Comparison

Dead Cells vs Glass Half Dead

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
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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

Glass Half Dead

Features
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Aim. Shoot. Make something regret existing. Glass Half Dead is a fast, funny, ridiculously satisfying target-smashing game, built for quick hits of pure stress relief. Pick a playground, grab a weapon, and splat everything before the 45-second clock runs out. You can't lose. You can only score higher. BACKYARD BOTTLE RANGE: Pistol Smug cartoon bottles line up on a sunny fence, taunt you ("Bet you miss."), then EXPLODE into glass and screaming flying face-bits. SAUCER SMACKDOWN: The Buzzkill Beam Strap into the cockpit and laser cocky little aliens out of the sky. They zip, they hover, they livestream your misses to the galaxy. JUNK FOOD FOOD-FIGHT: Whipped-Cream Cannon A county-fair snack stand comes alive: a smug donut, a drama-queen pizza slice and a "my diet starts Monday" attitude. SPLAT them into rainbow frosting. Watch for the two-bite Donut Boss. CUBICLE UPRISING: Rubber-Band Gun It's 4:59 on a Friday and your office supplies have HAD IT. A "per my last email" stapler, a demanding mug, a doomer marker, then brace for the REPLY-ALL STORM as sticky notes surge in. Send them all to OUT OF OFFICE. The most cathartic 45 seconds of your work week. BUILT FOR COMBOS Chain hits to climb from x1 to x5 while an over-the-top announcer loses it ("DESSERT STORM!"). Streaks earn big bonuses and extra time. Screen shake, slow-mo finishers, and a satisfying CRUNCH on every hit. EVERYTHING BREAKS Every shot leaves a mark: walls crack, glass shatters, debris piles up. A hot combo unlocks BURST FIRE to clear whole clusters at once (DOUBLE SMASH!). And when the mess gets big enough, a cleaner shows up to sweep it away. He dodges, he hides, and he is worth a fortune if you can catch him. GENUINELY FUNNY Every target has a personality and a one-liner, and the jokes show on screen even with the sound off. - Free: the whole game, no strings - NO ads. NO in-app purchases. NO data collected. Plays offline. - One-handed: just tap what you want to hit - A separate high score for every scene - Challenge friends: share your score in a tap How high can you score before the buzzer?

Screenshots

Dead Cells4 screens
Glass Half Dead4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Glass Half Dead at Free against Dead Cells's $8.99. Glass Half Dead also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). Dead Cells's advantage is chart position (#18 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads 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

Glass Half Dead is free to download; Dead Cells costs $8.99 up front. Dead Cells sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Glass Half Dead asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, Glass Half Dead every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 13, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Dead Cells versus Glass Half Dead: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDead CellsGlass Half Dead
Price$8.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (12K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings12K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS1515.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.8 GB2 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperPlaydigiousProject Genesis B.V

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

Glass Half Dead

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

Glass Half Dead

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dead Cells free?
Dead Cells costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Glass Half Dead free?
Glass Half Dead is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Dead Cells or Glass Half Dead have ads?
Neither Dead Cells nor Glass Half Dead shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dead Cells or Glass Half Dead?
Dead Cells ships an update every 2 months, and Glass Half Dead every 9 days. Most recently, Dead Cells was updated on November 13, 2026 and Glass Half Dead on October 29, 2026.

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