Comparison

SIMULACRA 2 vs The Sign

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

Head to head
About

SIMULACRA 2

Investigate a mysterious death by exploring a simulated phone, uncovering deleted files, and piecing together clues. Unravel the truth behind an influencer's demise and solve the case before it's too late.

Highlights
  • Simulated phone investigation
  • Restore deleted files with AI
  • Non-linear narrative
  • Live-action cast
  • Original soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Maya, an upcoming influencer has been found dead, and an obsessed detective suspects foul play. Her phone appears to be intentionally wiped, and her cause of death seems... unnatural. You are given her phone to conduct an unsanctioned police investigation, and piece together the mystery surrounding her death. Was this an unfortunate accident or a cold-blooded murder? Can the victim’s friends be trusted? Is there something sinister lurking in social media? Solve the case before whatever happened to Maya... happens again. Features - Solve a mystery through a simulated phone with familiar and new apps. - Assisting you will be WARDEN, a police AI software capable of restoring the phone's deleted files. - An expanded non-linear narrative with more than dozens of possible outcomes. - Featuring a live-action ensemble cast and an original soundtrack.

About

The Sign

Experience a chilling interactive horror story where a mysterious video leads to a 7-day countdown to death. Uncover clues, solve puzzles, and make critical decisions that shape the narrative and relationships to save your loved ones from a terrifying curse.

Highlights
  • Interactive horror story
  • Branching narrative choices
  • Clue gathering and puzzle solving
  • Character relationship building
  • Multimedia elements (videos, chats, calls)
  • Episodic content updates
Features
Read full description

Imagine there’s a video full of nightmarish and shocking pictures. As soon as you’ve seen it, your phone rings and a voice whispers "You have 7 days left …” Does that RING a bell? We bring the triumph of the creepy video cassette from the 90s to the present! When evil enters your smartphone, your life will turn into a horror trip! THE INTERACTIVE HORROR STORY OF “The Sign” Your classmate and good friend Gabriela has been acting strangely for a week and has been keeping to herself more and more. Just when you were about to contact her parents, she gets in touch and shares her mysterious story: Exactly 7 days ago, she saw a creepy video and then received a call saying that she was going to die TODAY ... While you and the other students from your course don't believe the story, the video suddenly starts on your mobile phone - and the real horror begins! You let evil into your life and the lives of your loved ones. Soon the question arises: is there really a curse on the video? Follow the clues hidden in pictures, chat messages, documents and in the video. Solve the dark secret and save the lives of your family and friends. What secret does the mysterious video hide? Who is the mysterious ghost woman? And who is not who he claims to be? Now it's up to you! YOU DECIDE ON CHAT MESSAGES, YOU INFLUENCE THE STORY Your decisions affect the course and end of the interactive horror thriller story. YOU alone decide how the story and your relationship with the different characters develop. It's up to you to collect clues, solve puzzles and ultimately stop evil! But be careful, because you can't trust everyone ... CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS. In “The Sign”, you can decide for yourself how you want to interact with the people in your life. By selecting your gender and sharing your name, you can enjoy a customized gaming experience. The messages you choose will affect the relationships with all the characters and the development of the story. THE INTERACTIVE GAME OF “THE SIGN” “The Sign” is like a thrilling ride in the ghost train, full of mysterious clues, puzzles and creepy effects. It’s up to you to fight for the life of your friends and family! You will receive and send chat messages that directly affect the course of this interactive horror game. The scary story is accompanied by pictures, voice messages, video calls, mini-games, videos and newspaper reports created especially for the game. “The Sign” is released in episodes, so while you’re playing we’re already working on the next part of the story. Therefore, we're especially looking forward to your feedback and suggestions, which you can send to the following e-mail: support@the-sign.de. This episode and all upcoming ones of the Horror Chat Thriller are completely free to play! Optional in-app purchases can speed up the course of the story and the game. Commissioner for the Protection of Youth Kristine Peters Kattensteert 4 22119 Hamburg Phone: 0174/81 81 81 7 Mail: jugendschutz@reality-games.com Web: www.jugendschutz-beauftragte.de Our data protection policy: https://www.reality-games.com/en/datenschutz.php Our terms and conditions (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

