Comparison

Junk Jack Retro vs Growtopia

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

Head to head
About

Junk Jack Retro

Explore, build, and survive in procedurally generated 2D worlds. This prequel offers retro pixel art, a dynamic day/night cycle, and a vast array of crafting and building options. Discover hidden secrets, fight monsters, and create unique homes.

Highlights
  • Retro style pixel art
  • Procedurally generated worlds
  • Dynamic day/night cycle
  • Advanced farming system
  • Extensive crafting recipes
  • Underground biomes
  • Combat with diverse mobs
Features
Read full description

*If you don't have Junk Jack we suggest you to first purchase it and then consider Junk Jack Retro to enjoy where all started!* Junk Jack is now called Junk Jack Retro, with widescreen support! Junk Jack Retro is the prequel of Junk Jack, a 2D sandbox game where you can explore, build your home and survive in random procedurally generated worlds full of monsters, treasures and hidden secrets! --------- What the press says: "A Wonderful Free-Roam Game with an Irresistible Pixel Aesthetic" -Iphonealley.com, 4.5/5 "It has charm in spades. While it isn't the first 2D sandbox building game out there, it is a particularly attractive one, sporting crisp pixel art and gorgeous lighting effects. " " -Toucharcade, 4/5 "Junk Jack is a hands-down, no questions asked must-own for any and all iOS users who love sandbox crafting games." -148apps, 4.5/5 "Junk Jack isn't Minecraft, nor does it feel like it needs to be as its 2D world provides the same level of novel exploration fun while presenting challenges of its own to overcome; a tightly balanced free form experience that's only going to get better with time." -Appspy, 5/5 --------- Join our forum (http://forum.pixbits.com) and help us to improve our game, and share your creations! Features: * retro style pixel art! * beautiful sound tracks from Bright Primate * intuitive controls: swipe to move and tap to interact with everything! * dynamic day/night cycle * never get lost with customizable signs * advanced farming system with more than 30 different plant types * 135+ recipes for cookable foods! * tint cloth blocks with 15 color dyes * underground biomes with unique graphic style and monsters. * placeable and throwable explosives that can destroy buildings, landscapes and monsters! * critters and enemies to fight (more than 60 different mobs!) * a fully featured lighting system together with many different sources of light and global lighting * 3 slots for infinite worlds that you can generate and explore, every world is different from any other! * procedural generation which creates beautiful worlds with plants, caves, different biomes all around the world * a double layered world which allows to customize background and foreground of your creations * many ores and shiny gems to help your adventure * many hidden containers full of treasures * more than 1000 treasures! * more than 600 crafts! * more than 380 block types * many elements to decorate your houses (like sofas, tables, wardrobes, paintings, statues and many others) * an in-game discoverable book to teach you how to play and the recipes available * shelfs to place items around just to make your buildings shine * minimap (with a really zoomed out feature to allow you to share your creations) * runs fine on older gen hardware We would like to thank Notch! He developed our bigger indie brother Minecraft, without which this game would not exist. If you need help, please contact us!

About

Growtopia

This is a 2D sandbox game where players can build anything, create unique characters, and explore thousands of worlds. Engage in player-generated mini-games, craft items, and trade with a massive online community. Enjoy regular updates and cross-platform play.

Highlights
  • Build anything imaginable
  • Create unique characters
  • Explore thousands of worlds
  • Play player-generated mini-games
  • Craft and trade items
  • Cross-platform play
Read full description

Welcome to Growtopia, the 2D free-to-play sandbox game! Growtopia is a popular MMO game where everyone is a hero! Play together with wizards, doctors, star explorers and superheroes! Discover thousands of unique items and build your own worlds! JOIN OUR ENORMOUS COMMUNITY - millions of players are waiting for you to join and have fun! BUILD literally anything – castles, dungeons, skyscrapers, artwork, puzzles - even your favorite movie scenes! CREATE YOUR UNIQUE CHARACTER Become literally anyone! From space knight with a lightsaber to a noble queen with your own dragon! PLAY THOUSANDS OF MINI GAMES generated by other players! From parkour and races to PVP battles and ghost hunting! CRAFT AND TRADE Craft new items and trade them to other players! MONTHLY UPDATES! We do our best to entertain you with exciting monthly updates involving new items and events! EXPLORE countless unique pixel worlds - you can enter any of them! CROSS PLATFORM! Play with your friends anywhere – on smartphones, tablets or using the desktop client, - the progress is shared! Subscribe to our official YouTube channel for giveaways, useful tutorials and funny videos - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFTBaDHB4_Y8eFa8YssSMQ BE AWARE! This is an online game about collecting items – make sure to keep them safe ** Note: This is a freemium game that has optional In-App Purchases! ** Note: In-App Purchase, Chat, and Tapjoy Offer Wall options can be disabled in a Personal Controls area in the Options menu. Didn't get your gems or having a problem? Check out our support FAQ at www.growtopiagame.com/faq !

