SimpleCities vs That Life
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SimpleCities
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Build a city. Keep it running. SimpleCities brings classic city simulation to iPhone with a native, touch-first interface. Start with open land, build roads and power, zone new neighborhoods, balance the budget, and watch your city grow one decision at a time. Every city develops differently. Residents need homes, businesses need customers, industry needs workers, and everything depends on power and transportation. As the population grows, you will face traffic, pollution, crime, fires, blackouts, and increasing demand for public services. Features: • Build residential, commercial, and industrial districts • Draw roads, rails, and power lines directly with your finger • Manage taxes and funding for roads, police, and fire protection • Track traffic, pollution, crime, land value, growth, and city services • Respond to fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, monsters, and other disasters • Play eight classic city emergency scenarios • Inspect your city with detailed data maps and reports • Pause or adjust the simulation speed at any time • Save multiple versions of your city and restore earlier progress • Import and export compatible classic city files • Choose from several visual themes, including the original classic style • Learn the game with a complete Field Guide for new mayors SimpleCities is easy to start and difficult to master. A healthy city needs more than roads and buildings. It needs planning, patience, and a mayor who can survive the annual budget.
That Life
An East Coast-inspired pixel-art RPG where you build your character and make a name for yourself in a sprawling city. Explore districts, take on jobs, customize your style, and decide whether to join a crew or go solo.
- Pixel-art city exploration
- Character customization
- Jobs and reputation system
- Crew or solo gameplay
- Vehicle and property ownership
- In-game phone with apps
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That Life is an East Coast-inspired pixel-art street-life RPG set in fictional Bellmore City and County. Create your character and decide how you will make a name for yourself. Explore five city districts and the County, take on story jobs and repeatable work, build your reputation, customize your style, collect rides, buy property, and join a crew or run solo. MAKE YOUR OWN LIFE • Explore shops, traffic, neighborhoods, homes, businesses, and local characters. • Customize hairstyles, clothing, accessories, and your home. • Follow story objectives or earn through clean work, crafting, property, and other in-game activities. • Use your phone for maps, guides, jobs, collections, records, and city updates. • Continue your local campaign without an account. TAKE A COUNTY BREAK • Play 1–18 holes at Stonegate against a golf opponent, with par-3/4/5 holes, clubs, wind, shot cameras, scorecards, and saved continuation. • Compare completed 9- and 18-hole golf scores by difficulty, birdies, race wins, catches, deliveries, and other solo activity records on optional leaderboards. • Harvest and explore Hollow Run Farm & Trail, then deliver produce back in the city. FACE LIVE RIVALS • Choose Classic Duel or nine new real-time modes: Hot Block, Double Cross, Hot Package, Last Clip, Ride or Die, Block Hustle, Last Delivery, Corner Store Clash, and Blend In. • Compete in crew objectives, courier races, shop competition, and hide-and-seek with equal match equipment and clearly labeled AI practice. • Challenge mutual friends and compare mode wins, with human-only and AI/mixed records kept separate. KEEP THE CITY MOVING • Return to City War for persistent AI rivals, Trap Raid and Block Hold operations, five city fronts, Set competition, and a separate County Line wildcard. • Connect optionally through The Wire for mutual-friend messages, private groups, clan chat, and house visits. Reporting, blocking, and profile deletion are available. Online features require an internet connection. • Experience Jail Life with work, training, commissary, contacts, and reentry goals. That Life is fictional entertainment. All locations and characters are fictional. In-game money, products, businesses, crimes, and events have no real-world cash value.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SimpleCities at none against That Life's 1. SimpleCities also leads on ads (none vs shown). That Life's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 3 days). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. That Life sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SimpleCities asks for nothing beyond the download.
SimpleCities ships an update every 3 days, That Life daily. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SimpleCities | That Life |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 85.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 6 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Ktisis Web, LLC | Kirk Dickey |
In-app purchases
SimpleCities
No in-app purchases
That Life
- Remove Ads Forever$4.99








