# Dead Cells vs Hyper Light Drifter

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hyper Light Drifter at none against Dead Cells's 4. Hyper Light Drifter also leads on price ($4.99 vs $8.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15). Dead Cells's advantage is chart position (#7 vs #158). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Dead Cells costs $8.99 and Hyper Light Drifter $4.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Hyper Light Drifter asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Dead Cells against 4.9 for Hyper Light Drifter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 12K and 6.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Dead Cells's written reviews are positive against 83% of Hyper Light Drifter's.

Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, Hyper Light Drifter every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dead Cells | Hyper Light Drifter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $8.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | [4.8 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dead-cells/id1389752090/reviews) | **[4.9 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyper-light-drifter/id1453875289/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 6.7K |
| Positive reviews | **88.5% of reviews** | 83.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#7** | #158 |
| Size | 1.8 GB | 813 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) | [Abylight S.L.](https://appshunter.io/developer/964465649) |

## What reviewers say

### Dead Cells

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

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Paid · Role Playing, #29 Top Paid · Action, #90 Top Paid · Games, #135 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


### Hyper Light Drifter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hyper-light-drifter/id1453875289)

**Currently charting:** #158 Top Paid · Action, #172 Top Paid · Adventure (US App Store)

Embark on an action-adventure RPG journey through a vast, ruined world filled with danger and lost technologies. Explore, battle vicious enemies, and uncover secrets in this hand-animated, visually stunning experience.

**Highlights:** Hand-animated visuals, Vast, ruined world exploration, Challenging combat, Weapon upgrades and skills, Branching paths and secrets, Evocative soundtrack

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔥 Gorgeous game
- 👍 Engaging gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful art style
- 🎶 Excellent soundtrack
- 🤯 Challenging but fair

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 Unclear controls/tutorials
- 🤕 Frustrating difficulty
- 🤔 Lack of story explanation
- 🤖 Unresponsive touch controls
- 🤕 Imprecise aiming/platforming

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes when fighting in the tower
- Background glitches and visual issues
- Inconsistent frame rate on some devices

**Requested features**

- Add controller remapping
- Improve touch control responsiveness
- Provide more story context
- Adjust difficulty settings
- Add widescreen support for newer devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dead Cells free?

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

### Is Hyper Light Drifter free?

Hyper Light Drifter costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dead Cells or Hyper Light Drifter?

Hyper Light Drifter is rated higher. Dead Cells averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Hyper Light Drifter averages 4.9 from 6.7K ratings.

### Do Dead Cells or Hyper Light Drifter have ads?

Neither Dead Cells nor Hyper Light Drifter shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dead Cells or Hyper Light Drifter?

Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, and Hyper Light Drifter every 6 weeks. Most recently, Dead Cells was updated on October 14, 2026 and Hyper Light Drifter on October 14, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Dead Cells or Hyper Light Drifter?

Dead Cells currently peaks at #7 in the App Store charts, and Hyper Light Drifter at #158. 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.*