SIMULACRA 24 screens
The Sign4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Sign at Free against SIMULACRA 2's $4.99. The Sign also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 67%). SIMULACRA 2's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

The Sign is free to download; SIMULACRA 2 costs $4.99 up front. The Sign sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. SIMULACRA 2 asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for SIMULACRA 2 against 4.6 for The Sign. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1K and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of SIMULACRA 2's written reviews are positive against 84% of The Sign's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SIMULACRA 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, The Sign every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
SIMULACRA 2 versus The Sign: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSIMULACRA 2The Sign
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (1K ratings) — better4.6 (1.5K ratings)
Positive reviews67.0% of reviews84.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1K1.5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#147 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better12.2
Further details — not scored
Size2.3 GB122 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperKAIGAN GAMES OUeSponsorAds GmbH & Co.KG

Customer experience

SIMULACRA 2

All ratings1,041 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral1.9%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews200 reviews
Positive67.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative23.0%

The Sign

All ratings1,508 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral5.0%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews325 reviews
Positive84.0%
Neutral5.8%
Negative10.2%

User reviews

SIMULACRA 2

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Engaging story
  • 🎨 Impressive visuals
  • 🕵️‍♂️ Immersive gameplay
  • 🕹️ Multiple endings
  • 🔍 Detailed investigation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🕰️ Timed choices too short
  • 🔇 Audio issues (freezing, background noise)
  • 🔍 Progression blockers
  • 🤖 Uneven acting quality

The Sign

From 1.5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Immersive story and gameplay
  • 🚀 Engaging interactive experience
  • 💡 Unique horror/mystery genre
  • 👍 Realistic and well-developed characters
  • 👍 Enjoyable mini-games

Room to improve

  • 🤑 Paywall for certain content
  • 🤖 Repetitive and frustrating mini-games
  • 🕰️ Slow pacing at times
  • 🐛 Technical issues (crashes, glitches)

Bugs and requests

SIMULACRA 2

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Game freezing after cutscenes
  • Inability to progress past certain points
  • Saved progress not loading correctly
  • Conversations and interactions getting stuck
  • Audio/video playback issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Full screen and controller support
  • In-game note taking
  • Ability to skip cutscenes on replays
  • Checkpoint/level select feature

The Sign

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inability to progress due to glitched mini-games
  • Saved data not transferring between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More diverse character customization options
  • Ability to replay past conversations
  • Subtitles/captions for accessibility
  • Reduced reliance on in-app purchases

In-app purchases

None

SIMULACRA 2

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

The Sign

Subscriptions2
  • Premium-Subscription$6.991 Month
  • Flatrate-Subscription$12.991 Month
One-time9
  • 40 BicS$1.99
  • 120 BicS$3.99
  • 300 BicS$8.99
Show 6 more
  • Heart Flatrate$8.99
  • Special$8.99
  • Premium$12.99
  • 800 BicS$16.99
  • 1500 BicS$24.99
  • Flatrate$32.99

Questions

Is SIMULACRA 2 free?
SIMULACRA 2 costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Sign free?
The Sign is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, SIMULACRA 2 or The Sign?
SIMULACRA 2 is rated higher. SIMULACRA 2 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1K ratings, while The Sign averages 4.6 from 1.5K ratings.
Do SIMULACRA 2 or The Sign have ads?
The Sign shows ads; SIMULACRA 2 does not.
Which is updated more often, SIMULACRA 2 or The Sign?
SIMULACRA 2 ships an update every 3 weeks, and The Sign every 6 weeks. Most recently, SIMULACRA 2 was updated on October 19, 2026 and The Sign on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons