Sisyphos vs Populus Run
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sisyphos
Experience the Sisyphean task of pushing a rock uphill. This game offers a unique, philosophical challenge that explores themes of futility and perseverance. It's a minimalist yet profound gaming experience.
- Push a rock uphill
- Philosophical gameplay
- Minimalist design
- Humility and ego destruction themes
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Sisyphos lets you experience the joy and pain of pushing a rock up a mountain. "A lesson in humility—a destruction of the human ego" - killscreensdaily.com "Utterly ridiculous ,utterly pointless and utterly brilliant" pocketgamer.com
Populus Run
Control a crowd of people in this unique running game. Dodge obstacles, battle quirky bosses, and discover hidden characters. Enjoy the full experience with a one-time purchase.
- Control a crowd of people
- Dodge giant fast food
- Slide down pipes
- Battle rapper bosses
- Hardcore mode
- Collect secret characters
- Original soundtrack
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Play the opening levels for free with no ads. Unlock the full game forever with a single in-app purchase. Populus Run is the unconventional running game where you control a crowd of people. • Dodge giant fast food • Slide down pipes like at a waterpark • Battle rapper bosses, including Macaron, Donut, and Burger • Test yourself in Hardcore mode • Collect all the secret characters who are hidden in the levels • Show your respect for the upbeat original soundtrack with its choral singing Populus Run was originally released exclusively on Apple Arcade. Now it's available on the App Store. If you've played the game before, your progress and achievements will be carried over.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Populus Run at 4.7 against Sisyphos's 4.2. Populus Run also leads on ratings volume (1.5K vs 371) and device support (5 vs 3). Sisyphos's advantage is review sentiment (82% vs 70%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Sisyphos sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Populus Run sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Populus Run holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 371 and 1.5K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 82% of Sisyphos's written reviews are positive against 70% of Populus Run's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Sisyphos ships an update every 2 months, Populus Run every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sisyphos | Populus Run |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (371 ratings) | 4.7 (1.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.7% of reviews — better | 69.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 371 | 1.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 82 MB | 523 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Florian Grolig | FIFTYTWO |
Customer experience
Sisyphos
Populus Run
User reviews
Sisyphos
From 371 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Captures the essence of the Sisyphus myth
- 🤔 Thought-provoking and meditative gameplay
- 🕰️ Satisfying to pass time
- 🧠 Helps with mental health and coping
Room to improve
- 🥱 Repetitive and monotonous
- 😩 Extremely frustrating and demoralizing
- 🤯 Rage-inducing at times
- 🤷♀️ Unclear purpose or objective
Populus Run
From 1.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Amazing game
- 👍 Great developers
- 👍 Fantastic music
- 👍 Relaxing and fun
- 👍 Colorful and visually appealing
Room to improve
- 💰 Paywall after first few levels
- 🐛 Occasional performance issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems on some devices
Bugs and requests
Sisyphos
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes or freezes
- Unresponsive controls
- Audio issues
Requested features
4 requests- Endless hill mode
- Character customization options
- Varied landscapes or biomes
- Progression system or achievements
Populus Run
Reported bugs
3 issues- Freezing on login screen
- Graphical glitches on certain devices
- Saved data not restoring properly
Requested features
4 requests- Make the full game free to play
- Add more levels and worlds
- Improve level selection UI
- Allow customization of controls
In-app purchases
Sisyphos
- A MODEST OFFERING2 variants$0.99
- A GENEROUS OFFERING$1.99
- A GENEROUS OFFERING$2.99
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- THE GODS ARE DELIGHTED$4.99
- THE GODS ARE DELIGHTED$5.99
Populus Run
- Full Game$3.99
