Comparison

The Sandbox Evolution vs Little Alchemy 2

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

Head to head
About

The Sandbox Evolution

Create and destroy 8-bit worlds with a vast array of elements and physics. Design intricate landscapes, add life, introduce technology, and even compose music. Share your creations and play games made by others.

Highlights
  • Build 8-bit 2D pixel worlds
  • Over 170 elements with unique interactions
  • Add life with AI characters and foliage
  • Introduce technology and destructive elements
  • Create pixel art and compose music
  • Share and browse user-created worlds
  • Design custom game levels
Read full description

Build or destroy your own universe out of 8-bit blocks! Play the #1-pixel world creation game & build anything you can imagine! There are no limits to your creativity. Craft or destroy amazing worlds with your godly touch in The Sandbox Evolution, the #1 pixel art world creation game. Build anything you can dream up with advanced physics, over 500 elements and fully controllable heroes. In The Sandbox Evolution, worlds are up to 10x bigger. Create rich pixel worlds complete with ambient life, traps, platforms and enemies. You can even make your own pixel art! THE SANDBOX EVOLUTION FEATURES: CREATE YOUR WORLD PIXEL AFTER PIXEL! - Build 8-bit 2D pixel worlds up to 10x bigger than the previous Sandbox - Start from scratch or use predefined templates - Mix & match over 170 elements to discover their unique interactions - Manipulate Mud, Water, Sand, Fire, Metal, Electricity, Acid, Lava & more - Craft wonders like the Parthenon & Giza Pyramid - Control Heroes with different skillsets to shoot, fly & more ADD LIFE & BUILD YOUR WORLD - Bring life to your worlds with Dogs, Bears, Cows, Sabertooth Tigers & more - Spread foliage & numerous tree varieties to bring beauty to your new world - Decorate Houses, Castles & Igloos - Make dynamic life with AI Humans - Turn your world into Zombie Apocalypse if you want INTRODUCE TECHNOLOGY - Add tech like Batteries, Crosswires, Resistance, Bulbs, Heaters, Coolers, LEDs & Sensors - Destroy everything you can with C4, Meteorites, Nitro & TNT CREATE ART - Draw retro style pixel art using 100 colors - Compose your own chiptune songs BROWSE THE GALLERY & SHARE ONLINE - Share your worlds with other players - Search worlds by keyword or tags (pixel art, music, arcade & more) - Filter & find the Newest or Hottest creations - Rate & bookmark your favorite levels - Follow your favorite creators THE GAME MAKER YOU WANTED - Start with ready-to-use 4x4 pixel blocks then add platforms, traps & enemies - Create your own levels with Controllable Heroes, Platforms, Blocks, Spikes & more - Create PAC-MAN mazes - Make your own 8bit pixel platformer or infinite runner game. Add a hero & BOOM! You’ve made your very own game in less than a minute :) CAMPAIGNS & DAILY QUESTS - Experience the creation of the universe through a full campaign of 13 levels - Explore & fight with the Caveman to recover his child in the Caveman Campaign - Dash to victory in the Runner Campaign & try to get #1 on the leaderboards - Learn how to draw pixel art like a real artist in the zen drawing Pixel Art Campaign - New Daily Quests, pulled from the best player creations. Challenge the best in the world, or build your levels for a chance to be featured JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF 745,000 FANS! - Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/thesandboxgame - Like us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/thesandboxgame SUBSCRIPTION PRICING Get access to exclusive Create Modes, Stories and Element with our monthly subscription! - Sandbox Premium: 1 month recurring subscription for $4,99 (USD). The prices is for customers in the United States. Pricing in other countries may vary and charges will be converted to the local currency depending on the country of residence. Payment will be charged to your account after confirmation of purchase. The subscription is renewed unless your turn it off 24 hours before the end of the current period. Users can manage their subscription and auto-renewal by checking the user’s account settings after the purchase in the App Store. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active subscription period. More info: https://support.apple.com/HT207865 Privacy Policy: https://thesandbox.helpshift.com/a/the-sandbox-2/?s=legal-terms&f=privacy-policy Terms of use: https://thesandbox.helpshift.com/a/the-sandbox-2/?s=legal-terms&f=terms-of-use&l=en

About

Little Alchemy 2

Combine elements to create new items and discover the world. This crafting game offers a vast library of discoverable items with unique descriptions and a vibrant art style. Explore your progress through an in-game encyclopedia.

