Comparison

Orbit vs The Long Descent

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

Head to head
About

Orbit

Features
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Your solar system isn't going to explore itself. Orbit is a chill idle merge tycoon where things keep growing while you're off living your life. Tap to spawn glowing orbs, drag-select a satisfying cluster, and merge them into rarer, brighter combinations. Passive income trickles in. You reinvest. You upgrade. And when you've milked a world dry, you prestige. Prestige wipes the board, locks in a permanent income multiplier, and launches you to the next planet. From the eerie void of Deep Space, past a scorching Sun, through rocky inner planets, all the way out to the cold blue edge of Neptune. Ten worlds, each with its own palette, particles, and vibe. A one-time Remove Ads purchase is available, but rewarded boosts always stay opt-in. Designed end-to-end for iOS 26. Made in Norway by OLIKAB

About

The Long Descent

Embark on an idle deep-sea adventure, piloting an exploration probe to uncover the mystery of a silent ocean. Harvest energy, discover unique species, and upgrade your vessel as you descend through increasingly challenging zones. Enjoy offline progress and optional purchases to support development.

Highlights
  • Idle deep-sea exploration
  • Harvest energy and upgrade ship
  • Discover and catalogue species
  • Skippable reflex minigame
  • Offline progress
  • Fully painted world
Features
Read full description

The ocean went silent. You're being sent down to find out why. The Long Descent is an idle deep-sea odyssey: pilot the last exploration probe, harvest energy from the dark, and descend through 31 hand-written zones — from the sunlit shallows to places the sea itself doesn't talk about, and past them into a deep with no floor. DESCEND — Every zone multiplies your output and deepens the story. Your pressure hull must be re-certified at each boundary: reinforce the ship, watch it visibly armor up, and push past the wall. DISCOVER — Catalogue 93 painted deep-sea species, each with its own lore and passive bonus. Rare editions (Shiny → Abyssal) make every sighting a roll of the dice. DIVE — A skippable reflex minigame: steer by headlamp through painted mines and jellyfish for an energy burst. The deeper you go, the dimmer your light. REFIT — Surface, trade your depth for Cores, and descend again — permanently stronger. ◆ Fully painted world: ship, creatures, machines, story vistas ◆ Offline progress — your drones keep working while you're away ◆ Plays in minutes-a-day sips or long hauls; no energy timers on gameplay ◆ No forced ads, ever — every ad is a button you choose to press, and it pays you for pressing it ◆ No account, no server — your save lives on your device ◆ Analytics are opt-in, anonymous, and off until you say otherwise ◆ Optional Pearl bundles support development — the weekly featured bundle carries real bonus Pearls, and there are no fake sales here The road on the seabed is paved, straight, and older than the coastlines above. Who built a road down here? Descend and find out.

Screenshots

Orbit4 screens
The Long Descent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: The Long Descent at 15.0 against Orbit's 26.0. 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. Orbit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and The Long Descent sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Orbit versus The Long Descent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOrbitThe Long Descent
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (38 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—73.3% of reviews
Number of ratings—38 — better
Update frequency—Every 9 days
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size9 MB42 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperOliver KabicekShai Ankori

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Orbit

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
10 purchases

The Long Descent

One-time10
  • Aurora Hull$1.99
  • Deep Start$2.99
  • Remove Ads$3.99
Show 7 more
  • Abyssal Engine$4.99
  • Pressure Vault Crack$4.99
  • Premium Season Track$4.99
  • Deep Permit$9.99
  • Pressure Vault Crack II$9.99
  • 1,200 Pearls (+240 bonus)$9.99
  • Pressure Vault Crack III$19.99

Questions

Is Orbit free?
Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Long Descent free?
The Long Descent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Orbit or The Long Descent have ads?
Both Orbit and The Long Descent show ads.

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