Comparison

Hill Climb Racing vs Payback 2

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

Head to head
About

Hill Climb Racing

Race uphill in a physics-based driving game with a variety of vehicles and challenging environments. Earn coins to upgrade your car and unlock new stages, all playable offline.

Highlights
  • Physics-based driving
  • Offline play
  • Variety of vehicles
  • Unlock and upgrade cars
  • Challenging stages
  • Daily challenges and events
Features
Read full description

Play the original classic Hill Climb Racing! Race your way uphill in this physics based driving game, playable offline! Meet Bill, the young aspiring uphill racer. He is about to embark on a journey through Climb Canyon that takes him to where no ride has ever been before. With little respect to the laws of physics, Bill will not rest until he has conquered the highest hills up on the moon! Face challenges in unique hill climbing environments with a wide variety of cars to choose from. Earn points from daring tricks and collect coins to upgrade your car and travel further distances. Watch out though - Bill's neck is not what it used to be when he was a kid! And his good old gasoline crematorium will easily run out of fuel. Features:: Fresh Content We are still actively developing Hill Climb Racing and adding new vehicles, new stages and new content! Unique Vehicles Get behind the wheel of a wide variety of different vehicles. From the iconic Hill Climber to bikes, race cars, trucks and even some outlandish vehicles such as the creepy Carantula! Half car, half tarantula, do you dare drive it? Play Offline Race offline whenever and wherever you want! Hill Climb Racing is playable completely offline. Play it on a bus, plane or train! Play it anywhere! Wacky Stages Climb Canyon is full of unique challenges and stages for you to overcome with vastly different terrains and hazards. How far can you drive without running out of gas or crashing your vehicle? Unlock and Upgrade Tune up and fix your dream vehicle with custom parts, skins and upgrades! Simulated Physics We worked hard on creating a one of a kind in-game physics system where your vehicles will react to the terrain in a unique manner, can you use this to your advantage and conquer the hills? Daily challenges and events Tackle the daily challenges and events to earn epic rewards! Follow Us: * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fingersoft * X: https://twitter.com/HCR_Official_ * Website: https://www.fingersoft.com * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hillclimbracing_official * Discord: https://discord.com/invite/fingersoft * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hillclimbracing_game * Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FingersoftLtd Terms of Use: https://fingersoft.com/eula-web/ Privacy Policy: https://fingersoft.com/privacy-policy/

About

Payback 2

Experience intense, action-packed gameplay with a variety of campaign events, including gang battles, races, and tank duels. Compete with friends and millions of players online, or create your own custom events with diverse cities, modes, and vehicles.

Highlights
  • Varied campaign events
  • Extensive online multiplayer
  • Hourly, daily, and weekly challenges
  • Custom event creation
  • Diverse cities, game modes, and vehicles
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

"Bite sized, action-packed stages; boils down the GTA flavor to an intense punch" - AppSpy.com Gaming App of The Day - Kotaku.com "[Payback 2] manages to create a sense of overblown fun that permeates everything from straightforward races to capture the flag-inspired heists ... an immensely entertaining experience" - pocketgamer.co.uk Featured as one of the best games of the week by The Guardian DESCRIPTION: Payback 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the hit GTA-style game from the early days of the App Store. It concentrates that classic formula by offering exciting event-based gameplay that is all action, all the time. FEATURES: • VARIED CAMPAIGN. Fifty campaign events featuring everything from massive gang battles to rocket car races to epic tank duels! • TAKE ON THE WORLD. Battle your friends or over a million other players online with the game's extensive multiplayer, leaderboard and Game Center support. • HOURLY, DAILY AND WEEKLY CHALLENGES. Try to beat the rest of the world in the latest new events! • ENDLESS REPLAYABILITY. Make your own events in "custom mode" using any combination of the game's seven cities, nine game modes, varied weaponry and dozens of vehicles.

