# Stardew Valley vs The Elder Scrolls

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Stardew Valley | The Elder Scrolls |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.8 (64K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800/reviews)** | [4.6 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-elder-scrolls-castles/id1594657136/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **64K** | 13K |
| Positive reviews | **73.4% of reviews** | 49.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 442 MB | 686 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ConcernedApe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620477446) | [Bethesda](https://appshunter.io/developer/547109759) |

## What reviewers say

### Stardew Valley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Role Playing, #4 Top Paid · Simulation, #7 Top Paid · Games, #14 Top Paid (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer support
- More NPC interactions and relationships
- Ability to grow up/customize children
- Joystick/controller support
- More end-game content and challenges


### The Elder Scrolls

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-elder-scrolls-castles/id1594657136)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (39)**

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

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*