# ™ Minesweeper vs Dark Stories

™ Minesweeper and Dark Stories both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 87% of Dark Stories's written reviews are positive against 45% of ™ Minesweeper's. ™ Minesweeper's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (753 vs 175). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. ™ Minesweeper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Dark Stories sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for ™ Minesweeper against 4.7 for Dark Stories. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 753 and 175 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 45% of ™ Minesweeper's written reviews are positive against 87% of Dark Stories's.

™ Minesweeper ships an update every 5 months, Dark Stories every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ™ Minesweeper | Dark Stories |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (753 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minesweeper/id1101590054/reviews) | **[4.7 (175 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-stories/id1244678252/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **753** | 175 |
| Positive reviews | 45.3% of reviews | **87.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 97 MB | 192 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [VM Mobile Team](https://appshunter.io/developer/646128457) | [Treebit Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/1237712033) |

## What reviewers say

### ™ Minesweeper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minesweeper/id1101590054)

Relive the classic Minesweeper puzzle game with a modern mobile adaptation. Enjoy authentic gameplay, customizable challenges, and helpful features like undo and hints. Compete globally and save your progress.

**Highlights:** Authentic classic gameplay, Diverse themes, Undo feature, Multiple difficulty levels, Customizable challenges, Zoom functionality, Global leaderboards

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Faithful recreation of classic Windows Minesweeper
- 🎮 Engaging gameplay that appeals to nostalgic players
- 💾 Lightweight app (only 11MB)
- 🎨 Clean, simple design with appropriate theme and colors
- ⚙️ Multiple difficulty levels available

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📢 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🚫 Ads blocking game buttons and score display
- 💰 Paid version still contains ads
- 🎮 Forced promotional pop-ups for other games
- 📏 Small default square size requiring manual zoom each game

**Reported bugs**

- App pastes clipboard contents and sends to server
- Game orientation displays upside down
- Game becomes unresponsive after promotional pop-up appears
- Automatic switching to different games during gameplay

**Requested features**

- Persistent zoom level settings between games
- Modern UI/design upgrade from Windows 3.1 aesthetic
- Ad-free experience for paid users
- Larger default square sizes
- Option to disable promotional pop-ups


### Dark Stories

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dark-stories/id1244678252)

A group game where players act as detectives to solve fictional mysteries. One person reads a mystery and its solution, while others ask yes/no questions to uncover the truth. Perfect for parties and gatherings.

**Highlights:** Group mystery solving, Yes/No question format, Over 200 fictional stories, Periodic story updates, Detective role-playing, Suitable for parties

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ™ Minesweeper free?

™ Minesweeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Dark Stories free?

Dark Stories is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, ™ Minesweeper or Dark Stories?

Dark Stories is rated higher. ™ Minesweeper averages 4.5 out of 5 from 753 ratings, while Dark Stories averages 4.7 from 175 ratings.

### Do ™ Minesweeper or Dark Stories have ads?

Dark Stories shows ads; ™ Minesweeper does not.

### Which is updated more often, ™ Minesweeper or Dark Stories?

™ Minesweeper ships an update every 5 months, and Dark Stories every 3 months. Most recently, ™ Minesweeper was updated on October 30, 2026 and Dark Stories on October 29, 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.*