Comparison

Mars vs Building Arcadia

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

Head to head
About

Mars

Engage in a scientific simulation of establishing a Mars colony. Manage a small group of settlers, research technologies, and build a thriving settlement from a single module. Compete with other human-controlled colonies for success on the Red Planet.

Highlights
  • Scientific Mars settlement simulation
  • Research and development of technologies
  • Exploration of the Red Planet
  • Building and managing specialized structures
  • Managing settler types and life cycles
  • 3D view of settlement and Mars surface
  • Offline playability
Features
Read full description

Settle on MARS in a mixture of game and scientific simulation. Take control over a tiny group of 10 settlers and choose a landing site on the barren Mars. Develop your venture from one single landing module into a thriving settlement with hundreds of specialized buildings and even more inhabitants. Research & development of new technologies as well as exploration of the Red Planet are key for establishing a permanent presence in this hostile environment. And you are not alone. Other settlements, each one controlled by a real human somewhere on Earth, are starting to grow everywhere and a competition for being the most successful Mars colony has already begun. Features: - Scientific orientated building & simulation of a Mars settlement - Background story in 6 phases with according phase goals - Mars simulation in 30x real time (even running when app is not active) - Choosing one of 7 Earth organizations providing (dis-)advantages - Research & development of 152 individual technologies - Construction, maintenance & repair of 51 individual building - 35 individual building enhancements (no level 1,2,3...) - Sending Mars exploration teams and analyzing found soil samples - Production & dispatching of 23 different resource/module types - Assignment of 5 settler types to all activities in the settlement - Settler life cycle including children and elders - 3D view of own settlement in authentic Mars topography - Panning & zooming of the Mars surface in high resolution 3D - 100% usable without Internet connection - Optional online: ranking list & other settlements on Mars surface - Unlocking of advanced app functionalities step by step - Tutorial explaining all app functionalities - Contains some Ads but only after 15 Minutes of game and very decent - Contains In-App-Purchases but NO PAY TO WIN! - This is a peaceful app! NO FIGHTING, NO KILLING, NO WAR!

About

Building Arcadia

Build a sci-fi utopia on a new planet as the first Grand Architect. Manage resources, expand your city with futuristic buildings, and uncover ancient secrets and threats in this story-driven idle builder.

Highlights
  • Story-driven gameplay with comedy
  • Active design with meaningful tasks
  • Manage 40+ procedurally generated locations
  • Expand with 25+ futuristic buildings
  • Battle ancient evils and discover anomalies
  • Idle and incremental gameplay
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

WELCOME TO BUILDING ARCADIA, a sci-fi city-builder where strategy meets survival. As the first human Grand Architect, transform the planet Fortuna into a thriving utopia, while uncovering hidden secrets and ancient threats. UNIQUE FEATURES OF BUILDING ARCADIA: - Story-Driven Gameplay: An idle game with a twist of comedy that keeps the narrative engaging. - Active Design Philosophy: Always have meaningful tasks, enhancing engagement. - Inspired by Classics: If you love Anno, Simcity and Idle Planet Miner, you'll find new challenges here. - Fair Free-to-Play: No forced ads, earnable premium currency, and offline play. DYNAMIC CITY-BUILDING AND STRATEGIC ADVENTURE: - Manage over 40 procedurally generated sci-fi locations. - Expand your city with 25+ futuristic buildings. - Battle ancient evils and discover over 11 mysterious anomalies. - Dive into a rich storyline with colorful characters and a witty AI 'Quanta' as your guide. IDLE AND INCREMENTAL GAMEPLAY: - Effortlessly manage resources and growth, even while idle. - Unlock groundbreaking technologies and establish a prosperous economy. STUNNING VISUALS AND ENGAGING GAMEPLAY: - Enjoy crisp, vibrant 3D graphics that bring your cityscape to life. - Experience both casual and challenging gameplay perfect for strategy veterans and new players alike. JOIN OUR COMMUNITY: Discord: https://discord.gg/tnPx479RBs Instagram: https://bit.ly/3lyfRtw READY TO BUILD A UTOPIA? Download Building Arcadia now for an unparalleled city-building adventure in a sci-fi universe. Shape humanity's future among the stars and uncover the mysteries of Fortuna!

Screenshots

Mars4 screens
Building Arcadia4 screens

Verdict

The call

Mars and Building Arcadia both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 66% of Mars's written reviews are positive against 23% of Building Arcadia's. Building Arcadia's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Mars sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Building Arcadia sells 6 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 — 4.1 for Mars against 4.2 for Building Arcadia. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26 and 53 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of Mars's written reviews are positive against 23% of Building Arcadia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Mars versus Building Arcadia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarsBuilding Arcadia
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (26 ratings)4.2 (53 ratings) — better
Positive reviews65.6% of reviews — better23.1% of reviews
Number of ratings2653 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2.6 GB309 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperStefan NyulPapanix Ltd

Customer experience

Mars

All ratings26 ratings
Positive69.2%
Neutral15.4%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive65.6%
Neutral9.4%
Negative25.0%

Building Arcadia

All ratings51 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral9.8%
Negative13.7%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive23.1%
Neutral38.5%
Negative38.5%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mars

One-time3
  • Logistics contract$0.99
  • MAA Gold Membership$1.99
  • Sponsors contract$2.99
6 purchases

Building Arcadia

One-time6
  • Smallest Karma pack$0.99
  • Small Karma pack$1.99
  • Medium Karma Pack$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Large Karma pack$9.99
  • Largest Karma pack$19.99
  • Karma Chest$48.99

Questions

Is Mars free?
Mars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Building Arcadia free?
Building Arcadia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Mars or Building Arcadia?
Building Arcadia is rated higher. Mars averages 4.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while Building Arcadia averages 4.2 from 53 ratings.
Do Mars or Building Arcadia have ads?
Both Mars and Building Arcadia show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mars or Building Arcadia?
Mars ships an update every 2 months, and Building Arcadia every 2 months. Most recently, Mars was updated on October 22, 2026 and Building Arcadia on October 24, 2026.

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