Comparison

Dead Cells vs Moonlight

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Dead Cells

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
Read full description

Death is not the end. Play as a failed alchemic experiment and explore the sprawling, ever-changing castle to find out what happened on this gloomy island…! That is, assuming you’re able to fight your way past its keepers. Dead Cells is a roguevania action platformer that will require you to master frantic 2D combat with a wide variety of weapons and skills against merciless minions and boss. Kill. Die. Learn. Repeat. First available on PC and consoles, the indie hit Dead Cells is now slaying foes on mobile! Main Features • Roguevania: The progressive exploration of an interconnected world, with the replayability of a rogue-lite and the adrenaline-pumping threat of permadeath • Frantic and Dynamic 2D Action: Learn your enemies’ patterns to stay alive, or prepare to be sent back to your cell before you can say “baguette” • Nonlinear Progression: Unlock new levels with every death, opt for the path that suits your current build, your playstyle or just your mood. Surely, the ramparts can’t be as bad as the sewers, right? • Play at your own pace: Will you explore every nook and cranny of the castle, or rush to the end? *Latest updates are available: Clean Cut & The End is Near* RETURN TO CASTLEVANIA DLC Time for some vampire slaying • New storyline - overcome the Ruler of Darkness alongside Alucard and Richter Belmont, • 2 new biomes - Explore Dracula's Castle and its outskirts • 9 new monsters - Werewolves, haunted armors, and medusas are waiting for you • 14 new weapons - wield the Vampire Killer or the Holy Water to defeat creatures of the night, • 3 new bosses - go fangs to fangs against Death and Dracula himself • 20 new outfits - dress as your favorite Castlevania characters such as Simon and Richter Belmont or Alucard • Alternative soundtracks - play along 51 Castlevania original tracks and 12 tunes reimagined in the style of Dead Cells THE BAD SEED DLC You reap what you sow • New levels to lose your head in the not-so-peaceful Dilapidated Arboretum and the noxious Morass of the Banished • New monsters to rip to pieces: get to know the locals, such as the Jerkshroom and the Yeeter • New weapons to play with: trim sticking-out heads with the Scythe Claw, or make them dance to the sound of the Rhythm n' Bouzouki • New boss to fight against: Mama Tick is dying to meet you FATAL FALLS DLC Ready for a leap of faith? • 3 new biomes - Get some fresh air at the Fractured Shrines, splash around at the Undying Shores and take a picture at the Mausoleum • 8 new monsters - The Cold Blooded Guardians and their friends would love to teach you about their culture. ... Wait, aren't those relatives of yours in the Undying Shores...? • 7 new weapons - Lil' Serenade is perfect for breaking the ice with the locals, although the Snake Fangs would make for a perfect souvenir... • 1 new boss - The Scarecrow is very proud of his gardening skills and won't hesitate to show off QUEEN AND THE SEA DLC Take it to the sea! • 2 new biomes - Battle your way through a rotten shipwreck, or scale a burning lighthouse and confront your deadliest foe yet. • 9 new weapons, including a throwable shark, a trident and a pirate hook hand (eyepatch not included). • 2 new bosses - Don't lose your head before you meet the Queen! This DLC also gives you the usual extras: - A not-so-cute pet. - Loads of new outfits. - New enemies to bash. WARNING: Devices with less than 2 Gb of RAM may not be able to run this content correctly. We recommend not to take this DLC if your device is under 2gb of RAM. Carefully redesigned for mobile with a revamped interface • Two game modes available: Original & Auto-Hit • Custom controls & More touch controls options available: Change the buttons’ position and size to your liking, swipe to dodge… • MFi external controller support • No ads, no F2P mechanics! If you run into a problem, please contact us at support@playdigious.mail.helpshift.com with as much information as possible on the issue.

About

Moonlight

Stream PC games to your mobile devices with enhanced features like a virtual keyboard and gamepad-to-mouse input. Requires a gamepad and PC-side streaming software for hosting.

Highlights
  • Open-source and free
  • Stream games from any store
  • Up to 4K 120 FPS streaming
  • Virtual keyboard and gamepad-to-mouse input
  • Bluetooth controller support
  • Local co-op with multiple controllers
Features
Read full description

Important! GAMEPAD IS REQUIRED to use this app properly! An alternative Moonlight client app which brings some life quality updates like virtual keyboard and gamepad->mouse input, which can help replying in chats, running games outside of Steam or Steam itself. To be able to host your games you will need to install LizardByte Sunshine, which works on all GPUs, simply install Sunshine on your PC, perform first-time setup, and you're ready to stream. Features: • Open-source and completely free • Up to 4K 120 FPS • Stream games purchased from any game store • Bluetooth keyboard and mouse support • Support for MFi, PS4/5, and Xbox Bluetooth controllers • Local co-op with up to 4 connected controllers Other Requirements: • 5 GHz WiFi is highly recommended • A physical gamepad is required If you have any trouble, click our support link for help or look for the help links within Moonlight. This app is open-source. The code can be found here: https://github.com/XITRIX/Moonlight-Switch All trademarks cited here are the property of their respective owners.

Screenshots

Dead Cells4 screens
Moonlight4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Moonlight at $0.99 against Dead Cells's $8.99. Moonlight also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Dead Cells's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 3) and chart position (#6 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Dead Cells costs $8.99 and Moonlight $0.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Moonlight asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Moonlight holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dead Cells has 12K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, Moonlight every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Dead Cells versus Moonlight: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDead CellsMoonlight
Price$8.99$0.99 — better
Rating4.8 (12K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews88.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings12K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#6 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TViPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS1515.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.8 GB22 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperPlaydigiousDaniil Vinogradov

Customer experience

Dead Cells

All ratings12,331 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,786 reviews
Positive88.5%
Neutral3.6%
Negative7.9%

Moonlight

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Dead Cells

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Moonlight

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Dead Cells

One-time4
  • The Bad Seed$3.99
  • Fatal Falls$3.99
  • The Queen and the Sea$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Return to Castlevania$6.99
None

Moonlight

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dead Cells free?
Dead Cells costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Moonlight free?
Moonlight costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dead Cells or Moonlight?
Moonlight is rated higher. Dead Cells averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Moonlight averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Dead Cells or Moonlight have ads?
Neither Dead Cells nor Moonlight shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dead Cells or Moonlight?
Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, and Moonlight every 10 days. Most recently, Dead Cells was updated on October 16, 2026 and Moonlight on October 9, 2026.

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