Mini Metro

4.02
Healthy
Price: $0.99
Ads: No
In App Purchases: No

iOS App Store
Google Play App Store

Temporal Dark PatternsTemporal Dark Patterns

This game has 2 reported Temporal Dark Patterns. There are 48 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

4.36

2 votes
5 votes
Infinite Treadmill -
2 / 5 votes
Impossible to win or complete the game.

8 votes
Playing by Appointment -
0 / 8 votes
Being forced to play according to the game's schedule instead of yours.

6 votes
Daily Rewards -
0 / 6 votes
Encourages return visits every day and punishes you for missing a day.

7 votes
Grinding -
0 / 7 votes
Being required to perform repetitive and tedious tasks to advance.

7 votes
Advertisements -
0 / 7 votes
Forced to watch ads or given rewards for watching ads.

8 votes
Can't Pause or Save -
0 / 8 votes
The game does not allow you to stop playing whenever you want.

7 votes
Wait To Play -
0 / 7 votes
In-game timers that make you arbitrarily wait for something.

Monetary Dark PatternsMonetary Dark Patterns

This game has 0 reported Monetary Dark Patterns. There are 77 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

5

7 votes
Premium Currency -
0 / 7 votes
Exchange rate between real money and in-game currency disguises the real price of items.

7 votes
Pay to Win -
0 / 7 votes
A player can spend real money to purchase something that gives them an advantage in the game.

7 votes
Artificial Scarcity -
0 / 7 votes
Limited time offers with unnecessary urgency.

7 votes
Pay to Skip -
0 / 7 votes
Spend money to avoid waiting for a timer to expire.

7 votes
Accidental Purchases -
0 / 7 votes
Making it easy to accidentally spend money with no confirmation or ability to undo or refund the action.

7 votes
Recurring Fee -
0 / 7 votes
Encourages players to play as much as possible to get their money's worth.

7 votes
Gambling / Loot Boxes -
0 / 7 votes
Spending real money to play a game of chance for a reward.

7 votes
Power Creep -
0 / 7 votes
A permanently purchased item in the game becomes less valuable over time.

7 votes
Pay Wall -
0 / 7 votes
The game becomes impossible to continue playing without payment.

7 votes
Waste Aversion -
0 / 7 votes
Capped inventory forces you to destroy items or upgrade inventory. Also, having small amounts of left over premium currency.

7 votes
Anchoring Tricks -
0 / 7 votes
Placing a cheap item next to an expensive item to make it look more affordable.

Social Dark PatternsSocial Dark Patterns

This game has 2 reported Social Dark Patterns. There are 47 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

4.35

2 votes
5 votes
Competition -
2 / 5 votes
The game makes you compete against other players.

7 votes
Social Pyramid Scheme -
0 / 7 votes
You get a bonus for inviting your friends and then they have to invite their friends.

7 votes
Social Obligation / Guilds -
0 / 7 votes
To avoid letting down your friends, you are obligated to play when you don't want to.

7 votes
Friend Spam / Impersonation -
0 / 7 votes
The game sends spam to your contact list or social media account.

7 votes
Reciprocity -
0 / 7 votes
Feeling obligated to return a favor, share resources, trade an item, etc.

7 votes
Encourages Anti-Social Behavior -
0 / 7 votes
The game incentivizes players to lie, cheat, or backstab other players to get ahead.

7 votes
Fear of Missing Out -
0 / 7 votes
If you stop playing you'll miss out on something or be left behind and unable to catch up.

Psychological Dark PatternsPsychological Dark Patterns

This game has 5 reported Psychological Dark Patterns. There are 42 votes indicating the absence of a dark pattern.

3.33

4 votes
1 votes
Badges / Endowed Progress -
4 / 1 votes
Reluctancy to abandon a partially completed goal, even one forced upon the player.

1 votes
6 votes
Invested / Endowed Value -
1 / 6 votes
Having already spent time and money to improve your status in the game, it's difficult to throw it away.

7 votes
Complete the Collection -
0 / 7 votes
The urge to collect all the items, achievements or secrets in a game.

7 votes
Illusion of Control -
0 / 7 votes
The game cheats or hides information to make you think you're better than you actually are.

7 votes
Variable Rewards -
0 / 7 votes
Unpredictable or random rewards are more addictive than a predictable schedule.

7 votes
Aesthetic Manipulations -
0 / 7 votes
Trick questions or toying with emotions or our subconscious desires.

7 votes
Optimism and Frequency Biases -
0 / 7 votes
Overestimating the frequency of something because we’ve seen it recently or memorably.

App Store Ratings

iOS:  (5.00) with 17,933 votes.
Google Play:  (4.79) with 20,759 votes.



Recent Dark Pattern Reviews

Infinite Treadmill reported on May 25, 2023
Okay, by definition, each level is never-ending. The "game over" condition for Normal and Extreme mode is that your train system gets over-loaded. Honestly, the endlessness is part of the appeal: even after you "lose" a level, the game gives you the option to continue playing in Easy or Creative mode (neither of which have "game over" conditions — you just play until you don't feel like it).
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on May 25, 2023
Each level has two challenges associated with it. The first challenge is a low bar, and unlocks further levels once complete. The second challenge is usually much more difficult, and unlocks the Extreme mode for that level. Honestly, the additional challenges add some interesting structure to an endless-style game.
Competition reported on May 25, 2023
Strictly speaking, there is a leaderboard feature. It is unobtrusive (you have to click on an icon to view the board) and it has absolutely no effect on the game whatsoever.
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on Sep 7, 2022
Each level has two achievements you can try and get. Honestly, this makes the game more fun because it is a way to challenge yourself and works against the Infinite Treadmill effect.
Competition reported on Sep 7, 2022
There is a leaderboard of high-scorers.
Invested / Endowed Value reported on Jan 11, 2022
DP: [Local scores] Players have scores for all maps of their best plays. I consider this pattern to be healthy use.
Badges / Endowed Progress reported on Jan 11, 2022
DP: [Achievements] Players can obtain achievements for all maps, and is required to unlock Extreme mode. I consider this to be slightly unhealthy use.


Report a Dark Pattern

Screenshot Mini Metro, the sublime subway simulator, now on Android. No ads or in-app purchases.

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.
Twenty real-world cities will 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 all-new 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 city-planning ... 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

Please note that Mini Metro is incompatible with some Bluetooth headphones. If you do not hear audio, please try disconnecting your headphones and restarting the game.