Locked vs Game Dev Tycoon
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Locked
A Master Mind-style puzzle game where players guess numerical combinations to unlock various padlocks. Challenge friends with your high scores and quick unlock times.
- Master Mind-style gameplay
- Unlock various padlocks
- Millions of possibilities
- Colored button interface
- Tutorial for guidance
- Challenge friends
- Track personal best scores
Read full descriptionHide full description
Find the combination that opens the Lock ! Locked is a Master Mind like game, in which you have to open different padlocks. Padlocks have 4, 5 to 10 numbers that make millions of possibilities ! Use the colored buttons to find out the combination. Check out the tutorial to know how to interpret these buttons. Hide them and ask your friends to open the lock ! Impress them with your Best personal scores, and by opening it quickly (if you are able to !). Try to find the way that will make you do the fewest moves to open the padlocks ! Check out a demo of the app and other great iPhone apps on SEB-AppStore.com
Game Dev Tycoon
Build your own game development company from the 1980s to the present. Design and create your own games, research new technologies, and manage a team to become a market leader. Enjoy a full simulation experience without ads or in-app purchases.
- Start a game development company
- Design and create your own games
- Research new technologies
- Hire and manage a development team
- Replay gaming history
- Built-in screen recording and streaming
Read full descriptionHide full description
"It’s the perfect sort of game for mobile devices and there’s so much to do here [...]" - 5/5 - Toucharcade Game Dev Tycoon is a casual business simulation game where your success depends on your creativity and willingness to experiment. The game does *not* contain any in-app purchases or ads. Slip into the role of a game developer: start your own company, design your own games and make your way to the top to become a Game Dev Tycoon. - Start your own game development company in the 80s - Replay gaming history - Design and create your own games - Hold your breath and wait for reviews to come in - Research new technologies - Hire and manage a world-leading development team - Become the leader of the market - Gain worldwide fans Game Dev Tycoon for iPhone and iPad introduces: - An updated story line - New topics to enable even more varied games - A challenging (but optional) ‘pirate mode’ - Built-in screen recording and streaming support Game Dev Tycoon does not require an internet connection so go ahead and build your gaming empire in Airplane Mode.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Game Dev Tycoon at 4.9 against Locked's 3.5. Game Dev Tycoon also leads on ratings volume (24K vs 2) and chart position (#47 vs unranked). Locked's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months) and price ($1.99 vs $4.99). On ads, 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
Locked costs $1.99 and Game Dev Tycoon $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Game Dev Tycoon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Game Dev Tycoon has 24K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Locked ships an update every 3 weeks, Game Dev Tycoon every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Locked | Game Dev Tycoon |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (2 ratings) | 4.9 (24K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 91.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 24K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #47 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 7 MB | 204 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sebastien BUET | Greenheart Games Pty. Ltd. |
Customer experience
Locked
Game Dev Tycoon
Bugs and requests
Locked
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Game Dev Tycoon
Reported bugs
2 issues- Loan payback amount inconsistency
- Game reports not carrying over knowledge
Requested features
6 requests- Add more console and game genre options
- Implement employee personalities and interactions
- Provide more detailed game performance history
- Allow simultaneous game development
- Add difficulty settings and sandbox mode
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Implement mod support and custom content
In-app purchases
Locked
No in-app purchases
Game Dev Tycoon
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Locked free?
Is Game Dev Tycoon free?
Which has better reviews, Locked or Game Dev Tycoon?
Do Locked or Game Dev Tycoon have ads?
Which is updated more often, Locked or Game Dev Tycoon?
Other comparisons
