Comparison

Stardew Valley vs The Elder Scrolls

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

Head to head
About

Stardew Valley

Cultivate a new life in this open-ended farming RPG. Build your dream farm, raise animals, grow crops, and explore mysterious caves. Customize your farmer, settle down, and become part of a vibrant community.

Highlights
  • Build and customize your farm
  • Raise animals and grow crops
  • Explore caves and battle monsters
  • Develop relationships and start a family
  • Participate in festivals and quests
  • Fishing and foraging activities
  • Mobile-specific controls and auto-save
Features
Read full description

Move to the countryside, and cultivate a new life in this award-winning open-ended farming RPG! With over 50+ hours of gameplay content and new Mobile-specific features, such as auto-save and multiple controls options. **Winner of the Golden Joysticks' Breakthrough Award** **Nominee of Game of the Year 2017 - BAFTA Games Awards** --- BUILD THE FARM OF YOUR DREAMS: ■ Turn your overgrown fields into a lively and bountiful farm ■ Raise and breed happy animals, grow a variety of seasonal crops and design your farm, your way ■ Customize your farmer and home! With hundreds of options to choose from ■ Settle down and start a family with 12 potential marriage candidates ■ Become part of the community by taking part in seasonal festivals and villager quests ■ Explore vast, mysterious caves, encountering dangerous monsters and valuable treasure ■ Spend a relaxing afternoon at one of the local fishing spots or go crabbing by the seaside ■ Forage, grow crops and produce artisan goods to cook up as a delicious meal ■ Rebuilt for touch-screen gameplay on iOS with mobile-specific features, such as auto-select to toggle quickly between your farming tools and auto-attack to swiftly take down fiendish monsters in the mines ■ Continue farming from where you last left off with auto-save (even if you close the app!) ■ Play the game your way with multiple controls options, such as touch-screen and virtual joystick ■ Newly Updated Single Player Content - Including new town upgrades, dating events, crops, fishing ponds, hats, clothing, and new pets! Plus more to be discovered... --- “The best version of Stardew Valley is the one you have with you … This game is absolutely incredible, and will not disappoint.” - TouchArcade "Stardew Valley beautifully combines farm simulation with RPG elements to create an intriguing, absorbing rural world." - IGN “Far more than just a farming game... filled with seemingly endless content and heart.” Giant Bomb "Village life has never been so accessible and satisfying" - The Telegraph “Stardew Valley has been the most rich and heartwarming experience I’ve had in a game in years.” CG Magazine --- Note: Features new 1.6 update story content, multiplayer functionality not supported. No in-app purchases.

About

The Elder Scrolls

Build and manage your own castle and dynasty across generations. Make crucial decisions, customize your stronghold, and send heroes on quests to protect your kingdom. Your choices shape your legacy.

Highlights
  • Build and customize your castle
  • Manage your dynasty across generations
  • Make impactful kingdom decisions
  • Train subjects and assign workstations
  • Complete epic quests with heroes
  • Equip heroes with epic gear
Features
Read full description

From Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning developer behind Skyrim and Fallout Shelter, comes The Elder Scrolls: Castles – a new mobile game that puts you in control of your very own castle and dynasty. Oversee your subjects as the years come and go, families grow, and new rulers take the throne. BUILD YOUR DYNASTY Tell your story for generations - each day in real life covers the span of an entire year in The Elder Scrolls: Castles. Train your subjects, name heirs, and maintain order to help your kingdom flourish. Will you keep your subjects happy and ensure a long life for their ruler? Or will they grow discontent and plot assassination? MANAGE YOUR CASTLE Customize your castle from the ground up, adding and expanding rooms, placing lavish decorations and inspirational monuments, and even assign subjects to workstations to ensure your castle has the resources to thrive for years to come! RULE YOUR KINGDOM Make key decisions that impact your legacy. Will you risk a limited supply of food to aid a neighboring kingdom? How should a heated spat between your subjects be settled? Your choices determine if your rule will inspire prosperity or lead your castle to peril. COMPLETE EPIC QUESTS Create heroes, equip them with epic gear, and send them to battle against classic Elder Scrolls foes to collect valuable items and keep your kingdom growing.