Highlights
  • Combine elements to create new items
  • Discover a vast library of items
  • Vibrant art style
  • Original soundtrack
  • In-game encyclopedia
  • Explore item connections
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Little Alchemy, the crafting game enjoyed by millions of players around the world, is back with more items, cool new art style and lovely music! Mix items and create the world from scratch! Discover exciting items accompanied by funny descriptions and lose yourself exploring the huge, new library! Little Alchemy 2 features: A new library with completely redesigned item connections. Vibrant art style. Original soundtrack. An in-game encyclopedia with cool item descriptions and a convenient way to explore your progress. What are you waiting for? The entire world must be discovered!

Screenshots

The Sandbox Evolution4 screens
Little Alchemy 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Little Alchemy 2 at 4.6 against The Sandbox Evolution's 3.8. Little Alchemy 2 also leads on review sentiment (77% vs 40%) and chart position (#158 vs unranked). The Sandbox Evolution's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. The Sandbox Evolution sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Little Alchemy 2 sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Little Alchemy 2 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.6K and 11K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of The Sandbox Evolution's written reviews are positive against 77% of Little Alchemy 2's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Sandbox Evolution ships an update every 2 weeks, Little Alchemy 2 every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
The Sandbox Evolution versus Little Alchemy 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Sandbox EvolutionLittle Alchemy 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (9.6K ratings)4.6 (11K ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.4% of reviews76.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.6K11K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#158 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size248 MB62 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPIXOWL INC.Jakub Koziol

Customer experience

The Sandbox Evolution

All ratings9,599 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral7.1%
Negative24.2%
Written reviews1,580 reviews
Positive40.4%
Neutral11.2%
Negative48.4%

Little Alchemy 2

All ratings11,322 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral3.0%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews580 reviews
Positive76.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative14.1%

User reviews

The Sandbox Evolution

From 9.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and creative
  • 👍 Endless possibilities
  • 💡 Custom character creation

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Premium content locked behind paywall
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 💰 Expensive premium subscription

Little Alchemy 2

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game
  • 🤩 Fun and addictive
  • 💡 Clever combinations
  • 🎨 Nice designs
  • 🧠 Educational and challenging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Progress resets/disappears
  • 🔍 Difficult to find items in large list
  • 💰 Myths and Monsters pack too expensive
  • 🤔 Gets repetitive/boring over time

Bugs and requests

The Sandbox Evolution

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to save custom elements
  • Premium content not unlocking properly
  • Glitches with water and hazards
  • Crashes on startup or level load

Requested features

6 requests
  • More free content and elements
  • Improved stability and performance
  • Larger level sizes
  • Custom animation tools
  • Multiplayer functionality
Show 1 more
  • More enemy and boss variety

Little Alchemy 2

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Progress resets randomly
  • Purchased content disappears
  • Scrolling issues
  • Certain combinations not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more items and combinations
  • Improve hint system
  • Add ability to save/restore progress
  • Organize items into categories
  • Add more fantasy/creative elements

In-app purchases

10 purchases

The Sandbox Evolution

Subscriptions1
  • Premium Monthly Subscription$4.991 Month
One-time9
  • Basic Elements Pack$0.99
  • Ecstasy Pack$1.99
  • Bag of Mana$1.99
Show 6 more
  • All Campaigns Pack$2.99
  • All Disasters Pack$2.99
  • Zombie Pack$2.99
  • Inner Self Pack$4.99
  • All Elements Pack$9.99
  • All Mana Elements Pack$9.99
4 purchases

Little Alchemy 2

One-time4
  • Bundle of 2 Research Points$0.99
  • Bundle of 8 Research Points$2.99
  • Myths and Monsters$2.99
Show 1 more
  • Bundle of 16 Research Points$4.99

Questions

Is The Sandbox Evolution free?
The Sandbox Evolution is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Little Alchemy 2 free?
Little Alchemy 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Sandbox Evolution or Little Alchemy 2?
Little Alchemy 2 is rated higher. The Sandbox Evolution averages 3.8 out of 5 from 9.6K ratings, while Little Alchemy 2 averages 4.6 from 11K ratings.
Do The Sandbox Evolution or Little Alchemy 2 have ads?
Little Alchemy 2 shows ads; The Sandbox Evolution does not.
Which is updated more often, The Sandbox Evolution or Little Alchemy 2?
The Sandbox Evolution ships an update every 2 weeks, and Little Alchemy 2 every 4 months. Most recently, The Sandbox Evolution was updated on October 27, 2026 and Little Alchemy 2 on October 28, 2026.

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