Comparison

Sand & Sky vs Falling Matter

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

Head to head
About

Sand & Sky

Experiment with physics and materials in a creative sandbox. Drop, mix, and ignite various elements to discover surprising interactions and build unique creations. Enjoy a zen-like experience with realistic simulations and a variety of tools.

Highlights
  • Realistic fluid simulation
  • Gravity manipulation
  • Wind tool
  • Adjustable brush and speed
  • Undo and clear functions
  • Material interaction guide
Features
Read full description

Sand & Sky is an endlessly satisfying particle physics sandbox — drop materials, watch them interact, and discover what happens when science meets creativity. Pour water and watch it fill every corner. Drop lava onto ice and forge obsidian. Ignite gunpowder and set off chain explosions. Build walls, draw mazes, and experiment unique materials that each behave according to their own rules. REACTIONS & COMBINATIONS Every material interacts with others in surprising ways. Water meets lava and creates stone. Lightning strikes sand and fuses it into glass. Acid dissolves almost everything. Discover all the reactions in the built-in Reactions guide. FEATURES · Realistic fluid simulation — liquids fill containers and accumulate naturally · Flip gravity in any direction — up, down, left, or right · Wind tool to push particles across the screen · Adjustable brush size and simulation speed · Undo button and sandbox clear · Unique sounds for every material Whether you're building elaborate contraptions, running experiments, or simply watching particles fall — Sand & Sky is the perfect zen sandbox to lose yourself in.

About

Falling Matter

Explore a pixel physics sandbox with over 60 materials like sand, water, and lava. Simulate realistic heat transfer, material reactions, and explosive events. Build, save, and share your unique creations with others.

Highlights
  • Realistic pixel physics simulation
  • Over 60 materials and tools
  • Heat transfer and material reactions
  • Explosive events and special tools
  • Build, save, and share creations
  • Tilt controls for pouring
Features
Read full description

Falling Matter is a pixel physics sandbox where every grain matters. Pour sand, flood it with water, drop lava on top and watch the world react. REAL PHYSICS, REAL HEAT • Every pixel has a temperature. Heat spreads fast through metal and slowly through wood and air. • Water boils and freezes, ice melts, lava cools into obsidian, sand melts into glass. • Liquids settle into layers by weight: gasoline floats on oil, oil on water, mercury sinks below everything. • Turn on Heat view to see your world through a thermal camera. 60+ MATERIALS AND TOOLS Powders, liquids, gases, metals, explosives, plants and people. Mix acid with metal to make hydrogen, cool red-hot metal in water, burn wood into glowing charcoal, or let thermite burn through a steel plate. BIG BOOMS Drop an atomic bomb on a city, call down a meteor, strike with lightning, or open a black hole and watch it swallow everything nearby. Explosives, black holes, meteors, lightning and people are part of the Unlock All Matter upgrade. BUILD, SAVE, SHARE • Start from six ready-made worlds or a blank sandbox. • Four save slots with previews. • Share a picture or an 8-second video clip of your creation. • Pinch to zoom in on the smallest grains. AND MORE • Tilt your phone to pour, like sand in a jar. • 13 trophies, with Game Center achievements. • Sound effects and vibration for explosions and lightning. • Tips that explain each material (turn them off any time). • In English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. • Free to play. Remove ads or unlock every material with one-time purchases.

Screenshots

Sand & Sky2 screens
Falling Matter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sand & Sky at none against Falling Matter's 3. Sand & Sky also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). Falling Matter's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 5 weeks). On price, rating, ads 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. Falling Matter sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Sand & Sky asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Sand & Sky against 5.0 for Falling Matter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sand & Sky ships an update every 5 weeks, Falling Matter every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sand & Sky versus Falling Matter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSand & SkyFalling Matter
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.416.4
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB35 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperNicholas BianchinoJaylen Byrd

Customer experience

Sand & Sky

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Falling Matter

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sand & Sky

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Falling Matter

One-time3
  • Remove Ads$1.99
  • Unlock All Matter$2.99
  • Everything Bundle$3.99

Questions

Is Sand & Sky free?
Sand & Sky is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Falling Matter free?
Falling Matter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sand & Sky or Falling Matter?
Sand & Sky and Falling Matter are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Sand & Sky or Falling Matter have ads?
Both Sand & Sky and Falling Matter show ads.
Which is updated more often, Sand & Sky or Falling Matter?
Sand & Sky ships an update every 5 weeks, and Falling Matter every 3 weeks. Most recently, Sand & Sky was updated on October 31, 2026 and Falling Matter on November 6, 2026.

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