# A Dark Room — user reviews > 1,397 indexed App Store user reviews of A Dark Room by Amirali Rajan, rated 4.80/5 from 2,655 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-dark-room/id736683061/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/a-dark-room/id736683061.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 2,391 · 4★ 116 · 3★ 37 · 2★ 27 · 1★ 84 ## Newest reviews (20 of 1,397) ### 4/5 — Loved it! However, *2026-08-27, version 18.2* I was super enjoying the game, and had finally figured out how to play it. then I accidentally hit the button to take the action that ends the game, and there was no undo. I know this game is like old enough to be in middle school at this point, but i’d really have appreciated a confirmation screen there, and it would have been appropriate to the story to have it there. After ~550 minutes of play, just because of fat fingering, I ended the story on less than ideal circumstances. I also just was not ready to say goodbye to it 😭 beautiful game but I am taking off a star for that. Highly recommended however! ### 2/5 — love, but *2026-06-01, version 18.2* bring back the old UI as an option please ### 5/5 — Phenomenal. Great value. *2026-05-31, version 18.2* Loved the story, the gameplay, and the surprise of never knowing what’s coming next. Extremely enjoyable. Playing the “pre sequel” next. ### 5/5 — Annoyingly entertaining *2026-05-30, version 18.2* Basic. Annoying. Addicting. 10/10 recommend ### 4/5 — 2026了，給個中文版吧 *2026-05-21, version 18.2* 需要中文翻譯 ### 5/5 — Spooky *2026-05-19, version 18.2* Always a fun play. Had a hard time remembering the name of this one. One of my og favs. ### 4/5 — Definitely worth it *2026-05-06, version 18.2* Pretty good, world building was solid, animations or characters though for entering new locations or fighting people that was pretty lame other than that would recommend. ### 5/5 — How to live a good life? *2026-04-24, version 18.2* Reminds me of Parable of the Sower. And of the simple joy of taking a care of a friend. And the horrors of this world. ### 4/5 — This is a really good game but I have encountered an issue. *2026-04-20, version 18.2* Firstly, I want to say that I love how accessible this game is as I am blind and use VoiceOver. The sound design in this game is great. I have never played a text adventure that has simply sound effects. Some are silent, some are accompanied by music, but A Dark Room has only sound which I enjoy. However, I have encountered an issue. When fighting, I sometimes receive updates like ‘fists ready’ for example. When I look, I see 100% written next to fists which means that fists are ready. However, when I tap on it, the game gives me another update telling me that it is not ready. Please could this be sorted? Thank you. ### 5/5 — Superb game *2026-04-17, version 18.2* Top-notch design & story telling on display here. The game employs simple controls to start and integrates more elements to culminate in fascinating gameplay. Master class, absolutely. ### 5/5 — Truly one of a kind *2026-04-09, version 18.2* This games story telling is unique and capturing. It’s individuality shines through on a level I haven’t been able to see in any other game in the over decade this has been out. I played this game as a browser game as a kid and it became a core memory. It showed me the power of words, minimalism, and imagination. This is more than a game, you have made art in a way no one else will ever recreate. Thank you ### 2/5 — Too different from desktop *2026-04-05, version 18.2* Not only that but you’re forced to be evil. Even the “good” route is evil. Don’t bother, play on a browser in “Request Desktop Mode” ### 5/5 — Amazing *2026-04-03, version 18.2* It’s incredible how effectively this story is told through a deceptively simple interface. Highly recommend everybody to play this. ### 5/5 — Fire *2026-03-07, version 18.2* Redownloaded this one from a while back. Forgot how good it is ### 4/5 — Good game *2026-03-02, version 18.2* I wish there were a way to collaborate with the villagers rather than overtake them, but I get that’s one of the points of the game. Surprisingly addicting ### 5/5 — 1 for a reason *2026-03-01, version 18.2* This is by far my favorite idle game. The depth of it is so good and so is the storyline. The game runs smoothly and the sounds make it almost scary, but that makes it good. This game is one of the best that you