Game Dev Story vs Pocket City 2
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Game Dev Story
Build your own game development studio from the ground up. Hire and train staff, research new genres, and develop hit games to conquer the industry. Create your own consoles and aim for a million-selling title.
- Manage game company
- Develop own game console
- Train staff members
- Unlock new genres
- Discover popular combinations
- Develop for latest platforms
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Manage your own game company and try to create a million-selling game in this unique simulation. Features the ability to develop your company's own game console, plus a system for changing your staff members' professions. Hire talented people and train them to develop their skills. As your staff gets more experience, you will unlock a wider array of game genres and content to develop. Try to find the most popular combinations and develop for the latest platform! Your staff members can have a variety of game-related professions, from programmer to sound engineer. Work hard and you may reach the top of the video game industry! -- Try searching for "Kairosoft" to see all of our games, or visit us at https://kairopark.jp. Be sure to check out both our free-to-play and our paid games! https://twitter.com/kairokun2010
Pocket City 2
Construct and explore a vibrant 3D metropolis, managing zones, landmarks, and special buildings. Live the life of a mayor, from building your own house to surviving disasters and hosting events. Enjoy a dynamic world with seasons, a day-night cycle, and engaging minigames.
- Build unique cities with zones and special buildings
- Explore your city as an avatar
- Dynamic environment with seasons and day/night cycle
- Play minigames like street racing and plane flying
- Survive disasters and host fun events
- Customize avatar and become a homeowner
- Collaborate on cities in real-time
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Build and explore your own city in this 3D sequel to the original Pocket City! Create using roads, zones, landmarks, and special buildings. Drop your avatar into the world and roam freely. Buy your own house, host events, survive disasters, and live the life of a successful mayor! No microtransactions or long wait times, everything is unlocked and rewarded through gameplay! FEATURES - Build a unique city by creating zones and new special buildings - Explore your city by controlling your avatar directly - Enjoy a dynamic environment with seasons and a day night cycle - Play minigames like street racing, plane flying, and much more - Trigger fun events like block parties, or disasters like tornadoes - Complete quests to earn XP and money - Customize your avatar with clothing and tools - Become a homeowner and furnish your own house - Visit buildings in your city to buy items and find loot - Invest and build long-term mega projects - Encounter and help NPCs around your city - Spend research points to gain valuable perks - Invite a friend to collaborate on your city in real-time - Unlock special rewards by competing against rival towns - Unleash your creative side in Sandbox Mode - Play in both landscape and portrait mode
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Pocket City 2 at free against Game Dev Story's paid. Pocket City 2 also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). Game Dev Story's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (96% vs 80%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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
Game Dev Story costs $4.99 and Pocket City 2 $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Game Dev Story holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3K and 807 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Game Dev Story's written reviews are positive against 80% of Pocket City 2's.
Game Dev Story ships an update every 4 months, Pocket City 2 weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Game Dev Story | Pocket City 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (3K ratings) — better | 4.6 (807 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.8% of reviews — better | 79.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3K — better | 807 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #101 | #46 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 304 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd | Codebrew Games Inc. |
Customer experience
Game Dev Story
Pocket City 2
User reviews
Game Dev Story
From 3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun game
- 👍 Simple, creative, and fun
- 👍 Nostalgic and fun
- 👍 Relaxing and enjoyable
- 👍 Great time-killer
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes on newer devices
- 🐛 Lack of explanation for some mechanics
- 🐛 Difficulty in obtaining certain resources (e.g. hardware engineer)
Pocket City 2
From 807 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Exceptional city builder
- 👍 Immersive free roam mode
- 🔒 No ads or microtransactions
- 💡 Ability to explore and interact with city
- 👍 Smooth gameplay and great graphics
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Graphical issues and performance problems
- 🐛 Repetitive city design
- 🐛 Minigames can be frustrating
- 🐛 Difficulty balancing and progression issues
Bugs and requests
Game Dev Story
Reported bugs
3 issues- Blackouts causing loss of progress
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
- Difficulty in obtaining certain resources
Requested features
5 requests- More consoles and game genres
- Ability to customize console designs
- Expanded content and longer playtime
- More staff and office options
- Improved late-game progression and challenges
Pocket City 2
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when entering certain buildings
- Graphical glitches and disappearing elements
- Freezing and performance issues with larger cities
- Bugs with regional city and money transfer features
- Issues with road building and placement
Requested features
6 requests- More building styles and architectural variety
- Improved traffic management and transportation options
- Expanded regional city functionality
- Mayor customization and more interactive features
- Better save/load and cross-device syncing
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- Optimization for older devices
In-app purchases
Game Dev Story
No in-app purchases
Pocket City 2
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Game Dev Story free?
Is Pocket City 2 free?
Which has better reviews, Game Dev Story or Pocket City 2?
Do Game Dev Story or Pocket City 2 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Game Dev Story or Pocket City 2?
Which is more popular, Game Dev Story or Pocket City 2?
Other comparisons
