Comparison

Engine Simulator vs Tuning Simulator

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

Head to head
About

Engine Simulator

Explore the physics of piston engines by building, tuning, and testing them. Simulate combustion and rigid body motion in real-time. Compete with others on a global leaderboard by posting your creations.

Highlights
  • Physics-based engine simulation
  • Build engines from scratch
  • Tune fuel and ignition maps
  • Real-time power and torque readings
  • 3D engine visualization
  • Global leaderboard
Features
Read full description

Engine Simulator is a physics-based piston engine sandbox. The sound and motion come from a real rigid body simulation of the crank, pistons, valves, and combustion, not recordings. Start an engine, work the throttle, and tune its fuel and ignition maps in the ECU. Build one from scratch (layout, bore, stroke, cam, firing order) or describe what you want and have it generated on device. Watch it run in 3D, read live power and torque on the dyno, or push it past the limiter until it breaks. Post your engines to the global leaderboard and compare against other builders. Engine Simulator for iOS is an unofficial port. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or supported by AngeTheGreat (Ange Yaghi), the creator of the original open source Engine Simulator. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Community Guidelines: https://enginesimulator.app/community-guidelines.html Privacy Policy: https://enginesimulator.app/privacy-policy.html Support: https://enginesimulator.app/support.html

About

Tuning Simulator

Simulate engine tuning on a virtual dyno. Adjust fuel maps, timing, and boost to optimize power curves and engine health. Features a realistic engine model, multiple engine types, and a career mode with customer jobs and rival shops.

Highlights
  • Realistic engine simulation
  • Adjustable fuel maps and timing
  • Boost and wastegate control
  • Multiple engine types and parts
  • Career mode with customer jobs
  • Daily challenges and leaderboards
  • Guided tutorials and lessons
Features
Read full description

A simulated engine on a dyno, run by a standalone ECU you tune yourself. Change the fuel map, the timing or the boost and watch what happens to the power curve, the mixture and the knock sensor. It behaves like the real thing. The engine model runs every combustion event. Lean it out and it misfires. Add too much timing and it knocks, then cracks a piston. Fit bigger injectors without telling the ECU and it floods. THE ECU - Fuel VE, lambda targets, ignition, boost target and wastegate duty, idle, warmup, cranking, accel enrichment and dead times - Closed loop, knock control, rev and boost limiters, auto learn and "Fix from pull" - Select cells, drag curves, type values, interpolate and smooth, in a grid or in 3D - Lay the data log over any table and see which cells ran lean or knocked THE ENGINES - Ten engines: fours, a flat four, straight sixes, V6s and V8s - Naturally aspirated, turbo, twin turbo, supercharged and nitrous - Nearly 100 parts: injectors, pumps, lines, regulators, turbos, housings, wastegates, blowers, cams, pistons, rods, head gaskets and fuels, E85 included THE DYNO - Hold any rpm at any throttle, or do a full wide open throttle pull - Power, torque, mixture, boost and timing on every run - A full data log you can zoom into - Engine health: knock, over-revving, boost and heat all wear parts out, and some failures are sudden CAREER MODE Start with a rented unit, a small dyno, a stock project car and $1,500. Customers bring in cars with vacuum leaks, tired fuel pumps, stuck wastegates, burnt valves and lying sensors, or ask for a power target on a budget. Find the fault, fix it, tune it and hand it back for a test drive that grades your work. - Eleven kinds of job, from base tunes to E85 conversions, race class builds, blown engine rescues and cars three other shops couldn't fix - Four rival shops with owners and an 8-week season. Beat them at Dyno Day and their customers switch to you - Cars come back weeks later. A tune too close to the edge breaks on a hot day and returns on warranty; a safe one turns the customer into a regular - Intermittent faults that only show hot, cold, under boost or near redline - Eight story customers who bring the same car back chapter after chapter, with your parts and tune still on it - Diagnostic tools, a bigger dyno, more bays, weather, deadlines, rent and 31 achievements DAILY CHALLENGE One broken engine a day, the same for every player. Nine hours on the clock to find the faults and tune it, then see where you land on the leaderboard. Tuesdays and Saturdays are free on the Turbo Four. LEARN A guided tutorial takes a broken project car from flooding on the stand to a full tune. Twelve more lessons cover VE tuning, MBT, knock, boost control, injector swaps, fuel system limits, E85, nitrous, big cam idle and cold starts. GAME CENTER Leaderboards for the daily challenge, peak horsepower and horsepower per litre. A pull only counts if the engine is still alive five seconds later. FREE AND PRO The Turbo Four, the guided tutorial and the Tuesday and Saturday daily challenges are free, with every part and every table. Tuning Simulator Pro is a one-time purchase that unlocks all ten engines, custom builds, every lesson, Career mode and the daily challenge every day. No subscription, no ads, no account.

Screenshots

Engine Simulator4 screens
Tuning Simulator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tuning Simulator at every 2 days against Engine Simulator's every 3 weeks. Tuning Simulator also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Engine Simulator's advantage is ratings volume (216 vs 15). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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. Engine Simulator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Tuning Simulator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Tuning Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Engine Simulator has 216 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 76% of Engine Simulator's written reviews are positive against 73% of Tuning Simulator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Engine Simulator ships an update every 3 weeks, Tuning Simulator every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Engine Simulator versus Tuning Simulator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEngine SimulatorTuning Simulator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (216 ratings)4.7 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.5% of reviews — better72.7% of reviews
Number of ratings216 — better15
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#38 — better#100
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS18.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB70 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperMUHAMMAD SAAD ATAScott Busby

Customer experience

Engine Simulator

All ratings173 ratings
Positive84.4%
Neutral5.2%
Negative10.4%
Written reviews143 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative15.4%

Tuning Simulator

All ratings15 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative18.2%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Engine Simulator

One-time1
  • Lifetime$8.99
1 purchases

Tuning Simulator

One-time1
  • Tuning Simulator Pro$14.99

Questions

Is Engine Simulator free?
Engine Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tuning Simulator free?
Tuning Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Engine Simulator or Tuning Simulator?
Tuning Simulator is rated higher. Engine Simulator averages 4.3 out of 5 from 216 ratings, while Tuning Simulator averages 4.7 from 15 ratings.
Do Engine Simulator or Tuning Simulator have ads?
Neither Engine Simulator nor Tuning Simulator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Engine Simulator or Tuning Simulator?
Engine Simulator ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tuning Simulator every 2 days. Most recently, Engine Simulator was updated on November 10, 2026 and Tuning Simulator on November 10, 2026.
Which is more popular, Engine Simulator or Tuning Simulator?
Engine Simulator currently peaks at #38 in the App Store charts, and Tuning Simulator at #100. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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