Comparison

Mini Metro vs Game Dev Tycoon

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

Head to head
About

Mini Metro

Design and manage a subway system for a growing city. Draw lines, start trains, and adapt your network as new stations open. Strategically use limited resources to keep the city moving and achieve the highest score.

Highlights
  • Design subway maps
  • Draw lines between stations
  • Manage train routes
  • Adapt to random city growth
  • Utilize limited resources
  • Over two dozen real-world cities
  • Variety of upgrades
Features
Read full description

Mini Metro, the sublime subway simulator, now on iPhone and iPad. • Included in the App Store Best of 2016 • Mac Game of the Year in over 30 countries • BAFTA-nominated • IGF award-winning • IGN Mobile Game of the Year nominee • Included in Gamespot's Best Mobile Games of 2016 Mini Metro is a game about designing a subway map for a growing city. Draw lines between stations and start your trains running. As new stations open, redraw your lines to keep them efficient. Decide where to use your limited resources. How long can you keep the city moving? • Random city growth means each game is unique. • Over two dozen of real-world cities to test your planning skills. • A variety of upgrades so you can tailor your network. • Normal mode for quick scored games, Endless to relax, or Extreme for the ultimate challenge. • Build your metro exactly how you want to with the Creative mode. • Compete against the world every day in the Daily Challenge. • Colorblind and night modes. • Responsive soundtrack created by your metro system, engineered by Disasterpeace. "If you love the city-planning aspect of Sim City but can't handle the pressure of playing god, then you may have just found your new favorite time-waster." - Ashley Feinberg, Gizmodo "Take my word for it that a game about mass-transit system design can be a tense, white-knuckle thriller." - Owen Faraday, Pocket Tactics "Mini Metro: fun game simulates planning and running public transit system." - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

About

Game Dev Tycoon

Build your own game development company from the 1980s to the present. Design and create your own games, research new technologies, and manage a team to become a market leader. Enjoy a full simulation experience without ads or in-app purchases.

Highlights
  • Start a game development company
  • Design and create your own games
  • Research new technologies
  • Hire and manage a development team
  • Replay gaming history
  • Built-in screen recording and streaming
Features
Read full description

"It’s the perfect sort of game for mobile devices and there’s so much to do here [...]" - 5/5 - Toucharcade Game Dev Tycoon is a casual business simulation game where your success depends on your creativity and willingness to experiment. The game does *not* contain any in-app purchases or ads. Slip into the role of a game developer: start your own company, design your own games and make your way to the top to become a Game Dev Tycoon. - Start your own game development company in the 80s - Replay gaming history - Design and create your own games - Hold your breath and wait for reviews to come in - Research new technologies - Hire and manage a world-leading development team - Become the leader of the market - Gain worldwide fans Game Dev Tycoon for iPhone and iPad introduces: - An updated story line - New topics to enable even more varied games - A challenging (but optional) ‘pirate mode’ - Built-in screen recording and streaming support Game Dev Tycoon does not require an internet connection so go ahead and build your gaming empire in Airplane Mode.

Screenshots

Mini Metro4 screens
Game Dev Tycoon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Mini Metro at $3.99 against Game Dev Tycoon's $4.99. Mini Metro also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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

Mini Metro costs $3.99 and Game Dev Tycoon $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Mini Metro against 4.9 for Game Dev Tycoon. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 31K and 24K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Mini Metro's written reviews are positive against 91% of Game Dev Tycoon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, Game Dev Tycoon every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 29, 2026.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Mini Metro versus Game Dev Tycoon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMini MetroGame Dev Tycoon
Price$3.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.9 (31K ratings)4.9 (24K ratings)
Positive reviews87.6% of reviews91.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31K — better24K
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#20 — better#51
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size179 MB204 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDinosaur Polo ClubGreenheart Games Pty. Ltd.

Customer experience

Mini Metro

All ratings31,463 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews588 reviews
Positive87.6%
Neutral4.4%
Negative8.0%

Game Dev Tycoon

All ratings24,004 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.6%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews1,109 reviews
Positive91.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative5.0%

User reviews

Mini Metro

From 31K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple and relaxing gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful minimalist design
  • ⏱️ Addictive and time-killing
  • 🌐 Wide variety of cities to play
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Trains skipping stations
  • 🤯 Overwhelming difficulty at times
  • 🔍 Lack of clear instructions
  • 🔀 Difficulty removing/rerouting lines
  • 🕰️ No ability to save progress

Game Dev Tycoon

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Cheap price
  • 👍 No in-app purchases or ads
  • 👍 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 👍 Realistic game development simulation
  • 👍 Detailed and complex mechanics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Game crashes on launch for some users
  • 🐛 Orientation issues on iPhone X
  • 🐛 Difficulty remembering research and specialist information
  • 🔋 Game can be very time-consuming
  • 🤔 Lack of difficulty options or sandbox mode

Bugs and requests

Mini Metro

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Leaderboard issues with daily challenges
  • Crashes and compatibility problems on certain devices
  • Unexpected behavior when trains skip stations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Undo/redo functionality
  • Ability to create branching lines
  • More detailed statistics and analytics
  • Additional game modes (e.g. career, scenarios)
  • Integration with real-world transit data

Game Dev Tycoon

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Loan payback amount inconsistency
  • Game reports not carrying over knowledge

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more console and game genre options
  • Implement employee personalities and interactions
  • Provide more detailed game performance history
  • Allow simultaneous game development
  • Add difficulty settings and sandbox mode
Show 1 more
  • Implement mod support and custom content

In-app purchases

None

Mini Metro

No in-app purchases

None

Game Dev Tycoon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Mini Metro free?
Mini Metro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Game Dev Tycoon free?
Game Dev Tycoon costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Mini Metro or Game Dev Tycoon?
Mini Metro and Game Dev Tycoon are both rated 4.9 out of 5 on the App Store, from 31K and 24K ratings respectively.
Do Mini Metro or Game Dev Tycoon have ads?
Neither Mini Metro nor Game Dev Tycoon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Mini Metro or Game Dev Tycoon?
Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, and Game Dev Tycoon every 3 months. Most recently, Mini Metro was updated on September 29, 2026 and Game Dev Tycoon on September 29, 2026.
Which is more popular, Mini Metro or Game Dev Tycoon?
Mini Metro currently peaks at #20 in the App Store charts, and Game Dev Tycoon at #51. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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