Game Dev Story vs IGN Playlist
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
Read full descriptionHide full description
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
IGN Playlist
Organize and track all your video games, from past titles to upcoming releases. Discover new games, estimate completion times, and curate custom lists to share with friends. Keep your entire gaming library managed in one convenient place.
- Manage game backlog and library
- Estimate game completion times
- Browse and discover new games
- Create and share custom game playlists
- Rate and remember game experiences
- View game screenshots and videos
Read full descriptionHide full description
Backlog & Library — Manage your games like God of War, Starfield, Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto and more by adding them to your backlog. Organize what you’ve played and beat by adding games to wishlists, backlog, playing, paused, beat, and quit. HowLongToBeat — See how long it takes to beat games for different playthroughs, like Main Story, Story and Sides, and 100% Playthroughs. Plus see how long it will take to beat your backlog. Use HowLongtoBeat’s data to help you manage your game time. Browse Games — Search, view, and share from a massive games library spanning titles from the last 30+ years of gaming history. View screenshots, watch videos, and more for the games you're playing or want to play. Discover — Discover is Playlist’s homepage for finding new games. It’s updated weekly to surface interesting lists, new and upcoming games, and other fun and interesting categories to help people find their next favorite game or keep up with what IGN’s covering. Copy, remix, and follow lists to build your own collections. Playlists — Curate, organize, and rank games. Share playlists via text, Twitch profiles, Discords, and more. You can also see combined game time of for any of your playlists, powered by HowLongToBeat.com Community Ratings — Rate and remember what you liked, and what you didn’t about the games you play. Roadmap? - We’re not done - more updates to come!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: IGN Playlist at Free against Game Dev Story's $4.99. IGN Playlist also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Game Dev Story's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.9) and review sentiment (96% vs 60%). On in-app purchases 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
IGN Playlist is free to download; Game Dev Story costs $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 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Game Dev Story has 3K ratings behind it against 118, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Game Dev Story's written reviews are positive against 60% of IGN Playlist's.
Game Dev Story ships an update every 4 months, IGN Playlist monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Game Dev Story | IGN Playlist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (3K ratings) — better | 3.9 (118 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.8% of reviews — better | 59.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3K — better | 118 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #88 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd | IGN Entertainment, Inc. |
Customer experience
Game Dev Story
IGN Playlist
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)
IGN Playlist
From 118 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great interface
- 🚀 Fantastic database of gaming history
- 🔍 Useful game cataloging and organization
- ⭐️ Excellent game tracking app
- 🤖 Helpful integration with HowLongToBeat
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔑 Constant login issues
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and manage lists
- 🔒 Intrusive data collection practices
- 🔍 Lack of platform-specific organization
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
IGN Playlist
Reported bugs
3 issues- Wishlist and backlog sections not working
- Inability to log in or access accounts
- Games disappearing from lists or not updating properly
Requested features
5 requests- Calendar widget or Apple Calendar integration
- Ability to follow other users
- More sorting and filtering options
- Separate category for ongoing/live service games
- Option to rate games on a scale instead of just thumbs up/down
In-app purchases
Game Dev Story
No in-app purchases
IGN Playlist
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Game Dev Story free?
Is IGN Playlist free?
Which has better reviews, Game Dev Story or IGN Playlist?
Do Game Dev Story or IGN Playlist have ads?
Which is updated more often, Game Dev Story or IGN Playlist?
Other comparisons
