# Rust Bucket vs Despot's Game

The clearest difference is rating: Rust Bucket at 4.0 against Despot's Game's 3.4. Rust Bucket also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 36%). Despot's Game's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Rust Bucket sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Despot's Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Rust Bucket holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 179 and 119 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Rust Bucket's written reviews are positive against 36% of Despot's Game's.

Rust Bucket ships an update every 6 weeks, Despot's Game monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Rust Bucket | Despot's Game |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.0 (179 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rust-bucket/id1040158406/reviews)** | [3.4 (119 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/despots-game/id1558859156/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **179** | 119 |
| Positive reviews | **72.3% of reviews** | 36.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 105 MB | 456 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Nitrome](https://appshunter.io/developer/568079484) | [TINYBUILD LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/945888376) |

## What reviewers say

### Rust Bucket

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rust-bucket/id1040158406)

Embark on a turn-based dungeon crawl with simple swipe controls. Navigate treacherous environments, battle diverse monsters, and overcome deadly traps. This challenging game offers endless exploration and strategic combat, perfect for quick gaming sessions.

**Highlights:** Swipe to move and attack, Fast-paced gameplay, Puzzle traps, Diverse monster types, Endless dungeon exploration, Strategic combat, High score competition

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Buy 50 Coins | $0.99 | one-time |
| Buy 200 Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |
| Buy Coins 3 | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun puzzle game
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Excellent pixel art and visuals
- 🎨 Creative enemy designs
- 🎶 Great soundtrack

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and progress loss
- 🔁 Repetitive level design
- 🕹️ Slow character movement
- 💰 Expensive ad removal
- 🔍 Lack of level variety

**Reported bugs**

- Progress reset when exiting levels
- Level select screen locking completed levels
- Compatibility issues on older devices
- Clipboard copying behavior

**Requested features**

- More levels and content updates
- Ability to save progress
- Weapon/item upgrades and customization
- Multiplayer or co-op mode
- Level editor


### Despot's Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/despots-game/id1558859156)

Build a dystopian army and guide them through a challenging labyrinth. This roguelike strategy game focuses on item and mutation choices, with automatic combat. Permadeath means starting over, but a secret multiplayer mode awaits those who conquer the game.

**Highlights:** Army building, Item and mutation customization, Automatic combat, Roguelike/roguelite gameplay, Permadeath with world regeneration, Secret multiplayer mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Despot's Game: Full Version | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Epic game, epic difficulty
- 🚀 Fun without end!
- 👍 Great game, different
- 👍 Nice game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes around level 7-8
- 🐛 Crashes frequently, losing progress
- 🐛 Crashes on start
- 🐛 Crashes, can't save progress
- 🐛 Crashes, unplayable

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on start
- Crashes during gameplay
- Crashes, losing progress

**Requested features**

- Add save/continue option
- Fix crashes
- Lower the price


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Rust Bucket free?

Rust Bucket is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Despot's Game free?

Despot's Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Rust Bucket or Despot's Game?

Rust Bucket is rated higher. Rust Bucket averages 4.0 out of 5 from 179 ratings, while Despot's Game averages 3.4 from 119 ratings.

### Do Rust Bucket or Despot's Game have ads?

Rust Bucket shows ads; Despot's Game does not.

### Which is updated more often, Rust Bucket or Despot's Game?

Rust Bucket ships an update every 6 weeks, and Despot's Game monthly. Most recently, Rust Bucket was updated on October 21, 2026 and Despot's Game on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*