Hay Day vs Journey

How do Hay Day and Journey compare on difficulty, ad pressure, in-app-purchase pressure and what real reviewers say? A side-by-side look, grounded in App Store data.

	Hay Day	Journey
Genre	Family	Family
Price	Free	Paid
Difficulty	easy	medium
Ad intensity	low	none
In-app-purchase pressure	medium	none
Typical session	variable	long
Rating	4.7 / 5	4.2 / 5
Ratings count	647,285	768
Reviews say	What players like Long-term engagement (players report 9-10+ years) Creative freedom and farm customization Frequent meaningful updates Common complaints App crashes and won't load (especially iPad) Account theft/security issues not resolved by support Accidental diamond purchases too easy	What players like Emotionally resonant storytelling with lasting impact Stunning visuals and Grammy-nominated musical score Peaceful, relaxing atmosphere with profound artistic experience Common complaints Poor iOS optimization with frequent lag and freezing on some devices Limited camera control with forced angles in some sections Slow character movement and difficult controls make navigation frustrating

Hay Day — Build and decorate your dream farm, trade with neighbors, and grow your tycoon empire through crops, animals, and crafting. (rated easy difficulty, low ad pressure) Journey — A breathtaking artistic journey through vast deserts with stunning visuals and Grammy-nominated music that moves players emotionally. (rated medium difficulty, none ad pressure)

Data: Apple App Store, as of 2026-08-24. Last updated 2026-08-24.