Free on the App Store
Switchback for iPhone & iPad A cozy hiking sim about building a national park.
Lay the trails, build the camps and the viewpoints, and give every hikee the walk they came for. Then drop into first person and hike the whole thing yourself.
RollerCoaster Tycoon, except it is a national park.
You lay the trails, you build the camps and the viewpoints, you give the hikees the views — and they give you the money. There is no fail state and nothing catches fire. Then you walk the whole thing yourself.
Lay the trail
Switchbacks up the ridge, a boardwalk over the marsh, a bench where the view opens. Grade and distance are real numbers here, so a path that is too hard is a path nobody enjoys.
Every hikee has a plan
Each one arrives with an intent and an ability. A long punishing ridge with a payoff view. A family after the nearest waterfall and a night at camp. Somebody who is only here to fish.
Build the park
Camps, viewpoints, fishing spots and signs. Hire volunteers to build paths and pick up after the hikees who could not find a trashcan.
Ride along
Drop into first person and hike the park you just made, at ground level, at hiking speed. It is the honest test of a trail.
On iPhone and iPad
What to expectFree to download
Most parks open after one short ad you choose to watch, and a single purchase turns ads off everywhere. Biome packs, the Horses & Stables add-on and an optional tip are there if you want them.
iPhone and iPad
The same parks on both, built for touch. Connect a controller and it is picked up on its own — Xbox, PlayStation and Switch Pro pads all show their own button labels.
No account, plays offline
There is no sign-in. Your parks are saved on your device and never sent anywhere. A connection is only needed to load an ad or make a purchase.
A look around
Real parks, mid-build
Common questions
iPhone & iPadIs Switchback free on iPhone?
Yes, it is free to download from the App Store. Most parks open after one short ad you choose to watch, and a single purchase turns ads off everywhere. There are also biome packs and an optional tip.
Which iPhones and iPads does it run on?
Any iPhone or iPad on iOS or iPadOS 17 or later. On the App Store it is listed as Switchback: A Cozy Hiking Game.
Can I move my park to Android?
No. Parks are saved on your device, and purchases belong to the store you made them in, so the App Store and Google Play versions are kept separately.
On Android? Get it on Google Play. More about the game, the packs and the tutorial video on the Switchback page.
Get Switchback on the App Store
Search Switchback: A Cozy Hiking Game on the App Store, or tap through.
iPhone & iPad · free to download