Sid Meier’s Railroads! vs Ember Realms
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Ember Realms
Engage in single-player real-time strategy, commanding troops and spells to conquer enemy towers. Choose from distinct factions, build powerful spell combinations, and explore a campaign across diverse landscapes. Test your skills in increasingly challenging randomized realms.
- Real-time strategy gameplay
- Multiple playable factions
- Customizable spell combinations
- 15-level campaign mode
- Endless randomized conquest mode
- Offline play support
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Claim towers. Command the battle. Conquer the realm. Ember Realms is a single-player real-time strategy game where every troop movement and spell can turn the tide. Grow your forces, seize enemy buildings, and choose when to defend or launch your next attack. CHOOSE YOUR FACTION Lead the swift, resilient Jade Vanguard, the hard-hitting Ashen Legion, or the spell-powered Violet Order. Each faction brings its own strengths to the battlefield. BUILD YOUR SPELL COMBINATION Choose two spells before battle. Call down fireballs and thunder storms, freeze your opponents, strike with Zap, or reinforce your buildings with Rally. EXPLORE A 15-LEVEL CAMPAIGN Travel across a scrolling world map through coastal, forest, crystal, canyon, and volcanic landscapes. Face the Forest Guardian, Ashen Colossus, and Ember Dragon in boss battles every five levels. MASTER THREE DIFFICULTIES Play the campaign on Relaxed, Standard, or Veteran. Return to completed levels to earn bronze, silver, and gold laurel crowns, with your highest achievement displayed on the map. TAKE ON ENDLESS CONQUEST Conquer randomized realms that grow tougher with each victory. Choose your faction and spells at the start, save your run to continue later, and see how many stages you can conquer. Optionally enable Game Center to compare completed runs with friends and players worldwide. Learn the essentials in the guided tutorial, play battles offline, and enjoy original music. Internet access and Game Center are required only for online rankings.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ember Realms at none against Sid Meier’s Railroads!'s 1. Ember Realms also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Sid Meier’s Railroads!'s advantage is ratings volume (1.4K vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.4). On price, ads and device support 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. Sid Meier’s Railroads! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ember Realms asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ember Realms holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sid Meier’s Railroads! has 1.4K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Sid Meier’s Railroads! ships an update every 5 months, Ember Realms daily. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.
| Parameter | Sid Meier’s Railroads! | Ember Realms |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.4K ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 59.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.5 — better | 18.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.6 GB | 76 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Feral Interactive Ltd | DANIEL IMAD BIROUTY |
Customer experience
Sid Meier’s Railroads!
Ember Realms
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
Ember Realms
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Sid Meier’s Railroads!
- Full Game Unlock$12.99
Ember Realms
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Sid Meier’s Railroads! free?
Is Ember Realms free?
Which has better reviews, Sid Meier’s Railroads! or Ember Realms?
Do Sid Meier’s Railroads! or Ember Realms have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sid Meier’s Railroads! or Ember Realms?
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