Comparison

Taipan! Mobile vs Sid Meier’s Railroads!

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

Head to head
About

Taipan! Mobile

Experience a classic 1980s trading and adventure game set in the 1860s Western Pacific. Sail, trade exotic goods, battle pirates, and evade authorities. The game offers a nostalgic visual style with a modern mobile interface.

Highlights
  • Sail the Western Pacific
  • Trade exotic goods
  • Battle pirates
  • Evade customs officials
  • Fend off criminals
  • Pay tribute to Tin Hau
Features
Read full description

A complete port of the classic 1982 game Taipan!, balanced to mimic the original Apple ][ release. This game's look evokes the phosphorescent glow of an early-80's CRT, but its interface has been tailored for ease-of-use on a mobile device. * Sail the Western Pacific of the 1860's! * Trade exotic goods! * Battle fierce pirates! * Evade customs officials! * Fend off muggers, cutthroats, and thieves! * And, Li Yuen reminds you to always pay proper tribute to Tin Hau, the Sea Goddess! Download the game for free, pay only if you want to extend play beyond 12 months game time. (We feel confident that you will!)

About

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

Become a railroad tycoon by building and managing intricate railway networks. Optimize routes, transport goods and passengers, and grow your profits through shrewd business decisions and innovation. Compete with historical figures to become the greatest rail baron.

Highlights
  • Lay tracks and design routes
  • Transport freight and passengers
  • Acquire patents and trade stocks
  • Build or buy industries
  • Compete with historical figures
  • Collect 40 famous trains
  • Train Table Mode for creative building
Read full description

Become history’s greatest rail baron in Sid Meier’s Railroads!, a classic of the tycoon genre now available for iPhone and iPad. In this captivating mix of model train set and railway management simulator, lay tracks and optimise routes to establish lucrative networks of cities and industries, transporting passengers, raw materials and goods across continents. Grow profits through efficiency, innovation, and shrewd business decisions as you acquire valuable patents, trade stocks, and build or buy industries. Compete with world leaders and industrial titans to achieve the ultimate goal — becoming the greatest railroad tycoon of the age! === TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Lay the foundations of your railroad empire during the Gold Rush, then unlock the full game for more maps, trains, and 16 charming scenarios spanning the golden age of rail. CREATE AN EMPIRE OF THE RAILS Carefully lay tracks and design routes to transport freight and passengers, refining and improving operations until your railroad runs like clockwork. STEAM ACROSS 16 CHALLENGING SCENARIOS Test your entrepreneurial mettle in a mix of historical and fictional scenarios, each with a distinctive map and unique objectives. Establish the first passenger line in 1830s Great Britain, stitch together the American West during the Gold Rush, or help Santa with the Christmas rush at the North Pole! COMPETE WITH HISTORY’S BEST Take on world leaders and captains of industry. Grow your business by acquiring industries and railroad-revolutionising patents, or play the stock market and buy out the competition. BRING 40 FAMOUS TRAINS TO LIFE Play with historically important engines from early steam locomotives like Stephenson’s Planet, to the high-speed French TGV, and many iterations and innovations in between. BUILD THE MODEL RAILROAD OF YOUR DREAMS Take the pressure off in Train Table Mode. No competition, time limits, or financial constraints — just all you need to create a railroad that’s as fun to watch as it is satisfying to build. === We recommend playing Sid Meier's Railroads! on iOS 15.5 or later. You need 1.7GB of free space on your device, though we recommend at least double this to avoid initial installation issues. Supported iPhones: • iPhone 6S / 6S Plus and later • Any iPhone SE • iPod Touch (7th generation, 2019) Supported iPads: • iPad mini (5th generation, 2019) and later • iPad Air (3rd generation, 2019) and later • iPad (5th generation, 2017) and later • Any iPad Pro • If you require assistance, please contact our support team at support@feralinteractive.com © 2006-2024 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Originally developed by Firaxis Games. Sid Meier’s Railroads!, Firaxis Games, 2K, Take-Two Interactive Software and their respective logos are trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Developed for and published on iOS by Feral Interactive. iOS and the iOS logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

