Comparison

Game Dev Story+ vs Cityscapes

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

Head to head
About

Game Dev Story+

Build your own game development studio from the ground up. Hire and train staff, develop new game consoles, and create hit games to conquer the industry. Compete globally on leaderboards and decorate your studio with unique pixel art.

Highlights
  • Manage game company
  • Develop own game console
  • Change staff professions
  • Hire and train staff
  • Unlock game genres
  • Compete on leaderboards
  • Decorate studio
Features
Read full description

Manage your own game company and try to create a million-selling game in this unique simulation. A special version for Apple Arcade, with support for Game Center! Features the ability to develop your company's own game console, plus a system for changing your staff members' professions. Hire talented people and train them to develop their skills. As your staff gets more experience, you will unlock a wider array of game genres and content to develop. Try to find the most popular combinations and develop for the latest platform! Your staff members can have a variety of game-related professions, from programmer to sound engineer. Work hard and you may reach the top of the video game industry! Enter the Leaderboards to compete with players around the world for the most sales. Choose from over 20 different styles of pixel art furniture to decorate your studio. Collect Achievements for a new level of completion! -- Try searching for "Kairosoft" to see all of our games, or visit us at http://kairopark.jp. Be sure to check out both our free-to-play and our paid games! https://twitter.com/kairokun2010

About

Cityscapes

Become a celebrated mayor in this sustainable city-building simulation. Make meaningful decisions to ensure citizen happiness and health by managing housing, jobs, utilities, and services. Strategize for environmental and social sustainability to develop a thriving metropolis.

Highlights
  • Sustainable city planning
  • Citizen needs management
  • Utility and service provision
  • Environmental impact strategy
  • Unlockable cities and landmarks
  • 3D architecture and vistas
Features
Read full description

Welcome! You are a short helicopter ride away from becoming one of the most celebrated and admired city mayors of all time. This is Cityscapes: Sim Builder! A brand new, sustainable take on classic city building games, and brought to you by veteran sim builders. ::::: A RICH CITY BUILDING EXPERIENCE - Cityscapes will get you thinking. As Mayor you need to make meaningful decisions and build carefully thought out systems, so as to protect the health and happiness of your citizens. - Citizens have basic needs of course - they need housing, jobs and shops, and a means to travel between them. - Distance matters - industry and road traffic create pollution. It is important to think sustainably when building transportation networks. - Citizens need utilities - power, clean water and garbage collection. - And as their Mayor, you’ll quickly need to start strategizing about policing, education, fire safety and medical care. As your citizens develop more complex needs you’ll have to plan how to provide tranquil green spaces for them to unwind in. - Have you got what it takes to make the right choices to develop a thriving metropolis? ::::: CITY PASS - The City Pass is a monthly event that enables you to earn exclusive parks, buildings, landmarks and other special items. You progress in the pass by completing daily and weekly tasks. ::::: UNLOCKS - Raise your player level and unlock more cities to build in a variety of rich biomes. - Get to unlock land parcels and discover natural curiosities hidden in the landscape. You can even build famous architectural landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty, giving your city indomitable style and instant attractiveness. ::::: IMAGINATION - Stunning 3D architecture and vistas will captivate your imagination as you watch your city grow. Collect diverse building blueprints approved for your unique city and be awed by the endless design possibilities. ::::: MEET - Meet Anne Council who runs the city challenges but beware of May Grede CEO whose middle name is ‘Sabotage’. Friendly advisors such as Paula Powers and Frankie Flint are always there to help. - And check in on your citizens who will keep you in the know with what life is like in your city. They will come to you with problems and make suggestions as to how to solve them. Be sure to listen to them, every citizen wants to feel heard. ::::: SUSTAINABILITY - Choice matters when building a city of the future, one that is profitable, thriving and fully sustainable. Strategize about both environmental and social sustainability; reduce waste and pollution whilst also managing business impacts, both positive and negative on your citizens. Design cities in which your citizens want to live, happy and healthy side by side and feel as proud and fulfilled as they are!

Screenshots

Game Dev Story+4 screens
Cityscapes4 screens

Verdict

The call

Game Dev Story+ and Cityscapes both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Game Dev Story+'s written reviews are positive against 53% of Cityscapes's. Cityscapes's advantage is monetization model (free vs paid) and device support (6 vs 3). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Game Dev Story+ against 4.7 for Cityscapes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12K and 12K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Game Dev Story+'s written reviews are positive against 53% of Cityscapes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Game Dev Story+ versus Cityscapes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGame Dev Story+Cityscapes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (12K ratings) — better4.7 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews92.0% of reviews — better52.8% of reviews
Number of ratings12K12K — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better13.5
Further details — not scored
Size268 MB588 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKairosoft Co.,LtdPlaystack Ltd

Customer experience

Game Dev Story+

All ratings11,495 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews2,071 reviews
Positive92.0%
Neutral3.3%
Negative4.7%

Cityscapes

All ratings11,446 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.2%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews555 reviews
Positive52.8%
Neutral20.2%
Negative27.0%

User reviews

Game Dev Story+

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 👍 Charming retro-inspired graphics
  • 🕰 Easy to pick up and play
  • 💰 No in-app purchases or ads
  • 🤖 Satisfying progression and sense of accomplishment

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional save issues and data loss
  • 🤔 Repetitive gameplay after a certain point
  • 🤖 Limited options for expanding the business
  • 🕰 Steep difficulty curve early on

Cityscapes

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Charming graphics
  • 💡 Challenging city management
  • 🚀 No in-app purchases
  • 👍 Reminiscent of classic city builders

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔍 Unclear mechanics and instructions
  • 🔍 Inconsistent building demands
  • 🔍 Difficulty balancing city needs
  • 🔍 Restrictive map layout

Bugs and requests

Game Dev Story+

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Inconsistent save data
  • Inability to hire certain key staff roles

Requested features

5 requests
  • More office/staff expansion options
  • Ability to develop multiple games simultaneously
  • Longer game timeline beyond 20 years
  • More diverse game genres and themes
  • Customization options for the company and characters

Cityscapes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Buildings not recognizing nearby resources
  • Timed challenges not registering completion
  • Inconsistent save data across devices
  • Overlapping UI elements and controls
  • Persistent fire/pollution issues in cities

Requested features

5 requests
  • Sandbox mode for free-form building
  • Improved zoom and camera controls
  • Clearer feedback on building effects
  • Ability to delete or move roads
  • Streamlined UI for managing city services

In-app purchases

None

Game Dev Story+

No in-app purchases

None

Cityscapes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Game Dev Story+ free?
Game Dev Story+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cityscapes free?
Cityscapes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Game Dev Story+ or Cityscapes?
Game Dev Story+ is rated higher. Game Dev Story+ averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Cityscapes averages 4.7 from 12K ratings.
Do Game Dev Story+ or Cityscapes have ads?
Neither Game Dev Story+ nor Cityscapes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Game Dev Story+ or Cityscapes?
Game Dev Story+ ships an update monthly, and Cityscapes monthly. Most recently, Game Dev Story+ was updated on October 31, 2026 and Cityscapes on October 31, 2026.

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