Screenshots

Junk Jack Retro4 screens
Growtopia4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Junk Jack Retro at 84% against Growtopia's 32%. Junk Jack Retro also leads on rating (4.3 vs 3.8) and ads (none vs shown). Growtopia's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and ratings volume (11K vs 147). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Growtopia is free to download; Junk Jack Retro costs $0.99 up front. Junk Jack Retro sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Growtopia sells 23 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Junk Jack Retro holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Growtopia has 11K ratings behind it against 147, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 84% of Junk Jack Retro's written reviews are positive against 32% of Growtopia's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Junk Jack Retro ships an update every 5 weeks, Growtopia fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Junk Jack Retro versus Growtopia: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJunk Jack RetroGrowtopia
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (147 ratings) — better3.8 (11K ratings)
Positive reviews84.2% of reviews — better31.6% of reviews
Number of ratings14711K — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS7.1 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB372 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPixbits SRLUbisoft

Customer experience

Junk Jack Retro

All ratings147 ratings
Positive82.3%
Neutral6.1%
Negative11.6%
Written reviews888 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral6.3%
Negative9.5%

Growtopia

All ratings11,316 ratings
Positive69.1%
Neutral5.3%
Negative25.7%
Written reviews810 reviews
Positive31.6%
Neutral9.4%
Negative59.0%

User reviews

Junk Jack Retro

From 147 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐ Long-time fan
  • 💬 Multiplayer request
  • 🎮 Retro feel
  • 👍 Great game
  • 🔍 Lots of content to explore

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes
  • 🔒 Needs more security
  • 🕹️ Clunky controls
  • 💰 Not worth the money
  • 🤔 Confusing

Growtopia

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💕 Childhood memories
  • 🌟 Fun and engaging gameplay
  • 👥 Ability to meet people from around the world
  • 🕹️ Unique sandbox experience

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Bots and spammers
  • 🔒 Poor security and hacking issues
  • 🤯 Toxic community and scammers
  • 🔧 Unstable servers and disconnections
  • 💰 Expensive in-game purchases

Bugs and requests

Junk Jack Retro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Inventory/crafting issues
  • Compatibility problems
  • Saving/loading issues

Requested features

9 requests
  • Multiplayer
  • Creative mode
  • More content updates
  • Armor and weapons
  • Customization options
Show 4 more
  • Larger worlds
  • Liquids and portals
  • Bosses and mobs
  • Quests and progression

Growtopia

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Random bans without explanation
  • Rollback issues causing loss of items
  • Glitches causing forced disconnections

Requested features

6 requests
  • Improved security measures
  • Better moderation and banning of scammers
  • Optimized server performance
  • Controller support
  • Revamped user interface
Show 1 more
  • Ability to cancel role quests

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Junk Jack Retro

One-time10
  • Complete CraftBook$0.99
  • Slime Hat$0.99
  • Botanist Hat$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Chef Hat$0.99
  • Robin Hood Hat$0.99
  • Breeding Hat$0.99
  • Jazon Hat$0.99
  • Frost Ninja Hat$0.99
  • Santa Hat$0.99
  • Golden Logo$2.99
23 purchases

Growtopia

One-time23
  • Bag o' Gems$0.99
  • Chest o' Gems$1.99
  • Special Consumable 1$2.99
Show 20 more
  • Holiday Pack!$2.99
  • Special Event Pack$2.99
  • Gem Fountain$4.99
  • 30 Days Subscription$5.99
  • Special Cape$9.99
  • It's Rainin' Gems$9.99
  • Royal Grow Pass$9.99
  • Awesome Item 1$9.99
  • Awesome Item 2$9.99
  • Special Cosmetic$9.99
  • Special Cosmetic Item 2$9.99
  • Special Cosmetic 1$9.99
  • Special Event Pack$14.99
  • Special Bundle 2$14.99
  • Event Value Pack 2$14.99
  • Event Pass$19.99
  • Road To Glory$24.99
  • Gem Bounty$29.99
  • 365 Days Subscription$49.99
  • Gem Abundance$49.99

Questions

Is Junk Jack Retro free?
Junk Jack Retro costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Growtopia free?
Growtopia is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Junk Jack Retro or Growtopia?
Junk Jack Retro is rated higher. Junk Jack Retro averages 4.3 out of 5 from 147 ratings, while Growtopia averages 3.8 from 11K ratings.
Do Junk Jack Retro or Growtopia have ads?
Growtopia shows ads; Junk Jack Retro does not.
Which is updated more often, Junk Jack Retro or Growtopia?
Junk Jack Retro ships an update every 5 weeks, and Growtopia fortnightly. Most recently, Junk Jack Retro was updated on October 29, 2026 and Growtopia on October 30, 2026.

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