3rd generation, 2019) and later • iPad (5th generation, 2017) and later • Any iPad Pro • If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com © 2006-2024 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Originally developed by Firaxis Games. Sid Meier’s Railroads!, Firaxis Games, 2K, Take-Two Interactive Software and their respective logos are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive. iOS and the iOS logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

About

After Inc.

Rebuild civilization after a zombie apocalypse by building a settlement, exploring, and scavenging for resources. Make difficult societal decisions and defend against zombie threats in a persistent campaign.

Highlights
  • Build and expand settlements
  • Explore a post-apocalyptic world
  • Scavenge for resources
  • Make difficult societal decisions
  • Defend against zombie infestations
  • Research new technologies
  • Persistent campaign with multiple settlements
Features
Read full description

Can you rebuild civilization after a zombie apocalypse? From the creator of Plague Inc. comes a unique blend of strategic simulation, survival city builder and ‘mini 4X’. Decades after the Necroa Virus ravaged humanity, a few survivors emerge. Build a settlement, explore, scavenge resources and expand as you shape your post-apocalyptic society. The world is green and beautiful but danger lurks in the ruins! After Inc. is the brand new game from the creator of ‘Plague Inc.’ - one of the most popular games ever with over 190 million players. Brilliantly executed with beautiful graphics and critically acclaimed gameplay - After Inc. is engaging and easy to learn. Build multiple settlements and gain abilities in a persistent campaign to lead humanity out of the darkness. Public Service Announcement: Unlike our other games, I’m pleased to say that After Inc. is not based on any real world situation. No need to start worrying about a real life zombie apocalypse yet… ◈◈◈ What happens after Plague Inc.? ◈◈◈ Features: ● Make difficult decisions - Are children an unaffordable luxury? Are dogs pets or a food source? Democracy or Authoritarianism? ● Explore a beautiful post-apocalyptic United Kingdom ● Exploit the ruins of the past to scavenge / harvest resources ● Expand your Settlement with housing, farms, lumberyards and much more ● Exterminate zombie infestations and defend humanity ● Uncover old technologies and research new ones ● Shape your society and provide services to keep your people happy ● Build multiple settlements in a persistent campaign and level up abilities ● Ultra realistic modelling of Zombie behaviour based on real life studies… :P ● Sophisticated narrative algorithms shaped by your decisions ● 5 unique leaders with radically different abilities ● Internet connectivity not required ● No ‘consumable microtransactions. Expansion Packs are ‘buy once, play forever’ ●Will be updated for years to come. Special sale price to celebrate the launch of the game! ◈◈◈ I’ve got lots of plans for updates! Get in touch and let me know what you want to see. James (the designer) Contact me here: www.ndemiccreations.com/en/1-support www.twitter.com/NdemicCreations

Screenshots

Sid Meier’s Railroads!4 screens
After Inc.4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sid Meier’s Railroads! at Free against After Inc.'s $1.99. After Inc.'s advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (89% vs 59%). On rating, ads, 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

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is free to download; After Inc. costs $1.99 up front. Sid Meier’s Railroads! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and After Inc. sells 14 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 — 4.7 for Sid Meier’s Railroads! against 4.8 for After Inc.. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: After Inc. has 17K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Sid Meier’s Railroads!'s written reviews are positive against 89% of After Inc.'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sid Meier’s Railroads! ships an update every 5 months, After Inc. weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Sid Meier’s Railroads! versus After Inc.: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSid Meier’s Railroads!After Inc.
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (1.4K ratings)4.8 (17K ratings) — better
Positive reviews59.4% of reviews88.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.4K17K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.513.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1.6 GB288 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperFeral Interactive LtdNdemic Creations

Customer experience

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

All ratings1,304 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews187 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral16.0%
Negative24.6%

After Inc.

All ratings16,523 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews2,442 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.8%

User reviews

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Faithful port of original
  • 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 🕰️ Hours of replay value

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🕹️ Fiddly track laying controls
  • 🤖 Subpar AI opponents
  • 💰 Expensive for a mobile game

After Inc.

From 17K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 💡 Interesting concept and mechanics
  • 👍 Offline play
  • 👍 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔒 Content locked behind paywall
  • 🔒 Lack of free play mode
  • 🔒 Limited number of missions
  • 🐛 Scrolling issues in menus

Bugs and requests

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disappearing tracks
  • Routing issues and inability to connect stations
  • Map freezing and becoming unresponsive

Requested features

5 requests
  • Larger maps
  • More scenarios and campaigns
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Ability to buy/sell shares
  • More train and engine variety

After Inc.

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Sudden zombie attacks crippling settlements
  • Moral system being too punishing
  • Difficulty balancing issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Endless/sandbox mode
  • More varied mission types
  • Ability to customize settlement
  • Improved camera controls
  • More content updates and expansions

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

One-time1
  • Full Game Unlock$12.99
14 purchases

After Inc.

One-time14
  • Survival Guide$2.99
  • New Leaders$4.99
  • Cheats & Punishment$4.99
Show 11 more
  • Ultimate Pack (big discount)$4.99
  • Season 2 Pass (Discount)$6.99
  • Critical Mass$6.99
  • Season 1 Pack (discount)$6.99
  • Beyond the Bunkers$6.99
  • Shadows of the Past$6.99
  • Season 2 Pass$9.99
  • Season 1 Pack$9.99
  • Ultimate Pack (discount)$11.99
  • Ultimate Pack$14.99
  • Season 1 Pack (full)$19.99

Questions

Is Sid Meier’s Railroads! free?
Sid Meier’s Railroads! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is After Inc. free?
After Inc. costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sid Meier’s Railroads! or After Inc.?
After Inc. is rated higher. Sid Meier’s Railroads! averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while After Inc. averages 4.8 from 17K ratings.
Do Sid Meier’s Railroads! or After Inc. have ads?
Neither Sid Meier’s Railroads! nor After Inc. shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sid Meier’s Railroads! or After Inc.?
Sid Meier’s Railroads! ships an update every 5 months, and After Inc. weekly. Most recently, Sid Meier’s Railroads! was updated on October 29, 2026 and After Inc. on November 1, 2026.

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