Taipan! Mobile vs Mini Metro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Sail the Western Pacific
- Trade exotic goods
- Battle pirates
- Evade customs officials
- Fend off criminals
- Pay tribute to Tin Hau
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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!)
Mini Metro
Design and manage a subway system for a growing city. Draw lines, start trains, and adapt your network as new stations open. Strategically use limited resources to keep the city moving and achieve the highest score.
- Design subway maps
- Draw lines between stations
- Manage train routes
- Adapt to random city growth
- Utilize limited resources
- Over two dozen real-world cities
- Variety of upgrades
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Mini Metro, the sublime subway simulator, now on iPhone and iPad. • Included in the App Store Best of 2016 • Mac Game of the Year in over 30 countries • BAFTA-nominated • IGF award-winning • IGN Mobile Game of the Year nominee • Included in Gamespot's Best Mobile Games of 2016 Mini Metro is a game about designing a subway map for a growing city. Draw lines between stations and start your trains running. As new stations open, redraw your lines to keep them efficient. Decide where to use your limited resources. How long can you keep the city moving? • Random city growth means each game is unique. • Over two dozen of real-world cities to test your planning skills. • A variety of upgrades so you can tailor your network. • Normal mode for quick scored games, Endless to relax, or Extreme for the ultimate challenge. • Build your metro exactly how you want to with the Creative mode. • Compete against the world every day in the Daily Challenge. • Colorblind and night modes. • Responsive soundtrack created by your metro system, engineered by Disasterpeace. "If you love the city-planning aspect of Sim City but can't handle the pressure of playing god, then you may have just found your new favorite time-waster." - Ashley Feinberg, Gizmodo "Take my word for it that a game about mass-transit system design can be a tense, white-knuckle thriller." - Owen Faraday, Pocket Tactics "Mini Metro: fun game simulates planning and running public transit system." - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Taipan! Mobile at Free against Mini Metro's $3.99. Taipan! Mobile also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Mini Metro's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads 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
Taipan! Mobile is free to download; Mini Metro costs $3.99 up front. Taipan! Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mini Metro asks for nothing beyond the download.
Mini Metro holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Metro has 31K 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 89% of Mini Metro's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Taipan! Mobile | Mini Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $3.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (128 ratings) | 4.9 (31K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | 88.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 128 | 31K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #12 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 179 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fair Oaks Labs, Inc. | Dinosaur Polo Club |
Customer experience
Taipan! Mobile
Mini Metro
User reviews
Taipan! Mobile
From 128 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Mini Metro
From 31K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple and relaxing gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful minimalist design
- ⏱️ Addictive and time-killing
- 🌐 Wide variety of cities to play
- 💰 Good value for money
Room to improve
- 🐛 Trains skipping stations
- 🤯 Overwhelming difficulty at times
- 🔍 Lack of clear instructions
- 🔀 Difficulty removing/rerouting lines
- 🕰️ No ability to save progress
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
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- 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
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- PC version availability
- Game time indicator for long sessions
- Higher gun capacity limit (beyond 1000)
- Delete previous saved games option
Mini Metro
Reported bugs
3 issues- Leaderboard issues with daily challenges
- Crashes and compatibility problems on certain devices
- Unexpected behavior when trains skip stations
Requested features
5 requests- Undo/redo functionality
- Ability to create branching lines
- More detailed statistics and analytics
- Additional game modes (e.g. career, scenarios)
- Integration with real-world transit data
In-app purchases
Taipan! Mobile
- Unlock$2.99
Mini Metro
No in-app purchases
