Particlescape vs SandBox
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Particlescape
This app lets you create stunning visual patterns using interactive particle and gravity simulations. Generate thousands of particles with each touch, with higher resolution in dense areas. Optimized for performance, it supports up to half a million particles on screen.
- Interactive particle and gravity simulation
- Generate particles with touch
- Apply gravity with double-tap-hold
- High-resolution rendering in dense areas
- Supports up to 500,000 particles
- 3D Touch pressure sensitivity
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Create beautiful patterns at your fingertips! Particlescape is an interactive particle and gravity simulator designed to be as beautiful as possible and to create an organic link between fingertips and screen. The rules are simple: - Touch to generate particles. - Double-tap-hold to use gravity. - Shake device to change options. Sensitive to up to 10 simultaneous touches on iPad (5 on iPhone), the visual possibilities are limitless. Features: - Generate up to 8000 particles per second per touch. Feel like you're magically summoning particles from the ether. - Particles in high-density regions are rendered at higher resolution (smaller point size), to bring out finer detail. - Extensive optimizations throughout to support a maximum of half a million particles on screen!* - Press harder for more particles or more gravity on 3D Touch-enabled devices, such as iPhone 6s and 6s Plus! *500,000 particles supported on iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, iPad Air 2. Older devices may support less.
SandBox
Engage in a dynamic particle physics playground with full rotation. Discover how various elements interact to produce captivating outcomes, offering both creative freedom and educational opportunities.
- Particle physics simulation
- Element interaction and combination
- Full 3D rotation
- Thermal vision mode
- Creative sandbox experience
- Educational element reactions
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Immerse yourself in the complete particle sandbox experience with full rotation capabilities. Explore a wide range of different elements and watch as they interact with each other to create fascinating results. Features: • Specialists understand that the sandbox is the perfect place to unleash your creativity. • Teachers recognize that the sandbox is an ideal tool for teaching about item reactions and how to create new elements. • Play sand with thermal vision, reminiscent of the popular game Garry's Mod (gmod). • This innovative and awesome concept is loads of fun with the sandbox, and I can't wait to upgrade! • The particles in the sandbox are very realistic, satisfying, and relaxing. Combine elements to create new reactions and even blow up floating sandbox or ragdoll sandbox 2 for even more excitement!
Screenshots
Verdict
Particlescape and SandBox both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Particlescape's written reviews are positive against 36% of SandBox's. Particlescape also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (5 vs 3). SandBox's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 24 months). On price and rating 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
Both are free to download. Particlescape sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SandBox asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Particlescape against 4.6 for SandBox. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SandBox has 45K ratings behind it against 76, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Particlescape's written reviews are positive against 36% of SandBox's.
Particlescape ships an update every 24 months, SandBox every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on August 8, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Particlescape | SandBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (76 ratings) | 4.6 (45K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.5% of reviews — better | 36.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 76 | 45K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 24 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 150 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Edwin Sirko | TINYSOFT |
Customer experience
Particlescape
SandBox
User reviews
Particlescape
From 76 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✨ Mesmerizing and beautiful visuals
- 🧘 Calming and relaxing experience
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🤩 Highly entertaining and fun
- 💡 Great for distraction and stress relief
Room to improve
- 🤔 Limited customization options
- 💸 Paid upgrades don't always work
- ❓ Controls can be difficult to use
- ⚫ Black background can be overwhelming
- 👎 Ads can be intrusive
SandBox
From 45K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Satisfying gameplay
- 👍 Relaxing and calming
- 🚀 Decent graphics
Room to improve
- 🔍 Too many ads
- 🔒 Forced ads and refills
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔋 Limited resources
Bugs and requests
Particlescape
Reported bugs
6 issues- Controls not working
- Upgrade does nothing
- App doesn't do anything anymore
- Menus don't work on iPad Air 2
- Paid upgrade provides no new features
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- Settings disabled even after purchase
Requested features
21 requests- Add meditation music
- Ability to change colors
- More options for drag and radius
- More physics properties
- Ability to remove or dim black background
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- Overlay particles on the world
- Add background options
- Pin touch points and work elsewhere
- Place and pin multiple gravity wells
- Negative gravity option
- Video screencast
- Add dubstep in background
- Add chill out sounds
- Clear screen option
- Particle shape option
- Fix disabled settings
- Reset button in options
- Ability to record movements with songs
- Softer shake to bring up menu
- Ability to change color of new particles only
- More control over gravitational strength and spawn speed
SandBox
Reported bugs
3 issues- Level 50 is impossible to complete
- Certain materials like rock have glitches
- App crashes and freezes
Requested features
4 requests- More materials and elements
- Ability to save and load creations
- Larger sandbox area
- More realistic physics and behaviors
In-app purchases
Particlescape
- Upgrade to Enable More Touches Without Ads$1.99
- Upgrade to Enable Advanced Options$1.99
- Premium options$3.99
SandBox
No in-app purchases
