Comparison

CFB Simulator vs Hardwood Empire

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

Head to head
About

CFB Simulator

Build a college football dynasty by recruiting players, developing talent, and calling plays. Manage seasons, depth charts, and injuries to achieve national championships. Navigate the transfer portal and customize your coaching abilities to lead your team to victory.

Highlights
  • Recruit high school prospects
  • Develop player skills
  • Manage depth charts and injuries
  • Navigate the transfer portal
  • Customize coaching abilities
  • Detailed play-by-play simulation
  • Customizable playoff formats
Features
Read full description

Build your college football dynasty in the most immersive and strategic CFB simulation available. Recruit stars, develop players, call plays, and chase national championships. Every decision shapes your legacy. COACH: Start at any school and turn it into a powerhouse. Manage seasons, depth charts, injuries, and long-term growth as you build a program that rises and stays at the top. RECRUIT: Scout high school prospects, uncover hidden gems, build relationships, and battle rival programs for top talent. Recruit high school players using scouting, interest tracking, and scholarship offers. TRANSFER PORTAL: Navigate the modern era of college football by recruiting proven players to fill roster gaps. Retain your stars, replace departures, and reshape your roster every offseason. COACH PROGRESSION: Choose your coaching background and upgrade your abilities through a detailed skill tree. Earn XP from season goals and unlock perks that improve recruiting, development, and on-field performance. GAME SIMULATION: Experience detailed play-by-play action as your team competes for conference titles and playoff berths. Track stats, adjust depth charts, manage fatigue, and handle injuries throughout the season. PLAYOFF SYSTEM: Compete in customizable playoff formats, including 4, 8, 12, and 16-team brackets. Win your conference and fight through intense postseason matchups on the road to the national championship. SOCIAL MEDIA FEED: Follow the college football world through an in-game social feed that reacts to wins, losses, commitments, and transfers. Post as your coach to build your personal brand. CUSTOM LEAGUES: Create your own conference structure or use the built-in college football layout. Import your own teams and design the league you want to compete in. Start your dynasty today. Build your team. Run the league. Make history.

About

Hardwood Empire

Manage a college basketball program, from recruiting top talent to simulating seasons and chasing championships. This deep simulation offers detailed player stats and a dynasty mode spanning over 20 seasons.

Highlights
  • 365 teams across 23 conferences
  • Full recruiting system
  • Season simulation with detailed stats
  • Player development and career tracking
  • Dynasty mode for 20+ seasons
  • Conference tournaments and championship bracket
Features
Read full description

Build a college basketball dynasty from the ground up. Choose from 365 teams across 23 conferences, recruit top prospects, manage your roster, and chase championship glory season after season. If you've been waiting for a deep, modern college hoops sim on iOS — this is it. Hardwood Empire puts you in full control of your program. Scout and recruit the best players, set your lineup, develop talent, and make the tough decisions that separate contenders from rebuilds. Every season plays out with full game logs, box scores, and detailed player stats — so your dynasty actually feels like a dynasty. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT Most basketball sims are either shallow, abandoned, or loaded with microtransactions. Hardwood Empire is none of those. It's built by a solo developer who plays his own game, takes community feedback seriously, and ships updates regularly. FEATURES - 365 teams across 23 conferences - Full recruiting system — scout, pitch, and sign top prospects - Season simulation with box scores, game logs, and player stats - Player development, awards, and career tracking - Dynasty mode spanning 20+ seasons of program history - Detailed player profiles with bios, ratings, and performance data - Conference tournaments and a full championship bracket - Season awards including Player of the Year, All-Conference, and more YOUR FEEDBACK SHAPES THE GAME Join the community on Reddit at r/HardwoodEmpire to share ideas, report bugs, and help shape what gets built next. This game is actively developed and updated — your voice matters. Whether you're taking over a mid-major and grinding your way to relevance or defending a title at a powerhouse, every decision you make echoes across seasons. How long can you keep your empire standing?

Screenshots

CFB Simulator4 screens
Hardwood Empire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: CFB Simulator at none against Hardwood Empire's shown. Hardwood Empire's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. CFB Simulator sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Hardwood Empire sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for CFB Simulator against 4.8 for Hardwood Empire. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 966 and 863 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of CFB Simulator's written reviews are positive against 78% of Hardwood Empire's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CFB Simulator ships an update every 4 days, Hardwood Empire every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
CFB Simulator versus Hardwood Empire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCFB SimulatorHardwood Empire
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (966 ratings)4.8 (863 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.0% of reviews — better77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings966 — better863
Update frequencyEvery 4 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size45 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMani ForoughiFinn keating

Customer experience

CFB Simulator

All ratings943 ratings
Positive95.9%
Neutral2.3%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews121 reviews
Positive81.0%
Neutral10.7%
Negative8.3%

Hardwood Empire

All ratings851 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.8%
Written reviews99 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

CFB Simulator

One-time5
  • 1 Checkpoint Token$0.99
  • 5 Checkpoint Tokens$2.99
  • Sanctions Scenario$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Rebuild the Program Scenario$2.99
  • God Mode$3.99
2 purchases

Hardwood Empire

One-time2
  • Remove Ads.$3.99
  • God Mode$4.99

Questions

Is CFB Simulator free?
CFB Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hardwood Empire free?
Hardwood Empire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, CFB Simulator or Hardwood Empire?
Hardwood Empire is rated higher. CFB Simulator averages 4.8 out of 5 from 966 ratings, while Hardwood Empire averages 4.8 from 863 ratings.
Do CFB Simulator or Hardwood Empire have ads?
Hardwood Empire shows ads; CFB Simulator does not.
Which is updated more often, CFB Simulator or Hardwood Empire?
CFB Simulator ships an update every 4 days, and Hardwood Empire every 3 days. Most recently, CFB Simulator was updated on October 28, 2026 and Hardwood Empire on October 23, 2026.

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