Reef Resort Tycoon: Island Resort Building Game for iPhone and Mac

Free for iPhone Duo launch
No adverts
No in-app purchases
Offline play

Old school, new look

Remember the tycoon games of the early 2000s?

If you ever lost a whole weekend to a PC tycoon game, you already know how this goes. Lay a path, build something, watch the guests roll in, fix whatever they're grumbling about, then build something bigger. Reef Resort Tycoon keeps that loop and puts it on a living 3D island, with a real day and night and a whole ocean to play with.

Optimised for iPhone Duo

Fold it, unfold it, keep playing.

Reef Resort Tycoon is a native game, built for each screen it runs on, and that includes the new foldable iPhone. Open your iPhone Duo in the middle of a busy afternoon and nothing stretches or jumps. The island stays exactly the same size, and you simply see more of it.

The lagoon quarter on the folded iPhone Duo's outer screen, with the phone's compact top bar and dock — **Closed**The outer screen plays like any iPhone, in landscape, with everything a thumb away.

The same lagoon quarter on the opened iPhone Duo, at the same scale, showing more of the island around it — **Opened out**Open it like a passport and it's the same island at the same scale, with a lot more of it. The dock gets its labels back and there's room to see the whole quarter you're working on.

The lagoon quarter on the opened iPhone Duo turned upright, with a layout for a tall screen — **Turned upright**Turn the open phone the tall way and the game turns with it, with a layout made for a tall screen.

Half foldedTurn it upright, fold it partway and stand it on the table like a tiny laptop. The island sits up top, the build menu and panels open on the bottom half, and nothing you need to tap sits on the fold.

These are the game itself, rendered at iPhone Duo's screen sizes. iPhone Duo support arrives with the iPhone version.

How it plays

Build the beach you'd want to be on.

You get an empty tropical island and one jetty. Where the paths go, what you build and who you build it for is all up to you. Your guests will let you know if you got it right.

Lay it out

Run a boardwalk along the sand, put up a row of red-roofed lodges, open a beach bar and push a pier out into the blue. Give it a day or two and the umbrellas start popping up.

The lagoon quarter in play: towers, pools and a beach, with the island adviser saying more guests wanted a room — Keep your guests happy
Backpackers, families, couples and the odd yacht owner all have their own idea of a perfect holiday. Your island adviser tells you exactly what they're missing, and every good review brings bigger spenders through the door.

The build shelf open on Rooms over the beach quarter, from a family cabin to an integrated resort — Unlock it tier by tier
There are more than a hundred buildings to work towards, from a humble family cabin all the way up to the Grand Resort. Win your guests over and the good stuff opens up: reef-view suites, a marina, a hotel for the yacht crowd and a monorail to tie it all together.

A marina inside two breakwaters, yachts tied up along the pontoons and more sailing in the bay — Head out on the water
Build a marina for the yachts, rent out jet skis and kayaks, run whale-watching cruises in season and send divers down to the old shipwreck. On an island, the sea is half the fun.

The finance card over the lagoon quarter, showing cash, the daily run rate and where the money comes from — Make the money work
Rooms, restaurants, shops, wages, diesel, the supply barge. You can see where every dollar comes from and where it goes, so you know exactly what you can afford to build next.

Your island, your rules

Play it your way.

Some people want a challenge. Some just want to build something beautiful and watch it come to life. Reef Resort Tycoon is made for both. Pick your island, from gentle Lagoon Cay to wild Storm Rock, take a look around it before you land, and come back later to beat your best.

Build something beautiful

Pick Casual for plenty of flat land, sunny weather and money in the bank. Plant palm groves and flower beds, light the paths, draw your own pool, then zoom right in and watch your guests enjoy it.

Chase five stars

Start small and earn every unlock through your guests' reviews. Experienced and Expert give you hillier, wilder islands, more storms and a lot less room for mistakes.

Spend someone else's money

Sign on as a Tycoon and you get a cheque for up to ten million dollars and every building unlocked from day one. The catch? Read the contract. Your investors want guests and profit, and they've set a deadline.

Or just sit back and watch

Planes land, ferries come and go, buggies buzz round the golf course and the sun sets over the water. A busy island is a genuinely lovely thing to leave running.

One island, every screen

Start it on your Mac. Carry on from the sofa.

Your islands go where you go. Lay out a new marina on the Mac, then pick up your iPhone later and the yachts are already tied up. Saves sync through your own iCloud account, so there's nothing to sign up for and nothing to copy across.

Picks up where you left off

Come back to the game and it looks for a newer save from your other device. If you played on further somewhere else, it carries straight on from there and tells you so.

No clashes, no lost work

Every save slot keeps its newest version, so if you've been building one island on the Mac and another on your phone, you keep both.

Still plays offline

The game never needs a connection. Play on a plane, and your progress syncs the next time you're online.

Syncing needs iOS 26 or macOS 26 and iCloud. On earlier versions your islands stay on the device you play on.

Around the island

Take a tour of Coconut Grove.

