Comparison

Downwell vs Dead Cells

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Downwell

Venture into a dangerous well with special gun boots to collect gems and battle creatures. Discover shops for upgrades and uncover hidden riches in this procedurally generated action game. Each descent offers a unique challenge.

Highlights
  • Gun boots for combat and descent control
  • Procedurally generated levels
  • Shop for items and upgrades
  • Unique weapons and items
  • Simple, responsive three-button controls
Features
Read full description

Downwell is a curious game about a young boy venturing down a well in search of untold treasures with only his Gunboots to protect him. Make your way further and further down into the darkness filled with nasty creatures and mysterious secrets to collect the spectacular red gems scattered about the rocks. Step into precariously placed shops and buy some helpful items or level up between levels to battle well-dwelling monsters and uncover hidden caves filled with riches and relics. No two trips down the well are ever the same! Simple, Responsive Controls - Designed for mobile from the ground up, Downwell is presented with intuitive and elegant controls that allow for action-packed gameplay using just three buttons. The Amazing Gunboots - The fashionable and lethal Gunboots allow players to unleash a torrent of firepower on the nasty creatures dwelling in the well and slow your decent with each shot. Unique Weapons & Items - Get different weapons, shop for peculiar items and obtain powerful upgrades that all stack and affect the way you play! A New Adventure Every Time - Each level in Downwell is procedurally generated, so no two trips down the well are ever the same providing a fresh new adventure each time! Music by Eirik Suhrke. Sound Design by Joonas Turner.

About

Dead Cells

Explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle as a failed alchemic experiment. Master frantic 2D combat with a variety of weapons and skills against dangerous foes. Death is not the end; learn from each attempt to progress through this roguevania action platformer.

Highlights
  • Roguevania exploration
  • Frantic 2D action combat
  • Nonlinear progression
  • Permadeath with learning
  • Unlockable weapons and skills
  • DLC content packs
Read full description

Death is not the end. Play as a failed alchemic experiment and explore the sprawling, ever-changing castle to find out what happened on this gloomy island…! That is, assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers. Dead Cells is a roguevania action platformer that will require you to master frantic 2D combat with a wide variety of weapons and skills against merciless minions and boss. Kill. Die. Learn. Repeat. First available on PC and consoles, the indie hit Dead Cells is now slaying foes on mobile! Main Features • Roguevania: The progressive exploration of an interconnected world, with the replayability of a rogue-lite and the adrenaline-pumping threat of permadeath • Frantic and Dynamic 2D Action: Learn your enemies’ patterns to stay alive, or prepare to be sent back to your cell before you can say “baguette” • Nonlinear Progression: Unlock new levels with every death, opt for the path that suits your current build, your playstyle or just your mood. Surely, the ramparts can’t be as bad as the sewers, right? • Play at your own pace: Will you explore every nook and cranny of the castle, or rush to the end? *Latest updates are available: Clean Cut & The End is Near* RETURN TO CASTLEVANIA DLC Time for some vampire slaying • New storyline - overcome the Ruler of Darkness alongside Alucard and Richter Belmont, • 2 new biomes - Explore Dracula's Castle and its outskirts • 9 new monsters - Werewolves, haunted armors, and medusas are waiting for you • 14 new weapons - wield the Vampire Killer or the Holy Water to defeat creatures of the night, • 3 new bosses - go fangs to fangs against Death and Dracula himself • 20 new outfits - dress as your favorite Castlevania characters such as Simon and Richter Belmont or Alucard • Alternative soundtracks - play along 51 Castlevania original tracks and 12 tunes reimagined in the style of Dead Cells THE BAD SEED DLC You reap what you sow • New levels to lose your head in the not-so-peaceful Dilapidated Arboretum and the noxious Morass of the Banished • New monsters to rip to pieces: get to know the locals, such as the Jerkshroom and the Yeeter • New weapons to play with: trim sticking-out heads with the Scythe Claw, or make them dance to the sound of the Rhythm n' Bouzouki • New boss to fight against: Mama Tick is dying to meet you FATAL FALLS DLC Ready for a leap of faith? • 3 new biomes - Get some fresh air at the Fractured Shrines, splash around at the Undying Shores and take a picture at the Mausoleum • 8 new monsters - The Cold Blooded Guardians and their friends would love to teach you about their culture. ... Wait, aren't those relatives of yours in the Undying Shores...? • 7 new weapons - Lil' Serenade is perfect for breaking the ice with the locals, although the Snake Fangs would make for a perfect souvenir... • 1 new boss - The Scarecrow is very proud of his gardening skills and won't hesitate to show off QUEEN AND THE SEA DLC Take it to the sea! • 2 new biomes - Battle your way through a rotten shipwreck, or scale a burning lighthouse and confront your deadliest foe yet. • 9 new weapons, including a throwable shark, a trident and a pirate hook hand (eyepatch not included). • 2 new bosses - Don't lose your head before you meet the Queen! This DLC also gives you the usual extras: - A not-so-cute pet. - Loads of new outfits. - New enemies to bash. WARNING: Devices with less than 2 Gb of RAM may not be able to run this content correctly. We recommend not to take this DLC if your device is under 2gb of RAM. Carefully redesigned for mobile with a revamped interface • Two game modes available: Original & Auto-Hit • Custom controls & More touch controls options available: Change the buttons’ position and size to your liking, swipe to dodge… • MFi external controller support • No ads, no F2P mechanics! If you run into a problem, please contact us at support@playdigious.mail.helpshift.com with as much information as possible on the issue.