Taipan! Mobile4 screens
Sid Meier’s Railroads!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Sid Meier’s Railroads! at 4.7 against Taipan! Mobile's 3.5. Sid Meier’s Railroads! also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 128). Taipan! Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Taipan! Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sid Meier’s Railroads! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sid Meier’s Railroads! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sid Meier’s Railroads! has 1.4K ratings behind it against 128, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Taipan! Mobile's written reviews are positive against 59% of Sid Meier’s Railroads!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Sid Meier’s Railroads! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Taipan! Mobile versus Sid Meier’s Railroads!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTaipan! MobileSid Meier’s Railroads!
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.5 (128 ratings)4.7 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.3% of reviews59.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1281.4K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB1.6 GB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperFair Oaks Labs, Inc.Feral Interactive Ltd

Customer experience

Taipan! Mobile

All ratings128 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral4.7%
Negative32.8%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive56.3%
Neutral3.5%
Negative40.1%

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

All ratings1,304 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews187 reviews
Positive59.4%
Neutral16.0%
Negative24.6%

User reviews

Taipan! Mobile

From 128 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Faithful recreation of classic 1980s Apple II game
  • ⚡ Turbo feature speeds up lengthy battle animations
  • 💾 Auto-save functionality preserves progress
  • 🎯 Addictive gameplay mechanics remain engaging
  • 📱 Smooth mobile adaptation with intuitive controls

Room to improve

  • 💰 Deceptive freemium model with paywall after 5-15 minutes
  • ⚠️ Unclear pricing disclosure at download
  • 🎲 Difficulty appears artificially inflated compared to original
  • 🔄 Restore purchase fails across devices requiring repayment
  • 🎯 Limited gun/ship upgrade opportunities

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Faithful port of original
  • 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics
  • 🕰️ Hours of replay value

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🔋 Battery draining issues
  • 🕹️ Fiddly track laying controls
  • 🤖 Subpar AI opponents
  • 💰 Expensive for a mobile game

Bugs and requests

Taipan! Mobile

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Restore purchase fails on new devices, requiring repayment
  • Game doesn't save properly when home button pressed mid-transaction
  • Cannot trade after returning from interrupted session
  • Restore purchase temporarily works then requests payment again
  • Game freezes or crashes on iOS 11+ for some users
Show 1 more
  • Starting scenario with 5 guns and 0 cash has zero progression ability

Requested features

9 requests
  • Sound effects and audio from original game
  • Option to start with 5 guns and no debt
  • Ability to purchase upgrades more frequently
  • Modern graphics enhancement or Taipan 2 version
  • Larger warehouse capacity and expandable storage
Show 4 more
  • PC version availability
  • Game time indicator for long sessions
  • Higher gun capacity limit (beyond 1000)
  • Delete previous saved games option

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disappearing tracks
  • Routing issues and inability to connect stations
  • Map freezing and becoming unresponsive

Requested features

5 requests
  • Larger maps
  • More scenarios and campaigns
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Ability to buy/sell shares
  • More train and engine variety

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Taipan! Mobile

One-time1
  • Unlock$2.99
1 purchases

Sid Meier’s Railroads!

One-time1
  • Full Game Unlock$12.99

Questions

Is Taipan! Mobile free?
Taipan! Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sid Meier’s Railroads! free?
Sid Meier’s Railroads! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Taipan! Mobile or Sid Meier’s Railroads!?
Sid Meier’s Railroads! is rated higher. Taipan! Mobile averages 3.5 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Sid Meier’s Railroads! averages 4.7 from 1.4K ratings.
Do Taipan! Mobile or Sid Meier’s Railroads! have ads?
Neither Taipan! Mobile nor Sid Meier’s Railroads! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Taipan! Mobile or Sid Meier’s Railroads!?
Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Sid Meier’s Railroads! every 5 months. Most recently, Taipan! Mobile was updated on October 21, 2026 and Sid Meier’s Railroads! on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons