Comparison

Splash vs DESERTOPIA

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

Head to head
About

Splash

Care for a vibrant ocean reef and collect hundreds of sea creatures. Discover new species, learn facts about marine life, and decorate your sanctuary. Participate in special events and connect with friends to build thriving underwater worlds.

Highlights
  • Collect and care for sea creatures
  • Learn marine life facts
  • Decorate your reef
  • Discover new species
  • Participate in special events
  • Connect with friends
Features
Read full description

Become the caretaker of a vibrant ocean reef! Collect and care for hundreds of lovable sea creatures in this relaxing game. Dive into a peaceful underwater world where every new discovery brings your reef to life. Meet an incredible variety of real-world marine species, beautifully designed to reflect how they look and behave in nature, and enjoy learning delightful facts about each new friend you welcome. A friendly turtle will be your guide as you hatch new species and nurture them to adulthood. Once they are fully grown, you'll release them to help restore balance to the wider ocean. Along the way, decorate your reef with vibrant coral and charming décor to create your own cozy sanctuary! GAME HIGHLIGHTS: * Relaxing Gameplay: Immerse yourself in a serene, visually stunning underwater world, teeming with life. * Hundreds of Ocean Species: Collect and nurture spectacular marine life, from vibrant angelfish and ethereal seadragons to majestic sharks, alongside other stunning species. * Decorate: Adorn your reef with a diverse array of beautiful coral and decorations that produce coins to help you grow your sanctuary. * Learn as You Play: Document your discoveries and learn fascinating real-world facts about every species in the Aquapedia. * Special Events: Join limited-time events to discover new species and exclusive decorations. There's always something new to collect! * Connect with Friends: Exchange gifts and help each other build thriving sanctuaries. If you love fish, collection, and calming, nature-inspired games, prepare to be captivated by the wonders of Splash. Splash is developed and published by Runaway. This game is free to play but does contain in-app purchases. If you run into any issues while playing or you have any suggestions, please reach out to us at support@runaway.zendesk.com

About

DESERTOPIA

Transform a barren desert island into a thriving habitat at your own pace. Care for the island, restore wildlife, and make choices that influence its development. Enjoy a therapeutic idle simulator with beautiful art and evolving music.

Highlights
  • Storybook-style art
  • 100+ animals and 25+ terrain types
  • Weather and water evaporation mechanics
  • Multi-layered, evolving music
  • Interactive events influencing island development
  • Collect trash to clean the environment
Features
Read full description

///// Achievements ///// ・2018 Tokyo Game Show | Official Selection ・2018 Kyoto BitSummit Vol.6 | Official Selection ・2018 Kyoto BitSummit Vol.6 | Indie Megabooth Selection ・2017 IMGA Global | Nominee ・2017 IMGA SEA | Nominee ・App Store Earth Day 2018, 2019, 2020 | Featured “A simple game with a deep meaning.” — INSIDE “Experience the role humans play in the ecosystem, and understand that we cannot take whatever we want from Mother Nature without repercussion. Learn how to cherish valuable resources.” — App Store Feature ///// Introduction ///// Desertopia is a relaxing and therapeutic idle simulator where you can spend just 5–10 minutes a day transforming a barren desert island into a vibrant, thriving habitat — all at your own pace. Your goal is to care for the island and help restore its wildlife. Occasionally, you’ll need to pick up floating trash to keep the environment clean. You’ll also make decisions about events triggered by human activity. Will you allow a tour group to visit the island? Should you build a resort? Every choice you make will directly influence how the island develops. ///// Features ///// ・Storybook-style art: Simply watching the animals roam the island can feel therapeutic on its own. ・100+ animals: Desertopia features over 100 unique creatures and 25+ terrain types. More than 15 legendary species may appear under special conditions — some only during festivals and holidays! ・Weather and water evaporation: Water evaporation is a unique gameplay mechanic. You’ll need to summon rain regularly to maintain livable conditions for your wildlife. If neglected, the island will gradually revert to a barren desert. ・Multi-layered music: Enjoy rich, evolving background music that shifts depending on the area and the animals inhabiting it. ・Events: Cruise ships bring visitors and special events to the island, each with both benefits and drawbacks. How your island evolves is entirely up to you. //////////////////// This game contains in-game offers to purchase digital goods or premium items with real-world currency (or with virtual coins and other in-game currencies purchasable using real-world money), where players do not know in advance which specific items they will receive (e.g., loot boxes, item packs, or mystery rewards). Terms of Use: https://gamtropy.com/term-of-use-en/ Privacy Policy: https://gamtropy.com/privacy-policy-en/ © 2017 Gamtropy Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.

