Comparison

Hard Time vs The Wanderer

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

Head to head
About

Hard Time

Simulate life as an inmate in a challenging prison environment. Manage your health, mental state, and attributes while interacting with other inmates and guards. Earn money, improve your skills, and try to survive.

Highlights
  • Create and customize inmate
  • Survive in a prison with 12 areas
  • Manage health and mental state
  • Improve character attributes (Strength, Agility, Intellect, Reputation)
  • Earn money through work or trade
  • Interact with 100+ inmates and civilians
  • Navigate prison laws and wardens
Features
Read full description

Create your own inmate and attempt to survive in a prison where every sentence is a "death" sentence! Rub shoulders with up to 100 fellow inmates in a sprawling facility of 12 unique areas, each filled with fully interactive furniture and props. Plus a life beyond the gates populated by real civilians, with wardens enforcing dozens of different laws to keep you as far away from it as possible. Each day, you will find your health and mental state slipping away. Both can be restored by sleeping - which is also a good way to pass time. You won't always be permitted to sleep, though, so consuming food and drink bridges the gap. These, along with many other activities such as reading or watching TV, can also help to improve your mental state. If you "lose your mind" you will temporarily lose control of your character - and will almost certainly get into trouble! Your character also has a set of attributes that you are challenged to improve: - STRENGTH indicates how much damage you can inflict or absorb. You can improve it by fighting or lifting weights. - AGILITY determines how fast you move. You can improve it by jogging in the yard or scoring baskets. - INTELLECT reflects your knowledge - including fighting skills such as counters. You can improve it by reading books. - REPUTATION is how much other prisoners respect you. It can be improved by accomplishing tasks or intimidating others. There are also opportunities to earn money - whether you work for it with a broom, trade items at a profit, or run with a gang. Having money increases your opportunities to grease the wheels and make your life inside easier. You may find that you need to go to the toilet from time to time, in which case you must race to the bathroom! Alternatively, you could find a toilet to sit on or grab some toilet paper to spare your blushes. Failing to do so will damage your reputation and mental state. I regret that there is more to this game than I could ever explain here, so I hope you enjoy figuring some things out for yourself! Upgrade to "VIP" to enjoy the full experience without ads - plus access to the editor that allows you to customize your character and every other. BASIC CONTROLS: (*Look out for tutorials within the actual game) A = Attack (on its own to kick, with a direction to punch) G = Grapple / Throw weapon R = Run P = Pick-Up / Drop T = Taunt (interact with handheld props) OTHER CONTROLS - Press ATTACK and RUN together to launch a powerful attack. - Press any button with any direction (or none) in a grapple to trigger different moves. - Press RUN and PICK-UP together to set fire to a small object (which can then be used to set fire to a large object). - Touch the clock to pause the game and bring up options to exit. - Touch any speech bubble to speed through conversations. PERFORMANCE - If you find your device struggles to display lots of characters, considering keeping the "Population" option low. - "Speed Up Frame Rate" sleeping will require good performance at the default frame rate. - Head to the "Display" options to tone down other features.

About

The Wanderer

Explore a post-apocalyptic wasteland, scavenge for supplies, and battle enemies in this Fallout-inspired RPG. Customize your character, upgrade stats, and find a companion to survive the harsh environment. Features include randomized maps, various locations to explore, and selectable difficulty levels for high replayability.

Highlights
  • Post-apocalyptic RPG survival
  • Character customization
  • Upgradeable stats and items
  • Randomized map and locations
  • Companion system
  • Difficulty selection
  • Camper van traversal
Features
Read full description

Wander the harsh wasteland as one of the last remaining survivors searching for supplies and battling any unwanted visitors in this Fallout inspired pocket based post-apocalyptic RPG survival game. FREE TO PLAY ON MOBILE Pixel quality gaming on your phone with customizable characters and upgradeable stats and items. Experience the thrill of this Fallout inspired action/adventure game with no forced adverts and no pay wall, now on your phone for easy on-the-go fun. VARIOUS LOCATIONS Traverse through different towns that have unique places to search from random houses -> medical shops -> police stations, all with lots of places to search for supplies. RANDOMISED MAP With each playthrough, the map changes and locations scatter to give a different playthrough as you plan for expeditions. FIND YOUR FELLOW COMPANION Be on the lookout for a beloved pet that could help you gather supplies or help fend off attackers. Level their stats up and have a powerful companion. DIFFICULTY SELECTION & REPLAYABILITY With a selection of difficulties to customise, the player can manually choose how hard they want their experience to be. This will add to the replayability and will allow players to try out different playthroughs that can really change up how events turn out. TRAVERSING THE MAP Find all new parts to build the broken down camper van and be able to travel across the wasteland faster along with extra storage space. Get out of radiated areas quicker and be able to head back to your campsite before you become mutated. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST Use skill and strategy to battle any unwanted attackers and be rewarded with their loot which will help you survive longer in this harsh wasteland. CHOICE AND COMPLEXITY While exploring the player will have the chance to engage with various interactions that can affect your karma as well as trade supplies with another fellow survivor. Have what it takes to survive the wasteland? Download The Wanderer now! _________________________________________________________ NOTE: We welcome any feedback during your experience to improve the game. To give feedback, in-game go to > Options > Discord or use this link https://discord.gg/97av7Nf _________________________________________________________ Visit the Wiki for tips and detailed information - https://the-wanderer-game.fandom.com/wiki/The_Wanderer _________________________________________________________ Please note this app contains social features that allow you to compete for the high scores in the leaderboards and push notifications to inform you when free supplies are ready to be given. You can choose whether or not to utilize these features. CREDIT Music track - Zachfitzgeraldmusic.com TERMS OF USE https://www.jamiepparish.com/terms-of-use PRIVACY POLICY https://www.jamiepparish.com/privacy-policy

