Comparison

Powder Toy vs Sandbox XL

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 2D physics simulation
  • Nearly 100 elements
  • Build complex machines
  • Simulate air pressure and heat
  • Create realistic terrains
  • Electronic components
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Sandbox XL4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard10 real differences · 0 level
Powder Toy versus Sandbox XL: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPowder ToySandbox XL
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (373 ratings)3.7 (53 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.5% of reviews60.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings373 — better53
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS5.1.1 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMarcin ChojnackiRaffaele Amuso

Customer experience

Powder Toy

All ratings345 ratings
Positive48.7%
Neutral9.0%
Negative42.3%
Written reviews271 reviews
Positive39.5%
Neutral9.6%
Negative50.9%

Sandbox XL

All ratings52 ratings
Positive69.2%
Neutral5.8%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive60.7%
Neutral10.7%
Negative28.6%

In-app purchases

None

Powder Toy

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Sandbox XL

One-time1
  • Remove ad$1.99

Questions

Is Powder Toy free?
Powder Toy costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sandbox XL free?
Sandbox XL is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Powder Toy or Sandbox XL?
Sandbox XL is rated higher. Powder Toy averages 3.0 out of 5 from 373 ratings, while Sandbox XL averages 3.7 from 53 ratings.
Do Powder Toy or Sandbox XL have ads?
Sandbox XL shows ads; Powder Toy does not.
Which is updated more often, Powder Toy or Sandbox XL?
Powder Toy ships an update every 6 weeks, and Sandbox XL every 3 weeks. Most recently, Powder Toy was updated on November 6, 2026 and Sandbox XL on November 2, 2026.

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