can play and I highly recommend you do. It is worth the money. ### 5/5 — An amazing game *2026-03-01, version 18.2* I played this game in 2016 while I was in highschool in the computer room. I loved it then but I never completed it until now. I saw it was on the App Store and I was ecstatic!!! It’s such a great adventure and I loved the way it was designed and set before you. It leaves a lot to your imagination and I had such a fun time playing. I dearly hope to see more! ### 5/5 — Great game! *2026-02-28, version 18.2* One of the best games I’ve ever played. It’s so fun and easy, and suitable for everyone! ### 5/5 — Unforgettable *2026-02-27, version 18.2* Never would I have thought that a game using only text could illicit such emotion. The wanderer’s relationship with the builder is one of tragedy, or of love and sacrifice, depending on how we choose to play. The simplistic layout betrays its deeply complex gameplay loop. In an age of AAA $75 games, this game will always endure as a must have experience. 10/10, would, and have, played again! ### 5/5 — One of my fav repeat games! *2026-02-24, version 18.2* I’ve been playing this game on and off for several years now, and this is the first time I played it on mobile. And I only started playing it on mobile, because I saw that you guys had a prequel called The Ensign. So I’m writing this review after I finished playing The Ensign, and only have one note to make. For other players: I highly recommend playing through both games first, before listening to any of the dev commentary. 😂 I know you’re warned about it in the commentary itself, and it doesn’t really give the story away per se, but you do miss some of surprising elements in the game. Otherwise, I really enjoyed that there were more story elements to the mobile version of this game as opposed to the website version. The website version has a slightly different variety of challenges, like the different rooms on the Starship (I think that was what it’s called?), so I was hoping to see how that integrated into the story, but I guess it doesn’t, since the mobile version doesn’t have it. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Waste an evening in someone else’s moral experiment *2026-01-11, version 18.2* A Dark Room is less a game and more a blunt philosophical experiment. It hides its mechanics, offers almost no fine-grained control, and forces players into major moral consequences through opaque, all-or-nothing systems. What frustrated me most is that it gives you almost no ability to practice nuance. You can’t reassign labor, reprioritize systems, or gently tune anything. When something goes wrong, it doesn’t teach you… it just escalates, often with heavy moral weight. It feels like being trapped inside someone else’s thought experiment rather than being invited to build your own. I don’t mind difficult themes. I mind when a game removes agency and then lectures me about the lack of it. I wanted to build something humane, but the game doesn’t really let you do that with intention, it only lets you discover, through blunt force, what happens when systems go bad. That may be powerful for some players. For me, it wasn’t satisfying.. it was irritating. I don’t want to be trapped in a machine to learn empathy. I want tools to practice care, not just witness its failure. Interesting idea. Not my love language. ### 1/5 — Engaging then tedious then impossible *2026-01-05, version 18.2* played through once building the huts and while fairly repetitive the story felt like it was going somewhere. ending was bit disappointing but thought playing again without huts was quite interesting. Unfortunately if you try this way it becomes tedious and impossible. Using VoiceOver the map is ridiculously confusing and makes reaching destinations for the alloy basically undoable ### 1/5 — New update *2025-02-12, version 18.2* Huge downgrade with the latest ‘update’ :-( I love this series so much but I really can’t play the game as it is. Please please please add an option to switch UI back to previous update. ### 1/5 — Why!? *2024-09-30, version 18.2* They’ve ruined the game with the update, used to love this but it’s garbage to play now…deleting the app… ### 1/5 — Incredibly disappointing GUI compared to web version *2024-09-24, version 18.2* Coming from the web version, this GUI is horrendous, inconsistent and hard to navigate. Obviously a lazy job without