Screenshots

Hard Time4 screens
The Wanderer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: The Wanderer at 4.6 against Hard Time's 4.0. The Wanderer also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (44K vs 4.3K). Hard Time's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Hard Time sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and The Wanderer sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

The Wanderer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Wanderer has 44K ratings behind it against 4.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Hard Time's written reviews are positive against 80% of The Wanderer's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hard Time ships an update every 3 months, The Wanderer weekly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Hard Time versus The Wanderer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHard TimeThe Wanderer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4.3K ratings)4.6 (44K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews79.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.3K44K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB429 MB
Age rating+174+
DeveloperMDickie LimitedJamie Parish

Customer experience

Hard Time

All ratings4,305 ratings
Positive74.7%
Neutral6.2%
Negative19.0%
Written reviews454 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral10.1%
Negative19.2%

The Wanderer

All ratings43,658 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral5.0%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews2,296 reviews
Positive79.9%
Neutral7.8%
Negative12.3%

User reviews

Hard Time

From 4.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Unique prison simulation experience
  • 😊 Nostalgic and memorable
  • 🎮 Great mobile game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🤖 Annoying AI behavior
  • 💰 Monetization issues
  • 🕰️ Repetitive and grindy

The Wanderer

From 44K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun way to kill some time
  • 👍 Very fun game
  • 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 👍 Interesting style
  • 👍 Relaxing and low key

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and glitches
  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 🐛 Laggy performance
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 💰 Excessive ads and monetization

Bugs and requests

Hard Time

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes after ads
  • Inconsistent character controls
  • Unrealistic physics and damage
  • Inability to complete certain tasks

Requested features

6 requests
  • Online multiplayer mode
  • Expanded map and exploration
  • More customization options
  • Improved warden/police functionality
  • Additional game modes
Show 1 more
  • Localization to other languages

The Wanderer

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inventory and storage issues
  • Disappearing vehicle parts
  • Incorrect or missing information display
  • Inconsistent difficulty scaling
  • Progression-blocking bugs

Requested features

11 requests
  • More maps and locations to explore
  • Ability to move camp and settle in new areas
  • More enemy and faction variety
  • Craftable weapons and gear
  • Cooking and food preparation options
Show 6 more
  • Companion system with different pet types
  • Multiplayer or co-op functionality
  • Endgame content and boss encounters
  • Landscape mode support
  • Customization options for character and camp
  • Better UI and information display

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Hard Time

One-time1
  • VIP Upgrade$2.99
17 purchases

The Wanderer

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Access Content$4.991 Month
One-time16
  • 1000 Bottle Caps$1.99
  • WEAPON CRATE$2.99
  • UNLOCK VAN$2.99
Show 13 more
  • 1 Token$2.99
  • 6 Survivor Tokens$4.99
  • STARTER PACK$4.99
  • Material Scavenger$5.49
  • 5 Tokens$5.99
  • 5000 Bottle Caps$5.99
  • Remove Ad Banners/Billboards$5.99
  • Maximum Bag Upgrade$6.99
  • 10000 Bottle Caps$7.99
  • A Wanderers Crate$7.99
  • Van Warranty$9.99
  • Van Warranty$11.99
  • Ultimate Wanderer Crate$12.99

Questions

Is Hard Time free?
Hard Time is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is The Wanderer free?
The Wanderer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hard Time or The Wanderer?
The Wanderer is rated higher. Hard Time averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4.3K ratings, while The Wanderer averages 4.6 from 44K ratings.
Do Hard Time or The Wanderer have ads?
The Wanderer shows ads; Hard Time does not.
Which is updated more often, Hard Time or The Wanderer?
Hard Time ships an update every 3 months, and The Wanderer weekly. Most recently, Hard Time was updated on November 1, 2026 and The Wanderer on November 1, 2026.

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