Powder Toy vs Sandbox XL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Powder Toy
Explore a 2D physics sandbox where you can build, create, and interact with nearly 100 different elements. Simulate complex systems, from atomic power plants to custom CPUs, by combining various materials, liquids, gases, and electronic components.
- 2D physics simulation
- Nearly 100 elements
- Build complex machines
- Simulate air pressure and heat
- Create realistic terrains
- Electronic components
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I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH CREATORS OF THE ORIGINAL THE POWDER TOY The game is based on The Powder Toy opensource project, which is available for free on your Mac or PC, complete GPL 3-covered source code of the port, as well as binaries are available for free on CannonballStudio@GitHub iPad port of the most popular 2D physics sandbox is out! Build, create, play, draw, interact with almost 100 different elements, and do whatever you want using your fingertips! Have you ever wanted to blow something up? Or maybe you always dreamt of operating an atomic power plant? Do you have a will to develop your own CPU? Powder Toy lets you to do all of these, and even more! Powder Toy is a physics sandbox game, which simulates air pressure and velocity, heat, gravity and a countless number of interactions between different substances! The game provides you with various building materials, liquids, gases and electronic components which can be used to construct complex machines, guns, bombs, realistic terrains and almost anything else.
Sandbox XL
Engage in a fun, physics-based sandbox game where you can interact with numerous elements like water, magma, and fire. Simulate natural phenomena to create volcanoes, lakes, and geysers, and enjoy experimenting with the laws of nature.
- Physics-based sandbox gameplay
- Interact with water, magma, acid, sand, fire, gunpowder, oil, wood
- Create volcanoes, lakes, seas, geysers
- Simulate physical phenomena
- Experiment with nature's laws
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Have fun with Sandbox XL an addictive physics-based sandbox style game. You can interact with various elements such as water, magma, acid, sand, fire, gunpowder, oil, wood and more. Create volcanoes, lakes, seas, geysers by simulating physical phenomena and enjoying yourself with the nature's laws.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Sandbox XL at Free against Powder Toy's $1.99. Sandbox XL also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.0) and review sentiment (61% vs 39%). Powder Toy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown).
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Sandbox XL is free to download; Powder Toy costs $1.99 up front. Sandbox XL sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Powder Toy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sandbox XL holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Powder Toy has 373 ratings behind it against 53, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Powder Toy's written reviews are positive against 61% of Sandbox XL's.
Powder Toy ships an update every 6 weeks, Sandbox XL every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Powder Toy | Sandbox XL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.0 (373 ratings) | 3.7 (53 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.5% of reviews | 60.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 373 — better | 53 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 5.1.1 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Marcin Chojnacki | Raffaele Amuso |
Customer experience
Powder Toy
Sandbox XL
In-app purchases
Powder Toy
No in-app purchases
Sandbox XL
- Remove ad$1.99
Questions
Is Powder Toy free?
Is Sandbox XL free?
Which has better reviews, Powder Toy or Sandbox XL?
Do Powder Toy or Sandbox XL have ads?
Which is updated more often, Powder Toy or Sandbox XL?
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