Comparison

Castlevania vs Shattered Pixel Dungeon

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

Head to head
About

Castlevania

Experience a classic action RPG on mobile. Explore a vast castle, battle unique enemies, and uncover secrets as Alucard. This port features updated controls and achievements.

Highlights
  • Direct port of the console classic
  • Play as Alucard
  • Jump, dash, and slash combat
  • Vast castle exploration
  • Game controller compatibility
  • New continue feature
  • Unlockable achievements
Read full description

The iconic game from the beloved Castlevania series finally comes to mobile. This direct port of the classic console action RPG lets you jump, dash and slash your way through Dracula’s vast castle as Alucard while encountering a unique array of enemies and characters along the way. Rediscover the world of Castlevania with one of its original groundbreaking games and renowned music and graphics. □Features Fully compatible with game controllers New continue feature Unlock achievements with hard-fought battle milestones Available in 6 languages: English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Spanish

About

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Embark on a challenging roguelike dungeon crawl with six unique heroes. Explore procedurally generated levels, collect hundreds of items, and battle diverse enemies and bosses. Master unique hero mechanics and unlock powerful abilities to survive the depths.

Highlights
  • Six unique heroes with distinct playstyles
  • Procedurally generated dungeons and randomized enemies
  • Hundreds of items to collect, upgrade, and craft
  • Talent trees and subclass progression for heroes
  • Challenging bosses and optional achievements
  • Regular content updates
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Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a traditional roguelike dungeon crawler RPG that's simple to get into but hard to master! Every game is a unique challenge, with six different heroes, randomized levels and enemies, and hundreds of items to collect and use. ShatteredPD is also updated with new content roughly every three months, so there's always something new. ◀ Choose Your Hero ▶ Each of ShatteredPD's six playable heroes has their own unique mechanics and gameplay style. Cut down foes as the durable Warrior or deadly Duelist, fry your enemies as the arcane Mage or divine Cleric, or use terrain to your advantage as the stealthy Rogue or the markswoman Huntress! As you progress through the dungeon you'll earn points to spend on talents, choose a subclass, and gain powerful lategame abilities. You can turn the Duelist into a dual-wielding Champion, the Cleric into a righteous Paladin, the Huntress into a precise Sniper, or explore loads of other possibilities! ◀ Explore the Dungeon ▶ ShatteredPD's dungeon is procedurally generated with random layouts, room types, items, traps, and enemies. In each game you'll find equipment and collect or craft consumable items to power you up or help you out in a pinch. There is a huge variety to what you might see from run to run and region to region. As you progress through the dungeon you'll find equipment that can be enchanted, upgraded, and augmented as you outfit your hero. Set foes ablaze with an enchanted weapon, wade through enemies with upgraded armor, or gain powerful damage, defensive, or utility benefits from one of the many magical wands, rings, artifacts, or trinkets. ◀ Succeed or Die Trying ▶ The Dungeon is filled with enemies, traps, hazards, and bosses intent on ending your run! Battle hostile wildlife in the sewers and caves, mad thieves and guards in the prison, occult servants in the fallen dwarven city, and maybe something even worse further down... All these hazards can make the game quite tough, but don't be discouraged! You probably won't win on your first try, but there are many tricks and strategies to discover and learn on the path to getting your first win. Afterward, there are optional challenges and achivements if you want to put your skills to the test! ◀ Over A Decade in the Making ▶ Shattered Pixel Dungeon is an open source game based on the source code of Pixel Dungeon by Watabou (first released in late 2012). It started in 2014 as a project to rebalance Pixel Dungeon but has steadily grown into its own game over the last 10 years! Features Include: • 6 Heroes, each with 2 subclasses, 3 endgame abilities, and over 25 talents. • Over 300 items including equipment, consumables, and items crafted via alchemy. • 5 dungeon regions, 26 floors, over 100 room types, and trillions of possible floor layouts. • Over 60 regular enemy types, 30 traps, and 10 bosses to test your skills. • An in-game catalog to fill in, with just over 500 entries. • 9 stackable challenges and over 100 achievements for completionists. • Interface modes for large and small screens, and support for multiple input types. • Updates roughly every 3 months with new content, fixes, and improvements. • Support for many languages thanks to the game's dedicated communities.

Screenshots

Castlevania4 screens
Shattered Pixel Dungeon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Shattered Pixel Dungeon at 4.9 against Castlevania's 3.9. Shattered Pixel Dungeon also leads on review sentiment (93% vs 54%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 29 months). Castlevania's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 13.0). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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

Castlevania costs $2.99 and Shattered Pixel Dungeon $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shattered Pixel Dungeon holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 4.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Castlevania's written reviews are positive against 93% of Shattered Pixel Dungeon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Castlevania ships an update every 29 months, Shattered Pixel Dungeon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Castlevania versus Shattered Pixel Dungeon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCastlevaniaShattered Pixel Dungeon
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating3.9 (1.8K ratings)4.9 (4.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews53.7% of reviews92.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K4.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 29 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#14#12 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size326 MB134 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperKONAMIEvan Debenham

Customer experience

Castlevania

All ratings1,791 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral9.3%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews1,114 reviews
Positive53.7%
Neutral11.7%
Negative34.6%

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

All ratings4,210 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews973 reviews
Positive92.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative5.7%

User reviews

Castlevania

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Faithful port of a classic game
  • 🎮 Works well with controllers
  • 💰 Great value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🎮 Unresponsive touch controls
  • 🔍 Small action buttons
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (clock room issue, save system issues)

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

From 4.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Endless replayability
  • 👍 Polished and well-designed
  • 🎨 Excellent pixel art and aesthetics
  • 💡 Innovative mechanics and depth
  • 🕹️ Challenging yet rewarding gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🤯 Extremely challenging and punishing
  • 🕰️ Runs can feel too long
  • 🤖 Overpowered enemy mechanics (e.g. evasion)

Bugs and requests

Castlevania

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Clock room not functioning properly
  • Save system issues (not saving, losing progress)
  • Audio issues (no sound, pitch/speed problems)

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable controls and button layout
  • Original voice acting option
  • Improved cutscene quality
  • Cloud save support

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Sound effects not working on iOS
  • Occasional crashes or freezes

Requested features

3 requests
  • Permadeath optional mode
  • Ability to continue progress across devices
  • More character classes and customization options

In-app purchases

None

Castlevania

No in-app purchases

None

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Castlevania free?
Castlevania costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon is rated higher. Castlevania averages 3.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Shattered Pixel Dungeon averages 4.9 from 4.2K ratings.
Do Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon have ads?
Neither Castlevania nor Shattered Pixel Dungeon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Castlevania ships an update every 29 months, and Shattered Pixel Dungeon fortnightly. Most recently, Castlevania was updated on November 5, 2026 and Shattered Pixel Dungeon on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, Castlevania or Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Castlevania currently peaks at #14 in the App Store charts, and Shattered Pixel Dungeon at #12. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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