Comparison

Sandbox City vs Pixel Runner

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

Head to head
About

Sandbox City

Explore an open-world city filled with pedestrians, zombies, and traffic. Engage in combat with various weapons, drive numerous AI vehicles, and earn money to upgrade your gear. Customize graphics and settings to your preference to prevent a zombie apocalypse.

Highlights
  • Open-world city exploration
  • Combat with various weapons
  • Drive multiple AI vehicles
  • Earn in-game currency
  • Customize game settings
  • Zombie survival
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Sandbox City! Run and drive freely through a lively city full of pedestrians, zombies, and traffic in first or third person. Punch zombies or run them over to save the people of Sandbox City. Equip yourself to survive with weapons such as the MP-40, grenades, baseball bats, and more. Jump into different AI vehicles, including taxis, police cars, ambulances, vans, and more. Earn money by taking down enemies in melee, from range, or behind the wheel. Spend it in the Shop to unlock better gear. Tune the game for your device and preferences. Graphics quality, shadows, view distance, anti-aliasing, and post effects can be changed at any time. Prevent the zombie apocalypse! Defend the city at all costs! And join the community on Discord from the main menu.

About

Pixel Runner

Embark on an interstellar journey to return home from a distant moon. Run, jump, and collect resources to construct your rocket and uncover the mysteries of your destination. Experience evolving gameplay with new challenges and a global ranking system.

Highlights
  • Story-driven pixel art animation
  • Five distinct worlds with changing scenery
  • Evolving astronaut suit with upgradeable abilities
  • Daily missions and challenges
  • Global player rankings
  • One-handed controls
Features
Read full description

Stranded on an unknown moon, an astronaut has only one goal: getting home. Run, jump and collect shards to build your rocket… and find out what awaits you there. A STORY WITHOUT WORDS On first launch, a short pixel art animation tells the story of the crash. The rest unlocks as you play, all the way to building your own colony. 5 WORLDS TO CROSS Moon, abandoned colony, neon city, scorching dunes, forest under the northern lights: every 1000 meters the scenery and obstacles change, and the run speeds up. AN ASTRONAUT THAT EVOLVES Double and triple jump, glider, dive, magnet, head-start boosts: every module you buy at the workshop shows on your suit. NEW CHALLENGES EVERY DAY Three rotating missions, a daily chest and the Daily Run: the same course for everyone, a new one every day. GLOBAL RANKING Compare your best run with other pilots and aim for the podium. ONE-HANDED Tap to jump, hold to go higher. Easy to pick up, hard to master. NO FORCED ADS No ad ever plays without your say: only when you choose to revive or open a bonus chest. Paid suits are purely cosmetic. Plays offline. Available in English, French and Chinese.

Screenshots

Sandbox City4 screens
Pixel Runner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sandbox City at 4.6 against Pixel Runner's 2.0. Sandbox City also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (9.2K vs 1). Pixel Runner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads, 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. Sandbox City sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Pixel Runner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sandbox City holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sandbox City has 9.2K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sandbox City ships an update every 3 weeks, Pixel Runner every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sandbox City versus Pixel Runner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSandbox CityPixel Runner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (9.2K ratings) — better2.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews70.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings9.2K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size208 MB43 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperYilmaz KiymazCyrille Varin

Customer experience

Sandbox City

All ratings9,155 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral3.8%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews482 reviews
Positive70.5%
Neutral10.8%
Negative18.7%

Pixel Runner

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Sandbox City

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Glitches when using guns
  • Pedestrians getting stuck in objects
  • Inconsistent vehicle physics

Requested features

6 requests
  • More weapons and combat options
  • Ability to enter buildings
  • Larger map and more locations
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Customizable player characters
Show 1 more
  • Improved AI behavior

Pixel Runner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Sandbox City

One-time10
  • Man (Hoodie) Character Skin$0.99
  • Man (Jacket) Character Skin$0.99
  • Man (Police) Character Skin$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Sedan$0.99
  • Police Car$0.99
  • SUV$0.99
  • Van$0.99
  • Small Money Pile$0.99
  • Large Money Pile$3.99
  • Remove Ads$4.99
None

Pixel Runner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Sandbox City free?
Sandbox City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pixel Runner free?
Pixel Runner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sandbox City or Pixel Runner?
Sandbox City is rated higher. Sandbox City averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.2K ratings, while Pixel Runner averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Sandbox City or Pixel Runner have ads?
Both Sandbox City and Pixel Runner show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sandbox City or Pixel Runner?
Sandbox City ships an update every 3 weeks, and Pixel Runner every 6 months. Most recently, Sandbox City was updated on November 12, 2026 and Pixel Runner on November 5, 2026.

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