Here's the same island from the air. Every corner of it was built by hand, and everything you see moving is actually on its way somewhere.

The airportA runway on the north cape, a terminal, a lounge and a helipad for scenic flights. Four planes a day bring in fresh guests.

Up to the lookoutA trail winds up past the wind turbines to a timber lookout with the best view on the island.

The golf courseDesign every hole yourself: tees, fairways, bunkers, ponds and greens. The fly-in crowd can't get enough of it.

Light Show pathsAfter dark the paving lights up in moving colour. Worth building just to watch.

The marinaTwo breakwaters, pontoons full of yachts, and a bay that's never quiet.

The wreck of HMS PetrelEvery island has a wreck waiting offshore. Open a dive shop and the boats will run divers out to explore her.

The Palm Court jettySixty rooms round a courtyard, a beach full of umbrellas, a lifeguard on watch and a jetty out into the shallows.

A pool of your ownDraw your own shape, curves and all, then add a swim-up bar, a water slide and cabanas round the edge.

Buggies on the moveStaff ride golf buggies to work in the morning, and guests can hire them to get around.

Room to grow

When the island gets big.

A few cabins and a beach bar is only the start. Keep your guests happy for long enough and the island turns into a proper destination, with a skyline, a train and crowds of its own.

The Grand Resort

The very top of the ladder. Start with the lobby, then snap on up to six bronze-glass towers in a crescent round a lake with its own waterfall and lap pool, plus private villas by the sea. After dark the towers put on a light show.

A monorail

Build stations, drag the beam between them or round in a loop, and the trains run to a timetable. Guests pay a fare to get across the island faster, and some ride a lap just for the view.

Build into the hills

Run a raised walkway out over a dip, up to three storeys off the ground, and lay a path right underneath it. Level a patch of land with one drag, or let a building stand on steel legs where the slope falls away.

A town of its own

Lay a cobbled Old Town Lane and line it with shops and cafés. Guests slow down to stroll it, and the shops along it do a brisker trade. The Grand Resort gets its own polished marble promenade.

Crowds bring their own trouble

Past about three hundred guests, pickpockets start working the busy paths, so you'll want a police station. Swimmers want somewhere to change, and a ferry load of guests wants a shady deck to wait on.

Rooms worth the price

Tap a hotel and its card opens on a live close-up of the building. What guests will pay for a room depends on your whole island: the things to do, the gardens, your rating and how busy the season is.

Behind the scenes

As deep as you want it.

Under the sand and the sunshine, the whole island actually runs. Power, water, supplies, staff and weather are all simulated, and any of them can go wrong at the worst possible moment.

Power and water

Start with diesel generators, then move up to wind, solar and batteries. Sink a bore, then build a desalination plant. Run short and the lights go out on your best-paying guests.

Everything comes by boat

The supply barge brings the day's food, drink and diesel every morning, and every bag of rubbish goes back out the same way. A heatwave, a cruise ship or a cyclone on the way means ordering extra in time, because a storm keeps the barge in port.

Look after your staff

Cleaners, chefs, lifeguards and maintenance crews need somewhere to live and something to do on their time off. Keep them happy, or they stop turning up.

Proper tropical weather

There's a wet season, a dry season, and the odd cyclone heading your way. Rain sends guests indoors, a storm empties the paths, and on a scorching day the bars can't pour fast enough.

Surprises, good and bad

A container washes overboard. A generator blows. A film crew wants your beach for the week. You make the call, and the clock is ticking.

A friendly adviser

Not sure what to do next? Your island adviser always has a suggestion, and it's a different one on day two than on day two hundred.

After dark

And then the sun goes down.

The pools glow, the bars fill up and the path lights flicker on. Some evenings it's hard to do anything but watch.

The beach quarter at dusk, long shadows on the sand and the pier lights just on — Dusk on the beach

The lagoon quarter at night, towers and pools lit up along the water — Night at the lagoon

What you can build

More than a hundred things to build.

Rooms, restaurants, shops, things to do, and everything that keeps the lights on. Here's a taste:

Places to stay

Family Cabin
Beachside Lodge
Palm Court Lodge
Holiday Villa
Reef View Resort
Apartment Tower
Yacht Club Hotel
Integrated Resort
The Grand Resort

Eat, drink, shop

Beach Bar
The Fish Shack
Sandbar Pizzeria
Patisserie Bleu
The Jetty Tavern
Moonrise Nightclub
Saltwater Boutique
Coral Coast Distillery

Out on the water

Marina
Coral Dive Centre
Wreck Explorers
Whale Watching Cruise
Blue Water Game Fishing
Jet Ski Hire
Kayak & Snorkel Hire
Lagoon Pool

Getting guests there

Ferry Terminal
Ferry Waiting Deck
Island Airport
Private Jet Hangar
Helicopter Tours
Cruise Agency
Monorail
Buggy Rental Store

Keeping the lights on

Diesel Generator
Wind Turbine
Solar Array
Big Battery
Desalination Plant
Undersea Cable Station
Supply Barge Dock
Waste Treatment Plant

Days out

Day Spa
Fitness Club
Centre Court
Castaway Mini Golf
Starlight Cinema
Neon Reef Arcade
Island Wildlife Encounter
Lookout

Plus staff housing, a medical clinic, a police station, change rooms, lifeguard towers, gardens, path lights, 33 achievements, and one secret that's well worth hunting for.

