# Pocket ZONE vs El Paso, Elsewhere

The clearest difference is ads: El Paso, Elsewhere at none against Pocket ZONE's shown. El Paso, Elsewhere also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). Pocket ZONE's advantage is ratings volume (3.8K vs 750). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pocket ZONE sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days and El Paso, Elsewhere sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Pocket ZONE against 4.7 for El Paso, Elsewhere. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket ZONE has 3.8K ratings behind it against 750, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Pocket ZONE's written reviews are positive against 82% of El Paso, Elsewhere's.

Pocket ZONE ships an update every 2 months, El Paso, Elsewhere every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pocket ZONE | El Paso, Elsewhere |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-zone/id1626379167/reviews) | **[4.7 (750 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/el-paso-elsewhere/id6472330346/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.8K** | 750 |
| Positive reviews | 79.9% of reviews | **81.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 228 MB | 2.7 GB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [APPWILL COMPANY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1761313938) | [Frosty Pop](https://appshunter.io/developer/930758677) |

## What reviewers say

### Pocket ZONE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pocket-zone/id1626379167)

Embark on a co-op survival adventure in a post-apocalyptic Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This text quest and RPG hybrid features character customization, a detailed map, and a hardcore survival system. Trade with players and uncover the Zone's secrets.

**Highlights:** Co-op survival gameplay, Text quest and RPG mechanics, Character customization, Detailed Zone map, Player trading, Hardcore survival simulation, Random events and loot system

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium (1 Week) | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Buy 500 Neuro | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 50000 Bruble | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 1000 Neuro | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy 2000 Neuro | $3.99 | one-time |
| Buy 5000 Neuro | $5.99 | one-time |
| Buy 10000 Neuro | $8.99 | one-time |
| Buy 1000000 Bruble | $8.99 | one-time |
| Buy 50000 Neuro | $64.99 | one-time |
| Buy 100000 Neuro | $99.99 | one-time |
| Buy 10000000 Bruble | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great pocket version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games
- 👍 Friendly community
- 🤝 Supports developers
- 🕹️ Unique and immersive gameplay
- 🌆 Atmospheric and well-designed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔁 Repetitive and grindy progression
- 🐛 Bugs causing loss of items
- 🔍 Unclear tutorial and lack of guidance
- 🔫 Unbalanced difficulty scaling
- 💰 Premium currency tied to characters

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing items in storage
- Weapons getting deleted after repairs
- Anomaly damage being inconsistent
- Accuracy and hit chance issues
- Language translation problems

**Requested features**

- More quests and story content
- Ability to change character class
- Improved inventory management
- Multiplayer and co-op features
- Ability to save progress across devices


### El Paso, Elsewhere

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/el-paso-elsewhere/id6472330346)

Engage in a supernatural neo-noir shooter featuring slow-motion gunfights against vampires, werewolves, and other creatures. Explore a reality-shifting motel beneath El Paso and uncover an emotional story of heartbreak and revenge.

**Highlights:** Cinematic bullet-time action, Battle supernatural horrors, Immersive neo-noir story, Explosive combat with unique weapons, Dynamic and destructible environments, Original hip-hop soundtrack

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| El Paso, Elsewhere | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent gameplay
- 👍 Great story and characters
- 🎨 Fantastic art style and visuals
- 🎵 Awesome soundtrack
- 🕹️ Smooth controls and mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. softlocks, invisible barriers)
- 🎮 Suboptimal touch controls, need for customization
- 💰 Paid full version after demo
- 🇨🇳 Lack of Chinese language support

**Reported bugs**

- Elevator not working in level 28
- Frankenstein enemy health gets stuck in level 27
- Character movement issues during chapter name display
- Crashes on iPhone 6 Plus

**Requested features**

- Add controller support
- Implement cloud save functionality
- Increase frame rate cap
- Introduce a free-to-play zombies mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pocket ZONE free?

Pocket ZONE is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is El Paso, Elsewhere free?

El Paso, Elsewhere is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pocket ZONE or El Paso, Elsewhere?

El Paso, Elsewhere is rated higher. Pocket ZONE averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.8K ratings, while El Paso, Elsewhere averages 4.7 from 750 ratings.

### Do Pocket ZONE or El Paso, Elsewhere have ads?

Pocket ZONE shows ads; El Paso, Elsewhere does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pocket ZONE or El Paso, Elsewhere?

Pocket ZONE ships an update every 2 months, and El Paso, Elsewhere every 3 days. Most recently, Pocket ZONE was updated on October 25, 2026 and El Paso, Elsewhere on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*