Comparison

Earth Sandbox vs Sand Trace

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

Head to head
About

Earth Sandbox

Explore the dynamic evolution of a planet by altering its core systems like climate and gravity. Trigger natural events and observe real-time population and ecosystem trends. This experimental simulation game offers unique outcomes with every interaction.

Highlights
  • Earth-focused environmental simulation
  • Interconnected climate and planetary systems
  • Dynamic natural events
  • Real-time population and ecosystem trends
  • Interactive experimentation tools
  • Clean visuals and intuitive controls
Features
Read full description

Earth Sandbox is an experimental simulation game centered on Earth itself. Instead of following a fixed story or objective, the game invites you to explore how a planet reacts when its core systems are changed. Climate, gravity, oceans, and atmosphere interact dynamically, creating unique outcomes every time you experiment. You can adjust environmental conditions, trigger natural events, or push the planet into extreme states. Rising temperatures may reshape ecosystems, shifting gravity alters planetary balance, and sudden disasters can permanently change the world you observe. Natural events such as meteor impacts, earthquakes, volcanic activity, and global climate shifts are part of the simulation. Each event influences the planet differently depending on existing conditions, encouraging experimentation rather than repetition. The simulation is driven by interconnected systems inspired by scientific principles. Population trends, environmental stability, and planetary conditions evolve in real time, allowing you to observe long-term consequences of your actions. Features: • Earth-focused environmental simulation • Interconnected climate and planetary systems • Dynamic natural events and long-term world changes • Real-time population and ecosystem trends • Interactive tools designed for experimentation • Clean visuals with intuitive controls How will your choices shape the future of this Earth? Icon by orvipixel from www.flaticon.com Icon by Freepik from www.flaticon.com Icon by Solid Icon Co from www.flaticon.com Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay Sound Effect by Kalvin C from Pixabay Sound Effect by Jeremay Jimenez from Pixabay Music by Grand_Project from Pixabay Music by Music Unlimited from Pixabay Sound Effect by Matthew Vakalyuk from Pixabay Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

About

Sand Trace

Features
Read full description

Drop sand, pour water, ignite fire, and watch real physics come to life. Sand Trace is a pixel-art physics simulator where you paint with 16 different materials and watch them interact in surprising ways. WHAT YOU CAN CREATE - Drop sand, stone, and glass to build structures - Pour water, oil, and acid to watch fluids flow - Ignite wood, oil, and plants to set off massive fires - Spawn lava to melt ice and turn water to stone - Launch missiles and detonate explosives for chain reactions - Electrify water with lightning bolts - Grow forests by placing plants near water - Heat sand into glass for permanent structures 16 MATERIALS, 40+ INTERACTIONS Every material has unique physics. Sand falls and piles up. Water flows and extinguishes fire. Lava melts ice and hardens into stone. Acid corrodes nearly everything. Lightning electrifies water in a spreading chain. Oil floats on water and burns with thick smoke. Plants grow toward water and catch fire easily. Discover every interaction through experimentation. PIXEL-ART WORLD Watch your creations come alive in a crisp, retro-style pixel grid. Every grain of sand, every drop of water, and every spark of fire is simulated individually for a satisfying, tactile experience. PRESET SCENES Jump right in with 5 handcrafted scenes: - Volcano: Watch lava flow and interact with water - Rain: Peaceful rainfall on a landscape - Acid Rain: Destructive downpour that corrodes everything - Forest Fire: A blazing wildfire spreading through trees - Aquarium: A tranquil underwater scene SAVE, RECORD, SHARE - Save and load your creations anytime - Record MP4 videos of your simulations - Take screenshots to share your pixel-art worlds - Works on both iPhone and iPad with responsive layout Download Sand Trace today and start experimenting with physics.

Screenshots

Earth Sandbox4 screens
Sand Trace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Earth Sandbox at weekly against Sand Trace's fortnightly. Sand Trace's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Earth Sandbox ships an update weekly, Sand Trace fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Earth Sandbox versus Sand Trace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEarth SandboxSand Trace
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.2 (10 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size389 MB22 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeechang KimHSIANG-YU HUANG

In-app purchases

None

Earth Sandbox

No in-app purchases

None

Sand Trace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Earth Sandbox free?
Earth Sandbox is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sand Trace free?
Sand Trace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Earth Sandbox or Sand Trace have ads?
Both Earth Sandbox and Sand Trace show ads.
Which is updated more often, Earth Sandbox or Sand Trace?
Earth Sandbox ships an update weekly, and Sand Trace fortnightly. Most recently, Earth Sandbox was updated on October 23, 2026 and Sand Trace on October 19, 2026.

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