Comparison

Reigns vs Monster Train

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

Head to head
About

Reigns

Rule a medieval kingdom by making decisions with a swipe of your finger. Balance the needs of various factions, from the church to the army, to extend your reign. Each choice has consequences that can lead to your dynasty's downfall.

Highlights
  • Swipe-based decision making
  • Kingdom faction balance
  • Dynasty survival
  • Event spanning centuries
  • Multiple ways to die
Features
Read full description

Sit on the throne as a benevolent (or malevolent) medieval monarch of the modern age and swipe your royal fingers either left or right to impose your will upon the kingdom. Survive the seemingly never-ending gauntlet of requests from your advisors, peasants, allies, and enemies while maintaining balance between the influential factions of your kingdom. But beware; each decision you make might have implications and unfortunate consequences down the road that could put your reign and family’s dynasty at risk! Each year of your reign brings another important – seemingly random – request from your unpredictable kingdom as you strive for balance between the church, the people, the army, and the treasury. Prudent decisions and careful planning make for a long reign but unforeseen motivations, surprise events, and poor luck can take down even the most entrenched monarch. Extend your reign as long as possible, forge alliances, make enemies, and find new ways to die as your dynasty marches along through the ages. Some events will span on centuries, with an intrigue involving burning witches, scientific enlightenment, wicked politics and, maybe, the Devil himself. *iPhone 5 / iPod Touch 6 / iPad Mini / iPad Air or later recommended.

About

Monster Train

Defend the last burning pyre from Heaven's forces in this strategic deckbuilding roguelike. Build unique decks with over 250 cards from five distinct monster clans, upgrade champions, and explore powerful locations to restore the Inferno. Enjoy ultimate replayability with daily and custom challenges.

Highlights
  • Unlock over 250 cards
  • 5 distinct Monster Clans
  • Upgrade powerful Champions
  • Explore powerful locations
  • Daily & Custom challenges
  • Includes Wild Mutations & Friends & Foes updates
Features
Read full description

Hell has frozen over. Only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of Heaven and restore the Inferno. Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to Roguelite Deck Building, with three vertical playing fields to defend. Features: * Unlock over 250 cards * Discover 5 Monster Clans, each with their own distinct gameplay * Each clan has 10 levels to unlock, bringing new cards to your deck * Upgrade your powerful Champions multiple times * Challenge your friends to beat your score * Includes the released updates Wild Mutations and Friends & Foes! Ultimate Replayability No playthrough is ever the same, it’s a fresh challenge every time. You’ll really never play the same deck twice! Perfect entertainment for your mobile device! Explore powerful locations To take back hell, you’ll need to power up. Choose your route carefully, different locations yield different benefits; upgrade your Champion, recruit powerful units, upgrade cards, gain passive bonuses or duplicate any card in your deck. Strategize to fit your playstyle With five clans to choose from, each has its own unique and surprising gameplay. Pick your primary and supporting clan to gain access to all cards from both. Build your deck and perfect your strategy to defeat your enemies! Daily & Custom challenges Take on a new challenge every day with a hugely modified run due to gameplay mutators or play with your own selection of buffs and nerfs to tailor to your playstyle! Compete globally and against friends, and climb the leaderboards with a skill-focused scoring system. The Last Divinity DLC Epic new content expansion for Monster Train bringing new challenges, more replayability, and a new clan! * A new clan, the Wurmkin *Note: the Wurmkin clan unlocks upon completing Covenant level 1.* * Pact Shards; the new currency bringing benefits at a cost * New endboss: The Last Divinity Available for purchase in-game!

Screenshots

Reigns4 screens
Monster Train4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Reigns at none against Monster Train's 1. Reigns also leads on price ($2.99 vs $7.99) and ratings volume (7.6K vs 1.8K). Monster Train's advantage is review sentiment (89% vs 70%). On rating, update cadence, ads and chart position 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

Reigns costs $2.99 and Monster Train $7.99 up front. Monster Train sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Reigns asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Reigns against 4.9 for Monster Train. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 1.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Reigns's written reviews are positive against 89% of Monster Train's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reigns ships an update every 5 weeks, Monster Train every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Reigns versus Monster Train: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReignsMonster Train
Price$2.99 — better$7.99
Rating4.8 (7.6K ratings)4.9 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.2% of reviews88.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K — better1.8K
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#8 — better#16
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB533 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperDevolver Digital, Inc.Good Shepherd Entertainment

Customer experience

Reigns

All ratings7,608 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews921 reviews
Positive70.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative20.6%

Monster Train

All ratings1,812 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews355 reviews
Positive88.7%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.4%

User reviews

Reigns

From 7.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👑 Great game concept
  • 🤴 Engaging storyline and characters
  • 🎨 Stylish art and design
  • 🕹️ Addictive and challenging gameplay
  • 🕰️ Replayability and multiple endings

Room to improve

  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and card choices
  • 🤔 Unclear consequences of decisions
  • 🕹️ Frustrating difficulty and randomness
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and save file corruption

Monster Train

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Outstanding soundtrack
  • 🚀 Lots of discovery and relatability
  • 👍 Great deck builder with deep mechanics
  • 👍 Excellent value for money
  • 👍 Addictive and replayable gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with cloud saves and device switching
  • 🐛 Difficulty targeting off-screen bosses on mobile
  • 🐛 Finicky card selection and play controls
  • 🔋 Can drain phone battery quickly

Bugs and requests

Reigns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Blank/corrupted cards
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Save file corruption
  • Compatibility issues on newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More content and storylines
  • Ability to customize the king/kingdom
  • Improved UI and feedback on decisions
  • Difficulty settings or options
  • Cross-platform/cloud save support

Monster Train

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cloud save issues causing lost progress
  • Inability to target off-screen bosses
  • Occasional crashes and performance issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view deck during card selection
  • Customizable UI and graphics options
  • Swipe gestures for floor switching
  • 60fps support

In-app purchases

None

Reigns

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Monster Train

One-time1
  • The Last Divinity DLC$3.99

Questions

Is Reigns free?
Reigns costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Train free?
Monster Train costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Reigns or Monster Train?
Monster Train is rated higher. Reigns averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Monster Train averages 4.9 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Reigns or Monster Train have ads?
Neither Reigns nor Monster Train shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reigns or Monster Train?
Reigns ships an update every 5 weeks, and Monster Train every 3 weeks. Most recently, Reigns was updated on October 19, 2026 and Monster Train on October 18, 2026.
Which is more popular, Reigns or Monster Train?
Reigns currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Monster Train at #16. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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