# Pac.io vs Darkness Rises

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Darkness Rises at none against Pac.io's 10. Darkness Rises also leads on ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pac.io sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Darkness Rises asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pac.io ships an update fortnightly, Darkness Rises every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pac.io | Darkness Rises |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.1 (342 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacio/id1274026778/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **342** | — |
| Positive reviews | 53.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 139 MB | 89 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nomadic Bear Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1188304416) | [Yories: Preschool Learning Games for Kids & Kindergarten Educational Apps for Toddlers](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529840429) |

## What reviewers say

### Pac.io

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pacio/id1274026778)

Engage in an addictive grid-battle by swiping to outsmart opponents and dominate the arena. Utilize a variety of power-ups and unlock unique skins to enhance your gameplay and rise through the ranks. Enjoy endless fun offline or online with intuitive controls.

**Highlights:** Swipe controls for movement, Strategic power-ups, Unlockable skins, Offline and online play, Intuitive gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Coin Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Coin Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Magnet | $4.99 | one-time |
| Thunder | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sword | $4.99 | one-time |
| Big Coin Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| No Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| Large Coin Pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Huge Coin Pack | $49.99 | one-time |
| Massive Coin Pack | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 😍 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 🎮 Fun Pac-Man inspired mechanics
- 👥 Real multiplayer players (not just bots)
- ⚡ Fast-paced and entertaining
- 🏆 Leaderboard and competitive features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads throughout gameplay
- ⚠️ Ads interrupt and crash the game
- 😤 Unfair difficulty and instant death
- 🎮 Sliding controls instead of D-pad/joystick
- 🤖 Questionable AI behavior and cheating

**Reported bugs**

- Ads crash game at end of video
- Game freezes after ad completion
- Pink screen ad that cannot be closed
- Instant death upon spawning
- Players getting stuck behind walls

**Requested features**

- Arrow buttons or D-pad controls instead of sliding
- Ad-free premium version for purchase
- Ability to disable ads with WiFi off
- Friend list and private room creation
- Real player names instead of randomized ones


### Darkness Rises

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/darkness-rises-cube-darkness/id6670524732)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pac.io free?

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

### Is Darkness Rises free?

Darkness Rises is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Pac.io or Darkness Rises have ads?

Pac.io shows ads; Darkness Rises does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pac.io or Darkness Rises?

Pac.io ships an update fortnightly, and Darkness Rises every 9 days. Most recently, Pac.io was updated on October 24, 2026 and Darkness Rises on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*