# Highlands, Deep Waters vs Hosted Games

The clearest difference is price: Hosted Games at Free against Highlands, Deep Waters's $6.99. Hosted Games also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 13 months) and ratings volume (1K vs 28). Highlands, Deep Waters's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 35) and review sentiment (95% vs 77%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Hosted Games is free to download; Highlands, Deep Waters costs $6.99 up front. Hosted Games sells 33 one-off in-app purchases. Highlands, Deep Waters asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Highlands, Deep Waters against 4.7 for Hosted Games. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hosted Games has 1K ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Highlands, Deep Waters's written reviews are positive against 77% of Hosted Games's.

Highlands, Deep Waters ships an update every 13 months, Hosted Games every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Highlands, Deep Waters | Hosted Games |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $6.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.6 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlands-deep-waters/id1288269331/reviews) | **[4.7 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 28 | **1K** |
| Positive reviews | **95.5% of reviews** | 77.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 13 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 39 MB | 94 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Hosted Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/482415564) | [Hosted Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/482415564) |

## What reviewers say

### Highlands, Deep Waters

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/highlands-deep-waters/id1288269331)

Unravel a dark mystery in a Scottish town, uncovering cultists and abyssal horrors. Your choices shape the narrative of this text-based interactive novel, where you play as a detective, criminal, or scholar.

**Highlights:** Interactive text-based story, Choice-driven narrative, Deduction system for clues, Sanity system, Character role selection, Hand-drawn maps and lore

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Hosted Games

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731)

Explore a vast library of text-based interactive novels where your choices shape the narrative. Engage in diverse genres from horror and fantasy to romance and sci-fi, all powered by your imagination. Create your own stories using a simple scripting language.

**Highlights:** Vast library of interactive novels, Text-based storytelling, Choice-driven narratives, Multiple genres available, Create your own games, ChoiceScript programming language

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

**In-app purchases (33)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dragon of Steelthorne | $2.99 | one-time |
| Side Stories 21-30 | $2.99 | one-time |
| First Bull Run | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tokyo Wizard | $2.99 | one-time |
| It Takes Three to Tango | $3.99 | one-time |
| Divine Ascension | $4.99 | one-time |
| Samurai of Hyuga | $4.99 | one-time |
| Keeper's Vigil | $5.99 | one-time |
| World War II Armored Recon | $5.99 | one-time |
| Life as a Lich | $5.99 | one-time |
| Velocity: The Race Begins | $6.99 | one-time |
| Keeper of the Sun and Moon | $6.99 | one-time |
| Samurai of Hyuga Book 6 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Hero: Rebirth | $6.99 | one-time |
| Hero or Villain: Genesis | $6.99 | one-time |
| A Kiss from Death | $6.99 | one-time |
| Kitsune | $6.99 | one-time |
| Whiskey-Four | $6.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Soul Stone War | $7.99 | one-time |
| Leas: City of the Sun | $7.99 | one-time |
| The People's House | $7.99 | one-time |
| Scales of Justice | $7.99 | one-time |
| Tale of Two Cranes | $8.99 | one-time |
| Breach: The Archangel Job | $8.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two | $8.99 | one-time |
| Saturnine | $8.99 | one-time |
| The Golden Rose: Book One | $11.99 | one-time |
| Diaspora | $11.99 | one-time |
| Wayhaven Chronicles Three | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fallen Hero: Retribution | $11.99 | one-time |
| An Unexpectedly Green Journey | $11.99 | one-time |
| Fields of Asphodel | $11.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Highlands, Deep Waters free?

Highlands, Deep Waters costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Hosted Games free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Highlands, Deep Waters or Hosted Games?

Hosted Games is rated higher. Highlands, Deep Waters averages 4.6 out of 5 from 28 ratings, while Hosted Games averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.

### Do Highlands, Deep Waters or Hosted Games have ads?

Both Highlands, Deep Waters and Hosted Games show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Highlands, Deep Waters or Hosted Games?

Highlands, Deep Waters ships an update every 13 months, and Hosted Games every 10 days. Most recently, Highlands, Deep Waters was updated on October 23, 2026 and Hosted Games on October 21, 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.*