Comparison

Pigeon Drop vs Sand Trace

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

Head to head
About

Pigeon Drop

Features
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Pigeon Drop is the fun retro style arcade game. Hit the unsuspecting Passersby, Try not to miss.

About

Sand Trace

Features
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Drop sand, pour water, ignite fire, and watch real physics come to life. Sand Trace is a pixel-art physics simulator where you paint with 16 different materials and watch them interact in surprising ways. WHAT YOU CAN CREATE - Drop sand, stone, and glass to build structures - Pour water, oil, and acid to watch fluids flow - Ignite wood, oil, and plants to set off massive fires - Spawn lava to melt ice and turn water to stone - Launch missiles and detonate explosives for chain reactions - Electrify water with lightning bolts - Grow forests by placing plants near water - Heat sand into glass for permanent structures 16 MATERIALS, 40+ INTERACTIONS Every material has unique physics. Sand falls and piles up. Water flows and extinguishes fire. Lava melts ice and hardens into stone. Acid corrodes nearly everything. Lightning electrifies water in a spreading chain. Oil floats on water and burns with thick smoke. Plants grow toward water and catch fire easily. Discover every interaction through experimentation. PIXEL-ART WORLD Watch your creations come alive in a crisp, retro-style pixel grid. Every grain of sand, every drop of water, and every spark of fire is simulated individually for a satisfying, tactile experience. PRESET SCENES Jump right in with 5 handcrafted scenes: - Volcano: Watch lava flow and interact with water - Rain: Peaceful rainfall on a landscape - Acid Rain: Destructive downpour that corrodes everything - Forest Fire: A blazing wildfire spreading through trees - Aquarium: A tranquil underwater scene SAVE, RECORD, SHARE - Save and load your creations anytime - Record MP4 videos of your simulations - Take screenshots to share your pixel-art worlds - Works on both iPhone and iPad with responsive layout Download Sand Trace today and start experimenting with physics.

Screenshots

Pigeon Drop3 screens
Sand Trace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Pigeon Drop at none against Sand Trace's shown. Pigeon Drop also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences ยท 4 level
Pigeon Drop versus Sand Trace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPigeon DropSand Trace
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyFortnightly
AdsNo โ€” betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 โ€” better13.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size166 MB22 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAnthony GillenHSIANG-YU HUANG

In-app purchases

None

Pigeon Drop

No in-app purchases

None

Sand Trace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pigeon Drop free?
Pigeon Drop is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sand Trace free?
Sand Trace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pigeon Drop or Sand Trace have ads?
Sand Trace shows ads; Pigeon Drop does not.
Which is updated more often, Pigeon Drop or Sand Trace?
Pigeon Drop ships an update fortnightly, and Sand Trace fortnightly. Most recently, Pigeon Drop was updated on October 6, 2026 and Sand Trace on October 19, 2026.

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