any care and attention paid to the UI and UX (why is “stoke fire” bar different than the others? Why do the bars load in opposite direction than in the web version?). I’ll continue playing the web version and really don’t recommend this one. ### 1/5 — new UX is awful *2024-07-08, version 18.2* genuinely what was the purpose of the clean minimalistic aesthetic to this new nonsense? ### 1/5 — Update (please read) *2024-04-26, version 16.7* While this game was originally a fun game, and an enjoyable thing to play when you are waiting, or just bored. Now, with the update, the UI is horrible, the lighting is garbage even with full brightness. The controls are more annoying, are far less easier to use. The newest update ruined a lot of the game. I used to enjoy this game, but now I think I’ll just stick to the free web version. ### 1/5 — Terrible update *2024-04-26, version 16.7* I was enjoying this game so much, and then I got the new update mid game, which was already terrible to have your game change like that when you had learned the gameplay, but then the new interface is terrible. All the constant blinking from the supplies updating make me so anxious that I’m struggling to try to play it. In the end, very unhappy to pay for this. ### 1/5 — Latest update ruined it *2024-04-25, version 16.7* Excellent original game and it was a really good port to mobile. Unfortunately, the last update which wanted to improve or change strings ended up making the game worse. And obviously, the decision of UI and removed portrait mode can not be chosen by the players anymore. Feels like a lazy port from the Steam version for people who didn’t ask for it at all. Shame… ### 1/5 — Experimental e chato. *2023-11-30, version 8.5* Tentei de verdade gostar desse jogo… e nem acho que ele seja de todo ruim. Mas definitivamente não vale o preço cobrado. Muito de sua fama, creio eu, vem do experimentalismo minimalista dele, e do fato de ter sido um jogo gratuito de desktop na década passada. Como jogo gratuito de desktop, concordo que foi uma “experiência”. Mas, depois de uma década, como jogo pago… não dá… Para quem tem curiosidade de ver como é (aliás, acho que curiosidade é o único drive plausível pra pagar por esse jogo), recomendo que procure na web a versão gratuita de desktop. Apesar do hype que teve, esse jogo não ficará na história. Existem experimentalismos bem mais interessantes e bem feitos. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — One of the best mobile games ever *2026-09-01, version 18.2* Honestly this is one of the BEST mobile games I’ve ever played. It scratches every itch. No pay to win. No ads. Just straight up great gameplay. Thank you to the team. ### 5/5 — Exactly what I was looking for *2026-08-25, version 18.2* Great game, great idea, playable multiple times. It’ll suck you in ### 5/5 — Still an incredible indie game *2026-08-21, version 18.2* I played this game years ago, potentially a decade ago, and I just stumbled upon it randomly again. What a simple, beautifully deep game. Just played it again. ### 5/5 — Admirable *and* enjoyable *2026-08-10, version 18.2* It's a rare combination - something so smart, novel and well crafted that it impresses you tremendously, but also somehow manages to draw you in and engage your imagination completely. Holds your attention for hours at a stretch and sticks in your mind for days. What an accomplishment. ### 5/5 — I honestly expected less *2026-08-09, version 18.2* Really wonderful game, thank you ### 5/5 — Great ending *2026-07-24, version 18.2* Thru the entire gameplay i enjoyed every minute of it games like this definitely deserves all the hype and support the ending really got me tho as you leave you leave behind the first person to help it then it resets and you do it all over again ### 5/5 — I can totally recommend it! *2026-07-17, version 18.2* Try it yourself. Trust me. ### 5/5 — 👍👍 *2026-07-10, version 18.2* Sadece yazıdan ibaret deyip geçmeyin gerçekten başarılı ve eğlenceli bir oyun denemenizi kesinlikle tavsiye ederim. ### 5/5 — Damn *2026-07-08, version 18.2* It wasn’t clear to me first what our main goal is, but as time went on i started to realise the story and its meaning. Great game with even greater story. ### 5/5 — Wow *2026-06-18, version 18.2* Wow. Like just interesting and wow with the minimalist story nice text atmosphere --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-09.*