Comparison

Pathos vs Shattered Pixel Dungeon

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

Head to head
About

Pathos

Embark on a challenging roguelike adventure inspired by Nethack's rule set. Select from 13 distinct classes and delve into a perilous dungeon. Your mission is to confront your nemesis in hell and escape with as much treasure as possible.

Highlights
  • Nethack-inspired gameplay
  • 13 playable classes
  • Deep dungeon exploration
  • Defeat nemesis in hell
  • Loot collection and escape
Features
Read full description

Pathos is a roguelike adventure game inspired by the rule set from Nethack. Choose from 13 classes and journey deep into the dungeon. Descend to hell to defeat your nemesis before escaping the dungeon with all the loot you can carry! Email mailto:hodgskin.callan@gmail.com Twitter https://twitter.com/callan_hodgskin Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/pathos_nethack Discord https://discord.gg/TRhRZhX Made with Invention https://gitlab.com/hodgskin-callan/Invention

About

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Embark on a challenging roguelike dungeon crawl with six unique heroes. Explore procedurally generated levels, collect hundreds of items, and battle diverse enemies and bosses. Master unique hero mechanics and unlock powerful abilities to survive the depths.

Highlights
  • Six unique heroes with distinct playstyles
  • Procedurally generated dungeons and randomized enemies
  • Hundreds of items to collect, upgrade, and craft
  • Talent trees and subclass progression for heroes
  • Challenging bosses and optional achievements
  • Regular content updates
Read full description

Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a traditional roguelike dungeon crawler RPG that's simple to get into but hard to master! Every game is a unique challenge, with six different heroes, randomized levels and enemies, and hundreds of items to collect and use. ShatteredPD is also updated with new content roughly every three months, so there's always something new. ◀ Choose Your Hero ▶ Each of ShatteredPD's six playable heroes has their own unique mechanics and gameplay style. Cut down foes as the durable Warrior or deadly Duelist, fry your enemies as the arcane Mage or divine Cleric, or use terrain to your advantage as the stealthy Rogue or the markswoman Huntress! As you progress through the dungeon you'll earn points to spend on talents, choose a subclass, and gain powerful lategame abilities. You can turn the Duelist into a dual-wielding Champion, the Cleric into a righteous Paladin, the Huntress into a precise Sniper, or explore loads of other possibilities! ◀ Explore the Dungeon ▶ ShatteredPD's dungeon is procedurally generated with random layouts, room types, items, traps, and enemies. In each game you'll find equipment and collect or craft consumable items to power you up or help you out in a pinch. There is a huge variety to what you might see from run to run and region to region. As you progress through the dungeon you'll find equipment that can be enchanted, upgraded, and augmented as you outfit your hero. Set foes ablaze with an enchanted weapon, wade through enemies with upgraded armor, or gain powerful damage, defensive, or utility benefits from one of the many magical wands, rings, artifacts, or trinkets. ◀ Succeed or Die Trying ▶ The Dungeon is filled with enemies, traps, hazards, and bosses intent on ending your run! Battle hostile wildlife in the sewers and caves, mad thieves and guards in the prison, occult servants in the fallen dwarven city, and maybe something even worse further down... All these hazards can make the game quite tough, but don't be discouraged! You probably won't win on your first try, but there are many tricks and strategies to discover and learn on the path to getting your first win. Afterward, there are optional challenges and achivements if you want to put your skills to the test! ◀ Over A Decade in the Making ▶ Shattered Pixel Dungeon is an open source game based on the source code of Pixel Dungeon by Watabou (first released in late 2012). It started in 2014 as a project to rebalance Pixel Dungeon but has steadily grown into its own game over the last 10 years! Features Include: • 6 Heroes, each with 2 subclasses, 3 endgame abilities, and over 25 talents. • Over 300 items including equipment, consumables, and items crafted via alchemy. • 5 dungeon regions, 26 floors, over 100 room types, and trillions of possible floor layouts. • Over 60 regular enemy types, 30 traps, and 10 bosses to test your skills. • An in-game catalog to fill in, with just over 500 entries. • 9 stackable challenges and over 100 achievements for completionists. • Interface modes for large and small screens, and support for multiple input types. • Updates roughly every 3 months with new content, fixes, and improvements. • Support for many languages thanks to the game's dedicated communities.

Screenshots

Pathos4 screens
Shattered Pixel Dungeon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pathos at Free against Shattered Pixel Dungeon's $4.99. Shattered Pixel Dungeon's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.7). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Pathos is free to download; Shattered Pixel Dungeon costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shattered Pixel Dungeon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shattered Pixel Dungeon has 4.2K ratings behind it against 360, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Pathos's written reviews are positive against 93% of Shattered Pixel Dungeon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pathos ships an update every 4 months, Shattered Pixel Dungeon fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 16, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Pathos versus Shattered Pixel Dungeon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPathosShattered Pixel Dungeon
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating4.7 (360 ratings)4.9 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.6% of reviews93.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3604.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#9 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.2 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size142 MB134 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperCallan HodgskinEvan Debenham

Customer experience

Pathos

All ratings360 ratings
Positive91.9%
Neutral3.1%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.8%

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

All ratings4,210 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews967 reviews
Positive93.0%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.5%

Bugs and requests

Pathos

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Sound effects not working on iOS
  • Occasional crashes or freezes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Permadeath optional mode
  • Ability to continue progress across devices
  • More character classes and customization options

In-app purchases

None

Pathos

No in-app purchases

None

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pathos free?
Pathos is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pathos or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is rated higher. Pathos averages 4.7 out of 5 from 360 ratings, while Shattered Pixel Dungeon averages 4.9 from 4.2K ratings.
Do Pathos or Shattered Pixel Dungeon have ads?
Neither Pathos nor Shattered Pixel Dungeon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pathos or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Pathos ships an update every 4 months, and Shattered Pixel Dungeon fortnightly. Most recently, Pathos was updated on October 16, 2026 and Shattered Pixel Dungeon on October 16, 2026.

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