Comparison

Mars vs The River Game

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

The River Game

Features
Read full description

Sfida altri giocatori, espandi il tuo impero e aumenta il tuo capitale per raggiungere la vetta. Ma attenzione: eventi imprevisti potrebbero minacciare la tua azienda e rallentare la tua crescita! Evita la bancarotta gestendo con attenzione le tue risorse, pianifica le tue mosse e prendi decisioni sagge. Unisci le forze con altri giocatori per formare alleanze e rafforzare il tuo potere. Sei pronto a costruire il tuo impero e battere la concorrenza?

Screenshots

Mars4 screens
The River Game4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The River Game at none against Mars's 3. The River Game also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. The River Game asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mars ships an update every 2 months, The River Game daily. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Mars versus The River Game: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMarsThe River Game
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (26 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews65.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings26 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2.6 GB149 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperStefan NyulUniversità Commerciale Luigi Bocconi

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Mars

One-time3
  • Logistics contract$0.99
  • MAA Gold Membership$1.99
  • Sponsors contract$2.99
None

The River Game

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mars free?
Mars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The River Game free?
The River Game is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Mars or The River Game have ads?
Mars shows ads; The River Game does not.
Which is updated more often, Mars or The River Game?
Mars ships an update every 2 months, and The River Game daily. Most recently, Mars was updated on November 3, 2026 and The River Game on October 30, 2026.

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