# Sunless Sea vs Duskfall

The clearest difference is price: Duskfall at Free against Sunless Sea's $9.99. Duskfall also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (3.6K vs 93). Sunless Sea's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On update cadence there is nothing between them.

Duskfall is free to download; Sunless Sea costs $9.99 up front. Duskfall sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Sunless Sea asks for nothing beyond the download.

Duskfall holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duskfall has 3.6K ratings behind it against 93, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Sunless Sea's written reviews are positive against 86% of Duskfall's.

Sunless Sea ships an update every 3 weeks, Duskfall every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sunless Sea | Duskfall |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.3 (93 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunless-sea/id1133500069/reviews) | **[4.8 (3.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duskfall-turn-based-rpg/id6470669313/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 93 | **3.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 66.3% of reviews | **85.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 510 MB | 230 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | +12 |
| Developer | [Failbetter Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1056672890) | [Viktor Domonyi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1492040230) |

## What reviewers say

### Sunless Sea

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunless-sea/id1133500069)

Embark on a perilous journey as a steamship captain in a dark Victorian Gothic universe. Explore a vast, procedurally generated underworld, facing madness, cannibalism, and terrifying creatures. Your legacy lives on through generations as you uncover secrets and achieve your life's ambition.

**Highlights:** Vast narrative-driven world with 350,000+ words, Hand-drawn art and atmospheric visuals, Generational gameplay with legacy progression, Real-time combat against ships and creatures, Manage terror and madness, Ship and crew customization, Engage in trade and smuggling

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Masterpiece writing and lore
- 🌍 Huge, explorable map
- 📚 Deep, complex narrative
- 🎨 Beautiful art and atmosphere
- 💎 Unique and original gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐌 Slow pace and travel
- 💀 High difficulty and permadeath
- 💸 Tedious grinding for resources
- ❓ Unclear objectives and tutorials
- ⚙️ Clunky or unintuitive UI/controls

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes frequently
- Screen turns purple
- Audio stutters
- iPad restarts
- Black bars on iPad Pro 11"

**Requested features**

- Zubmariner DLC for iOS
- Sunless Skies for apps
- Russian language support
- Italian language support
- German language support


### Duskfall

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duskfall-turn-based-rpg/id6470669313)

Embark on a dark fantasy adventure in this turn-based dungeon crawler RPG. Explore intricate dungeons, engage in strategic combat, and uncover a compelling storyline. Upgrade your hero with thousands of items and craft legendary gear.

**Highlights:** Turn-based dungeon crawling, Strategic combat system, Fantasy world exploration, Hero customization and upgrades, Crafting and enchantment, Offline gameplay

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Duskfall Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Duskfall Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Seasons Tier 2 Pass | $5.99 | one-time |
| 600 gems | $5.99 | one-time |
| Duskfall Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| 1300 gems | $11.99 | one-time |
| Duskfall Pack | $11.99 | one-time |
| 3000 gems | $22.99 | one-time |
| Duskfall Pack | $22.99 | one-time |
| Duskfall Pack | $34.99 | one-time |
| 7000 gems | $35.99 | one-time |
| 16000 gems | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great retro experience
- 🚀 Satisfying RPG/dungeon crawler
- 💡 Customizable character
- 👍 Good basic fun
- 👍 Impressive and interesting

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sudden difficulty spike
- 🔒 Inventory paywall
- 🐛 Unreliable updates
- 🐛 Inventory management issues
- 🐛 Unclear progression and lack of hints

**Reported bugs**

- Items disappearing after purchases
- Doors/gates relocking after progress
- Clues not saved in quest log

**Requested features**

- More in-game purchase options
- More skill optimization
- Hint feature or help for stuck players
- Ability to see companion classes
- Ability to customize companions


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Sunless Sea free?

Sunless Sea costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Duskfall free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Sunless Sea or Duskfall?

Duskfall is rated higher. Sunless Sea averages 4.3 out of 5 from 93 ratings, while Duskfall averages 4.8 from 3.6K ratings.

### Do Sunless Sea or Duskfall have ads?

Duskfall shows ads; Sunless Sea does not.

### Which is updated more often, Sunless Sea or Duskfall?

Sunless Sea ships an update every 3 weeks, and Duskfall every 2 weeks. Most recently, Sunless Sea was updated on October 14, 2026 and Duskfall on October 18, 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.*