# Grimvalor vs Dead Cells

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Grimvalor at none against Dead Cells's 4. Grimvalor also leads on price ($5.99 vs $8.99). Dead Cells's advantage is chart position (#6 vs #171) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Grimvalor costs $5.99 and Dead Cells $8.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Grimvalor asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Grimvalor against 4.8 for Dead Cells. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.8K and 12K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Grimvalor's written reviews are positive against 89% of Dead Cells's.

Grimvalor ships an update every 2 months, Dead Cells every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Grimvalor | Dead Cells |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$5.99** | $8.99 |
| Rating | **[4.9 (9.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grimvalor/id1369179088/reviews)** | [4.8 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dead-cells/id1389752090/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 9.8K | **12K** |
| Positive reviews | **90.8% of reviews** | 88.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | #171 | **#6** |
| Size | 739 MB | 1.8 GB |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Direlight](https://appshunter.io/developer/857649562) | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) |

## What reviewers say

### Grimvalor

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grimvalor/id1369179088)

**Currently charting:** #171 Top Paid · Adventure, #175 Top Paid · Action (US App Store)

Embark on a dark fantasy adventure as a lone warrior battling through a corrupted realm. Master skill-based combat, explore atmospheric landscapes, and face epic boss fights in this challenging hack and slash platformer. Restore the kingdom and uncover the fate of its lost king.

**Highlights:** Skill-based combat, Exploration of dark fantasy world, Epic boss fights, Stunning 3D visuals, Customizable touch controls, MFi controller support, Offline play

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Excellent controls
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🎶 Great soundtrack
- 💰 Worth the price

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🕹️ Challenging difficulty spikes
- 🕹️ Frustrating jumping puzzles
- 🕹️ Dodge mechanic issues
- 🔍 Lack of character customization

**Reported bugs**

- Dodge not registering properly
- Crashes in New Game Plus
- Companion AI issues
- Graphical glitches on older devices

**Requested features**

- More levels and content
- Ability to replay bosses
- Enemy scaling for higher difficulties
- Expanded weapon and trinket selection
- New game plus improvements


### Dead Cells

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dead-cells/id1389752090)

**Currently charting:** #6 Top Paid · Role Playing, #15 Top Paid · Action, #49 Top Paid · Games, #80 Top Paid (US App Store)

Explore a sprawling, ever-changing castle as a failed alchemic experiment. Master frantic 2D combat with a variety of weapons and skills against dangerous foes. Death is not the end; learn from each attempt to progress through this roguevania action platformer.

**Highlights:** Roguevania exploration, Frantic 2D action combat, Nonlinear progression, Permadeath with learning, Unlockable weapons and skills, DLC content packs

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Bad Seed | $3.99 | one-time |
| Fatal Falls | $3.99 | one-time |
| The Queen and the Sea | $3.99 | one-time |
| Return to Castlevania | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Excellent controls
- 💎 High-quality graphics
- 🎮 Great controller support
- 🔥 Addictive and challenging

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio glitches and bugs
- 🤔 Lack of custom mode
- 📱 Finicky touch controls
- 🔇 No background music support

**Reported bugs**

- Saves not compatible across platforms
- Texture and graphical issues on some devices
- Persistent memory leaks causing performance drops

**Requested features**

- Add Chinese language support
- Implement cross-save functionality
- Introduce online multiplayer mode
- Optimize for older devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Grimvalor free?

Grimvalor costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Dead Cells free?

Dead Cells costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Grimvalor or Dead Cells?

Grimvalor is rated higher. Grimvalor averages 4.9 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while Dead Cells averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.

### Do Grimvalor or Dead Cells have ads?

Neither Grimvalor nor Dead Cells shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Grimvalor or Dead Cells?

Grimvalor ships an update every 2 months, and Dead Cells every 5 weeks. Most recently, Grimvalor was updated on September 23, 2026 and Dead Cells on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Grimvalor or Dead Cells?

Grimvalor currently peaks at #171 in the App Store charts, and Dead Cells at #6. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*