Screenshots

Downwell4 screens
Dead Cells4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Downwell at none against Dead Cells's 4. Downwell also leads on price ($2.99 vs $8.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Dead Cells's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (12K vs 1.8K). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Downwell costs $2.99 and Dead Cells $8.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Downwell asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Downwell against 4.8 for Dead Cells. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dead Cells has 12K ratings behind it against 1.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Downwell's written reviews are positive against 89% of Dead Cells's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Downwell ships an update every 9 months, Dead Cells every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Downwell versus Dead Cells: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDownwellDead Cells
Price$2.99 — better$8.99
Rating4.7 (1.8K ratings)4.8 (12K ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.6% of reviews88.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K12K — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#49#5 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB1.8 GB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperDevolver Digital, Inc.Playdigious

Customer experience

Downwell

All ratings1,753 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews373 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral8.0%
Negative12.3%

Dead Cells

All ratings12,164 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,780 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.9%

User reviews

Downwell

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Excellent retro visuals
  • 🎶 Great chiptune soundtrack
  • 👍 Addictive and challenging
  • 💰 Good value for money

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes when switching apps
  • 🔇 No option to mute sound effects
  • 👆 Controls can be obstructed by fingers
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly

Dead Cells

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 👍 Excellent controls
  • 💎 High-quality graphics
  • 🎮 Great controller support
  • 🔥 Addictive and challenging

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Audio glitches and bugs
  • 🤔 Lack of custom mode
  • 📱 Finicky touch controls
  • 🔇 No background music support

Bugs and requests

Downwell

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Game freezes on iPhone 6s
  • Performance issues on older iPads

Requested features

4 requests
  • Horizontal/landscape mode
  • Ability to save progress
  • More level/game mode variety
  • Customizable controls

Dead Cells

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Saves not compatible across platforms
  • Texture and graphical issues on some devices
  • Persistent memory leaks causing performance drops

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Chinese language support
  • Implement cross-save functionality
  • Introduce online multiplayer mode
  • Optimize for older devices

In-app purchases

None

Downwell

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Dead Cells

One-time4
  • The Bad Seed$3.99
  • Fatal Falls$3.99
  • The Queen and the Sea$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Return to Castlevania$6.99

Questions

Is Downwell free?
Downwell costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dead Cells free?
Dead Cells costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Downwell or Dead Cells?
Dead Cells is rated higher. Downwell averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Dead Cells averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.
Do Downwell or Dead Cells have ads?
Neither Downwell nor Dead Cells shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Downwell or Dead Cells?
Downwell ships an update every 9 months, and Dead Cells every 5 weeks. Most recently, Downwell was updated on September 23, 2026 and Dead Cells on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, Downwell or Dead Cells?
Downwell currently peaks at #49 in the App Store charts, and Dead Cells at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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