Comparison

Pocket Reality vs Idle Archaeologist

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Reality

Embark on daily, procedurally generated text adventures in a surreal open world. Everyday objects come to life, offering endless possibilities for exploration and interaction. Make choices with lasting consequences in a roguelite structure, manage faction loyalties, and uncover secrets.

Highlights
  • Daily procedurally generated text adventures
  • Open world with living objects
  • Roguelite structure with lasting consequences
  • Faction loyalty management
  • Interconnected world with changing character levels
  • Dozens of achievements and secrets
Features
Read full description

Every day, a surreal new reality will be created just for you! Enter an open world where everyday objects come to life and you can play any way you want. Maybe you're defending a cabbage moon from horse pirates. Maybe you're solving the murder of a wealthy spoon. Maybe you've always wanted to manage your own submarine farm, or date a strawberry? Maybe all of the above. The possibilities are endless! Experience a daily procedurally generated text adventure that was never seen before and will never be seen again. Pocket Reality features a roguelite structure. Your choices have lasting consequences, danger is everywhere, and eventually you will be defeated and/or cause the world to be devoured. But don't worry: you'll start fresh tomorrow, and every defeat makes you stronger! It's also a strategy game where you need to manage your loyalties to four factions, deciding whom to support and whom to oppose. The world is interconnected and full of conflict. Every character and location has a level that changes based on your actions or inaction. If you help someone increase their level, they'll produce resources over time and unlock new opportunities. But you can't help everyone at the same time... Includes dozens of achievements and secrets to discover. Play the complete game for free, forever, with no ads. Permanent in-app purchases are available to add a second world per day and unlock expansion content. Accessible with VoiceOver.

About

Idle Archaeologist

Excavate historical sites, restore artifacts, and build a museum that earns gold even when offline. Attract patrons and unlock new eras as you become a renowned armchair archaeologist.

Highlights
  • Excavate hundreds of artifacts
  • Restore items at the workshop
  • Build and display in your museum
  • Earn idle gold offline
  • Travel to famous historical sites
  • Unlock new historical eras
  • Collect historical artifact data
Features
Read full description

DIG. DISPLAY. PROFIT. Idle Archaeologist is a cozy idle game where you excavate famous sites across history, restore the artifacts you find, and display them in your own museum. The longer they sit on the plinth, the more gold they earn — even while your phone is in your pocket. FEATURES Tap to dig — uncover hundreds of artifacts across 5 historical eras Restore at the workshop — clean, repair, and reassemble what you find Build your museum — every artifact on a plinth earns idle gold, 24/7 Attract patrons — wealthy historians fund expeditions and tip big Travel the world — Anatolia, the Nile Delta, the Andes, the Aegean coast and more Prestige and dig deeper — unlock the Bronze Age, Iron Age, Classical, Medieval Offline progression — your dig and museum keep earning while you're away Cozy pacing — no timers screaming at you, no FOMO popups FAIR FREE-TO-PLAY - No ads in your first 10 minutes - No paywalls A LOVE LETTER TO HISTORY Every artifact has a card in the Codex with a short historical note. Build your collection, fill the museum, and quietly become the world's most famous armchair archaeologist. - Privacy policy URL: https://gokhanoguz.github.io/idle-archaeologist/privacy.html - Support URL: https://gokhanoguz.github.io/idle-archaeologist/support.html - Terms URL: https://gokhanoguz.github.io/idle-archaeologist/terms.html

Screenshots

Pocket Reality4 screens
Idle Archaeologist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Pocket Reality at 4.7 against Idle Archaeologist's 1.0. Pocket Reality also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (371 vs 1). Idle Archaeologist's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Pocket Reality sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Idle Archaeologist sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket Reality holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Reality has 371 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Reality ships an update every 5 weeks, Idle Archaeologist every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pocket Reality versus Idle Archaeologist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket RealityIdle Archaeologist
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (371 ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews92.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings371 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB100 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperJames SenterGOKHAN OGUZ

Customer experience

Pocket Reality

All ratings370 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral4.6%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews69 reviews
Positive92.8%
Neutral4.3%
Negative2.9%

Idle Archaeologist

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

Bugs and requests

Pocket Reality

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Sync issues with device time
  • Occasional crashes or freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add a home base or central hub for the player
  • Introduce more varied characters and scenarios
  • Implement a cloud save feature
  • Provide more guidance or tutorials for new players
  • Allow players to earn additional stamina or playtime

Idle Archaeologist

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Pocket Reality

One-time2
  • Double Mode$4.99
  • Nocturne Expansion$4.99
8 purchases

Idle Archaeologist

Subscriptions2
  • Expedition Pass$3.991 Month
  • Patron Pass$5.991 Month
One-time6
  • Pouch of Gems$0.99
  • Quiet Museum$4.99
  • Bag of Gems$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Chest of Gems$9.99
  • Vault of Gems$19.99
  • Hoard of Gems$49.99

Questions

Is Pocket Reality free?
Pocket Reality is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Archaeologist free?
Idle Archaeologist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Reality or Idle Archaeologist?
Pocket Reality is rated higher. Pocket Reality averages 4.7 out of 5 from 371 ratings, while Idle Archaeologist averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pocket Reality or Idle Archaeologist have ads?
Idle Archaeologist shows ads; Pocket Reality does not.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Reality or Idle Archaeologist?
Pocket Reality ships an update every 5 weeks, and Idle Archaeologist every 6 months. Most recently, Pocket Reality was updated on November 3, 2026 and Idle Archaeologist on October 31, 2026.

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