Screenshots

Hill Climb Racing4 screens
Payback 24 screens

Verdict

The call

Hill Climb Racing and Payback 2 both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 85% of Payback 2's written reviews are positive against 62% of Hill Climb Racing's. Payback 2 also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Hill Climb Racing's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and chart position (#9 vs #112). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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

Both are free to download. Hill Climb Racing sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Payback 2 sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Payback 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 139K and 55K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Hill Climb Racing's written reviews are positive against 85% of Payback 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hill Climb Racing ships an update every 3 weeks, Payback 2 every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Hill Climb Racing versus Payback 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHill Climb RacingPayback 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (139K ratings)4.7 (55K ratings) — better
Positive reviews62.2% of reviews85.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings139K — better55K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#9 — better#112
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size201 MB179 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperFingersoftApex Designs Games LLP

Customer experience

Hill Climb Racing

All ratings138,617 ratings
Positive89.5%
Neutral4.1%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews1,498 reviews
Positive62.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative30.4%

Payback 2

All ratings54,371 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.8%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews1,890 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral6.1%
Negative8.7%

User reviews

Hill Climb Racing

From 139K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great physics and complete shop
  • 👍 Fun and addictive game
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay on old devices
  • 👍 Offline playable
  • 👍 Variety of vehicles and maps

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and progress loss issues
  • 🔍 Excessive ads and in-app purchases
  • 🔍 Expensive upgrades and new content
  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls and bugs
  • 🔍 Repetitive gameplay

Payback 2

From 55K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth gameplay
  • 🚀 Offline playability
  • 💡 Customizable game modes
  • 🎨 Good graphics and visuals
  • 🕹️ Fun and addictive

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
  • 📺 Too many intrusive ads
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔨 Unfinished or unpolished features
  • 🚗 Unrealistic vehicle physics

Bugs and requests

Hill Climb Racing

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Progress/data loss
  • Unresponsive controls
  • Incorrect coin/gem tracking

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to reset progress
  • Multiplayer mode
  • Custom map editor
  • More frequent updates
  • Controller support
Show 1 more
  • Improved iCloud/cloud save sync

Payback 2

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Vehicles and physics issues
  • Multiplayer matchmaking problems
  • Inconsistent or missing game progress
  • Unresponsive controls and input issues

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add more vehicles and customization options
  • Improve graphics and animations
  • Implement a story mode or campaign
  • Add more game modes and multiplayer features
  • Reduce the number of ads or make them less intrusive
Show 3 more
  • Fix bugs and improve overall stability
  • Introduce a sandbox or free-roam mode
  • Add support for controllers and higher frame rates

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Hill Climb Racing

One-time10
  • 150 000 coins$1.99
  • Small Coin Pack$1.99
  • Small Gem Pack$1.99
Show 7 more
  • 300 000 coins$2.99
  • Special offer: 20 000 000 coins$3.99
  • 750 000 coins$4.99
  • Medium Coin Pack$4.99
  • 2 000 000 coins$9.99
  • Big Coin Pack$9.99
  • Mega Coin Pack$14.99
10 purchases

Payback 2

One-time10
  • 200 Coins$0.99
  • 500 Coins$1.99
  • Disable Ads$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Coin Doubler$2.99
  • 1200 Coins$3.99
  • Unlock Episode 2$4.99
  • Unlock Episode 3$4.99
  • 2500 Coins$7.99
  • Unlock Custom Mode$9.99
  • Unlimited Coins$14.99

Questions

Is Hill Climb Racing free?
Hill Climb Racing is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Payback 2 free?
Payback 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hill Climb Racing or Payback 2?
Payback 2 is rated higher. Hill Climb Racing averages 4.6 out of 5 from 139K ratings, while Payback 2 averages 4.7 from 55K ratings.
Do Hill Climb Racing or Payback 2 have ads?
Both Hill Climb Racing and Payback 2 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Hill Climb Racing or Payback 2?
Hill Climb Racing ships an update every 3 weeks, and Payback 2 every 2 months. Most recently, Hill Climb Racing was updated on November 6, 2026 and Payback 2 on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Hill Climb Racing or Payback 2?
Hill Climb Racing currently peaks at #9 in the App Store charts, and Payback 2 at #112. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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