Screenshots

Splash4 screens
DESERTOPIA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Splash at 78% against DESERTOPIA's 45%. Splash also leads on ratings volume (6.3K vs 287) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, ads, 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. Splash sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and DESERTOPIA sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Splash holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Splash has 6.3K ratings behind it against 287, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Splash's written reviews are positive against 45% of DESERTOPIA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Splash ships an update every 5 weeks, DESERTOPIA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Splash versus DESERTOPIA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSplashDESERTOPIA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.3K ratings) — better4.5 (287 ratings)
Positive reviews78.4% of reviews — better45.3% of reviews
Number of ratings6.3K — better287
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size597 MB218 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperRunawayGamtropy Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Splash

All ratings6,345 ratings
Positive93.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews644 reviews
Positive78.4%
Neutral9.5%
Negative12.1%

DESERTOPIA

All ratings287 ratings
Positive88.2%
Neutral5.2%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews170 reviews
Positive45.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative37.1%

User reviews

Splash

From 6.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game, amazing support
  • 🐠 Beautifully rendered fish and coral species
  • 🎓 Educational tidbits about marine life
  • 🎨 Visually gorgeous and immersive
  • 🕰️ Relaxing and addictive gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and loss of progress
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and difficulty obtaining rare items
  • 💰 Expensive upgrades and in-app purchases
  • 🐢 Annoying turtle character blocking interactions
  • 🐠 Aggressive/bullying new fish species

DESERTOPIA

From 287 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌳 Beautiful art style and relaxing atmosphere
  • 🌱 Environmentally-conscious themes
  • 👍 No ads or in-app purchases required to progress

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes preventing gameplay
  • 🤔 Unclear game mechanics and lack of instructions

Bugs and requests

Splash

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and inability to access account
  • Glitches with video ads and rewards
  • Missions/tasks disappearing
  • Clam/shell rewards not triggering properly

Requested features

7 requests
  • Voice narration for non-readers
  • Ability to view released fish in the ocean
  • More frequent events and new fish additions
  • Ability to call the turtle when needed
  • Option to hide disruptive characters
Show 2 more
  • Conversion of coins to Splashcash
  • Hire voice actors for characters

DESERTOPIA

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to exit tutorial or instructions screen
  • Disappearing wetlands and other lost progress
  • Compatibility issues on certain devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More in-depth tutorial and gameplay explanations
  • Ability to reset or restart progress
  • Faster ways to earn resources and unlock new areas

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Splash

One-time11
  • 50 Splashcash$1.99
  • Small Coin Pack$1.99
  • Event Pack 003$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Cuttlefish Rehire$3.99
  • 130 Splashcash$4.99
  • Max Coral Pack$4.99
  • Mini Event Pack 01$4.99
  • Cuttlefish Character$4.99
  • 275 Splashcash$9.99
  • Event Pack 001$9.99
  • 700 Splashcash$24.99
15 purchases

DESERTOPIA

Subscriptions1
  • Ad-Free Pass (30 Days)$19.991 Month
One-time14
  • Gem Pack I$0.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 1$1.99
  • Gem Pack II$4.99
Show 11 more
  • NewbiePack$4.99
  • Coral reef$4.99
  • Ad Ticket Pack 2$4.99
  • DNAPack001$4.99
  • Gem Pack III$9.99
  • Unlock Ancient Island$9.99
  • Cat Pack 1$9.99
  • (Limited) New Year Pass$9.99
  • (Limited) New Year Pack 3$9.99
  • Gem Pack IV$19.99
  • (Limited) New Year Pack 4$29.99

Questions

Is Splash free?
Splash is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DESERTOPIA free?
DESERTOPIA is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Splash or DESERTOPIA?
Splash is rated higher. Splash averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.3K ratings, while DESERTOPIA averages 4.5 from 287 ratings.
Do Splash or DESERTOPIA have ads?
Both Splash and DESERTOPIA show ads.
Which is updated more often, Splash or DESERTOPIA?
Splash ships an update every 5 weeks, and DESERTOPIA every 2 months. Most recently, Splash was updated on September 24, 2026 and DESERTOPIA on September 22, 2026.

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