Comparison

NEO Scavenger vs GnollHack

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

Head to head
About

NEO Scavenger

Engage in a challenging post-apocalyptic survival RPG where you must scavenge, craft, and fight to uncover your identity. Manage realistic needs like hunger and temperature while navigating a semi-randomized world. Your wit and chosen abilities are your only tools for survival.

Highlights
  • Post-apocalyptic survival RPG
  • Turn-based gameplay
  • Realistic metabolism and wounds
  • Extensive crafting system
  • Hex-based world map navigation
  • Desperate combat with unique moves
  • Semi-randomized world elements
Read full description

Play the acclaimed PC survival RPG on your tablet and smartphone! (Free unlimited time demo, with IAP to unlock full version. Note that only full version can save progress.) NEO Scavenger is a game where you must survive in the wasteland long enough to figure out who you are. Each turn, you must decide where to go, how to scavenge for supplies, and how to deal with anything and anyone you encounter. And with each passing minute, the pit in your stomach grows, your dehydration worsens, your muscles tire, and your body temperature drops in the cold autumn air. Choose your starting abilities carefully, because they and your wit are the only tools you have in the apocalypse! FEATURES: Unique Setting - Near-future, post-apocalyptic Michigan with local cryptids and folklore. And something else beneath the surface... Turn-Based Play - Take your time with each turn, and play at your own pace. Save and quit when you want, and resume later. No Grinding - There are no XP in NEO Scavenger. No levelling-up. Instead, progress comes from learning how to play the game better, and using your strengths to your advantage. Semi-Random - Much of the map is randomized each game, including the location of ruins, creatures, weather, and certain quest branches. Sandbox or Story - Search for clues to your identity, what happened, and who's hunting you. Or simply test your mettle against man and nature alike. Play how you want! Abilities and Flaws - Choose abilities and flaws each time you play. Different combos unlock different abilities and quest branches. Crafting - Extensive crafting system which allows for substitutions of similar items. Make a rifle scope from half a pair of binoculars, or a noise trap from a pill bottle and pebbles. Desperate Combat - Detailed combat with moves like "Tackle," "Lure," "Kick While Down," "Demand Surrender," and "Threaten." Realistic Wounds - Creatures have complex wound simulation, with multiple wound locations, infection, bleeding, and pain management. Realistic Metabolism - Hypothermia, fatigue, thirst, hunger, disease, intoxication, shelter...everything is tracked. Realistic Inventory - Complex inventory system with slots for holding, wearing, containers, and more. Fit items in grid spaces, and manage encumbrance. Hex-Based World Map - Navigate ruins, hills, forests, and plains in a hex-based map. Line-of-sight, elevation, and daylight matters. Tracking - Creatures leave their tracks and spoor on the map, which can be followed by others. Players can also hide their tracks. Hiding - Players can use hiding to avoid being seen while traveling the map, as well as during story encounters. Hunting - Trap small game for food and fur, or track and kill larger prey on the map for butchering. Foraging - Search for edible plants and water, and use special skills to identify what's safe to eat. Creature AI - Wandering creatures go about their own business, hunting, scavenging, and hoarding. Morale affects their choices, and some will gang-up and cause trouble. Dynamic Weather - Temperature, rainfall, and night/day are based on real-world data for autumn in the area. If you live long enough, you may see snow fall. FULL VERSION ADDS: Save System - Save progress between sessions. However, if you die, that's it. NEO Scavenger is balanced around a single difficulty level: permadeath. Save games will be deleted if you die. So choose every action carefully! Haunting Soundtrack - Music composed by Josh Culler, specifically for NEO Scavenger, plays periodically, lending an atmosphere of loneliness and desperation. Hacking - Use hacking skills to unlock scavenged laptops, cellphones, smartphones, and tablets. Mine them for paydata, or snoop through personal files. Detroit - Take refuge from the wasteland in one of mankind's last bastions of safety. Buy supplies, get medical care, and seek clues in a cyberpunk-styled city. More items, crafting, creatures, encounters, and a larger map.

About

GnollHack

Embark on a perilous quest in a remastered classic roguelike. Explore procedurally generated dungeons, battle monsters, and uncover powerful artifacts. With deep strategy, a rich class and race system, and challenging permadeath, every playthrough offers endless replayability.

Highlights
  • Turn-based roguelike gameplay
  • Modern user interface
  • Procedurally generated dungeons
  • 13 classes and 5 races
  • Hundreds of items and spells
  • Challenging permadeath mode
Features
Read full description

ABOUT GnollHack is a remastered and enhanced version of the classic roguelike game NetHack, one of the most iconic games developed in 1980s and 1990s. With GnollHack, you get: - Traditional roguelike with turn-based gameplay - Modern user interface - Legendary strategic depth of NetHack - Endless replayability - Several new features, enhancing your gameplay experience STORY In GnollHack, you are a hero sent by your deity into the perilous Dungeons of Doom, tasked with recovering the stolen Amulet of Yendor from the clutches of the malevolent god Moloch, who has hidden it in the fiery depths of the underworld. Along your journey, you will encounter formidable enemies, discover great magical artifacts, and strive for glory. You must either triumph or perish in the attempt. ROGUELIKE GAMEPLAY Explore procedurally generated dungeons filled with monsters, traps, and treasures. RICH CLASS AND RACE SYSTEM - 13 classes: wizard, barbarian, rogue, etc. - 5 races: human, elf, gnoll, etc. DEEP ITEM AND MAGIC SYSTEM Hundreds of items, spells, and artifacts with diverse effects. CHALLENGING PERMADEATH (Classic Mode Only) Death is permanent, requiring players to adapt, plan, and learn from mistakes to progress further. TUTORIALS AND GAMEPLAY INFORMATION - GnollHack wiki: https://wiki.gnollhack.com SUPPORT - Discord: https://discord.gg/cQuExnzUQy

Screenshots

NEO Scavenger4 screens
GnollHack4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GnollHack at none against NEO Scavenger's 1. GnollHack also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). NEO Scavenger's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

Both are free to download. NEO Scavenger sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GnollHack asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

GnollHack holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 294 and 111 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of NEO Scavenger's written reviews are positive against 85% of GnollHack's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NEO Scavenger ships an update every 3 weeks, GnollHack every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NEO Scavenger versus GnollHack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNEO ScavengerGnollHack
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (294 ratings)4.7 (111 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews85.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings294 — better111
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB774 MB
Age rating17+9+
DeveloperBlue Bottle Games, LLCHyvän mielen pelit ry

Customer experience

NEO Scavenger

All ratings286 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral10.6%
Negative21.8%

GnollHack

All ratings111 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive85.2%
Neutral3.7%
Negative11.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

NEO Scavenger

One-time1
  • NEO Scavenger Full Version$9.99
None

GnollHack

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NEO Scavenger free?
NEO Scavenger is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is GnollHack free?
GnollHack is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NEO Scavenger or GnollHack?
GnollHack is rated higher. NEO Scavenger averages 4.3 out of 5 from 294 ratings, while GnollHack averages 4.7 from 111 ratings.
Do NEO Scavenger or GnollHack have ads?
Neither NEO Scavenger nor GnollHack shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NEO Scavenger or GnollHack?
NEO Scavenger ships an update every 3 weeks, and GnollHack every 4 days. Most recently, NEO Scavenger was updated on October 24, 2026 and GnollHack on October 25, 2026.

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