Free. Really.

Start building your island.

No ads, no in-app purchases, no account and no catch. Download it, turn off the wifi if you like, and get building. We never see a thing.

Free on Mac now, for macOS 14 or later. Coming soon to iPhone and iPhone Duo.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What is Reef Resort Tycoon?

Reef Resort Tycoon is an island resort tycoon game for iPhone and Mac. You start with an empty tropical island and a single jetty, and build it into a resort: paths, rooms, restaurants, shops, things to do, and the power, water and supplies that keep it all running. Your guests rate their stay, and good reviews unlock what you can build next.

Is Reef Resort Tycoon free?

Yes, completely free. No ads, no in-app purchases, no subscription and no account. Just the game.

Which devices does it run on?

Mac now, and iPhone soon, including the new iPhone Duo. The Mac version needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later and is built for the Mac, not a phone app on a big screen. On iPhone it plays in landscape. On iPhone Duo it plays on both screens, turns upright with the phone when it's open, and when you stand it half folded like a laptop it puts the island above the fold and the controls below it.

Is Reef Resort Tycoon out yet?

It is out now on the Mac App Store, free, for macOS 14 Sonoma or later. The iPhone version is coming soon, with iPhone Duo support from day one.

Can I play the same island on my iPhone and my Mac?

Yes, once the iPhone version is out. On iOS 26 and macOS 26 your islands sync through your own iCloud account, so you can start on one and carry on on the other. Each save slot keeps its newest version, so nothing you've built is overwritten by an older copy. There's no account to create: it uses the Apple ID you're already signed in with.

Does it support iPhone Duo?

Yes. Reef Resort Tycoon is built for iPhone Duo's folding screens. Open the phone mid-game and the island keeps its size while you see more of it. Open, it also plays upright, and stood half folded like a laptop it puts the island on the top half and the controls on the bottom. iPhone Duo support arrives with the iPhone version.

Does it work offline?

Yes, completely. The game never needs an internet connection. If you're signed in to iCloud on iOS 26 or macOS 26, your saves also sync between your devices whenever you're online.

What games is it like?

It's a modern take on the PC tycoon games of the early 2000s, like RollerCoaster Tycoon, Zoo Tycoon and Tropico. If you loved building something up and watching people enjoy it, you'll feel right at home. The big difference is how much of the island is simulated: every guest, every staff member, the power grid, the water supply, the weather and the supply barge.

Can I just build, without the pressure?

Yes. Casual gives you plenty of flat land, mostly sunny weather and a healthy bank balance, so you can focus on making the island beautiful. If you'd rather have every building unlocked from day one, play as a Tycoon (just keep an eye on your investors' targets and deadline).

How do you unlock new buildings?

By winning your guests over. Your resort has a rating out of 1,000, based on what guests think of the satisfaction, scenery, cleanliness, service and variety. Higher ratings open up better buildings and bring in bigger spenders: standard guests from 200, luxury from 550 and VIP from 750.

What's the biggest thing you can build?

The Grand Resort, which opens up once your rating passes 850. You build it in pieces: a lobby first, then up to six bronze-glass towers in a crescent round a lake with a waterfall and a lap pool, and private villas by the sea. It can hold hundreds of guests, so the rest of the island has to keep up with it.

Is it hard to learn?

Not at all. A 12-step guide walks you through your first resort, and the island adviser always has a suggestion for what to do next. When you want more of a challenge, step up from Casual to Experienced or Expert.

Who makes Reef Resort Tycoon?

Reef Resort Tycoon is made by Callum Coe, an independent developer. Support and press enquiries go to support@reefresorttycoon.com.

Support

Need a hand?

Found a bug, lost a save, or have an idea? Email

support@reefresorttycoon.com

It helps to include your iPhone or Mac model, the iOS or macOS version, and what you were doing when it happened.

On iOS 26 and macOS 26, your islands are also kept in your own iCloud account, which is how they reach your other devices. On earlier versions they are saved only on the device you play on, and deleting the app deletes them.

We collect nothing.

Reef Resort Tycoon does not collect any personal information.

There is no account, no sign-in, no analytics, no advertising and no tracking.
Your saved games are stored on your device. On iOS 26 and macOS 26, if you're signed in to iCloud, they are also synced through your own iCloud account so they can reach your other devices. That is Apple's service, tied to your Apple ID, and we can't see your saves.
Apart from that iCloud sync, the app makes no network connections and sends nothing to us or to anyone else.

If this ever changes, this policy will be updated before the app that changes it is released.

Last updated 5 October 2026.