Screenshots

Stardew Valley4 screens
The Elder Scrolls4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Elder Scrolls at Free against Stardew Valley's $4.99. Stardew Valley's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 39) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

The Elder Scrolls is free to download; Stardew Valley costs $4.99 up front. The Elder Scrolls sells 39 one-off in-app purchases. Stardew Valley asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stardew Valley holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 64K and 13K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Stardew Valley's written reviews are positive against 49% of The Elder Scrolls's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stardew Valley ships an update every 3 days, The Elder Scrolls every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Stardew Valley versus The Elder Scrolls: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStardew ValleyThe Elder Scrolls
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (64K ratings) — better4.6 (13K ratings)
Positive reviews73.4% of reviews — better49.1% of reviews
Number of ratings64K — better13K
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size442 MB686 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperConcernedApeBethesda

Customer experience

Stardew Valley

All ratings63,524 ratings
Positive95.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews2,773 reviews
Positive73.4%
Neutral10.3%
Negative16.3%

The Elder Scrolls

All ratings13,152 ratings
Positive89.2%
Neutral4.0%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews1,191 reviews
Positive49.1%
Neutral18.1%
Negative32.8%

User reviews

Stardew Valley

From 64K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Addictive and fun
  • 👍 Engaging storylines
  • 🌟 Beautiful game
  • 🎮 Great gameplay
  • 🕹️ Relaxing and calming

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Difficult to find/catch fish
  • 🎮 Challenging controls, especially for combat
  • 🔁 Repetitive dialogue/events
  • 🔧 Bugs with furniture placement and interactions

The Elder Scrolls

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Unique Elder Scrolls-themed mechanics
  • 💡 Interesting character relationships and decision-making
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and music

Room to improve

  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization with paywall-locked content
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and sync issues
  • 🕹️ Clunky controls and UI

Bugs and requests

Stardew Valley

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Fishing rod sound bug
  • Sewer key cutscene not triggering
  • Furniture/building placement issues
  • Inventory/interaction bugs
  • Crashing when entering certain areas

Requested features

6 requests
  • Multiplayer support
  • More NPC interactions and relationships
  • Ability to grow up/customize children
  • Joystick/controller support
  • More end-game content and challenges
Show 1 more
  • Ability to move/delete certain furniture items

The Elder Scrolls

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inability to select rooms without selecting characters
  • Accidental character movement due to poor UI
  • Inconsistent resource collection when game is closed

Requested features

4 requests
  • Multiple save files or restart option
  • More customization options for castle and characters
  • Improved character management tools
  • Deeper integration with Elder Scrolls lore and characters

In-app purchases

None

Stardew Valley

No in-app purchases

39 purchases

The Elder Scrolls

One-time39
  • Event Bundle$0.99
  • Pouch of Gems - 50% discount$0.99
  • Imperial Decoration: Discount$1.99
Show 36 more
  • Legendary Shield Spellbreaker$1.99
  • Legendary Axe: Warlock Butcher$1.99
  • Pouch of Gems$1.99
  • Event Bundle$2.99
  • Potions and Scrolls$2.99
  • Imperial Decoration$3.99
  • Witch-Hunting Reinforcements$4.99
  • Small Starter Bundle$4.99
  • Emperor's Pass (7 days)$4.99
  • Sack of Gems$4.99
  • Magical Craftsmen$5.99
  • Legendary Event Subject Bundle$6.99
  • Redguard Bundle: New Blood$7.99
  • Holiday Feast Bundle$9.99
  • Satchel of Gems$9.99
  • Potions and Scrolls$9.99
  • Dwemer Furnace Bundle$9.99
  • Emperor's Pass (14 days)$9.99
  • Magical Craftsmen$9.99
  • Weekly Bundle: Silversmith$11.99
  • Put Your Dukes Up - Discount$11.99
  • A Bit of Everything$11.99
  • Decoration Pack$12.99
  • But make it fashion - discount$13.99
  • Emperor's Pass (30 days)$13.99
  • Large Starter Bundle$14.99
  • Weekly Bundle: It's Adore-able$17.99
  • Imperial Coffer of Gems$19.99
  • Weekly Bundle : A Noble Path$19.99
  • Weekly Bundle: A Mage's Touch$19.99
  • Biggest Bundle (Big Discount)$19.99
  • Emperor's Pass (1 year)$19.99
  • Strongbox of Gems$19.99
  • Put Your Dukes Up$29.99
  • Weekly Bundle: Silversmith$29.99
  • Imperial Coffer of Gems$99.99

Questions

Is Stardew Valley free?
Stardew Valley costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Elder Scrolls free?
The Elder Scrolls is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stardew Valley or The Elder Scrolls?
Stardew Valley is rated higher. Stardew Valley averages 4.8 out of 5 from 64K ratings, while The Elder Scrolls averages 4.6 from 13K ratings.
Do Stardew Valley or The Elder Scrolls have ads?
The Elder Scrolls shows ads; Stardew Valley does not.
Which is updated more often, Stardew Valley or The Elder Scrolls?
Stardew Valley ships an update every 3 days, and The Elder Scrolls every 2 weeks. Most recently, Stardew Valley was updated on October 28, 2026 and The Elder Scrolls on October 28, 2026.

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