# Despot's Game vs Vactics

The clearest difference is rating: Vactics at 4.0 against Despot's Game's 3.4. Vactics also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 36%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Despot's Game sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Vactics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Vactics holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 119 and 56 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of Despot's Game's written reviews are positive against 71% of Vactics's.

Despot's Game ships an update monthly, Vactics every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Despot's Game | Vactics |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (119 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/despots-game/id1558859156/reviews) | **[4.0 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **119** | 56 |
| Positive reviews | 36.4% of reviews | **70.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 456 MB | 309 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [TINYBUILD LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/945888376) | [Gerard Delaney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476170004) |

## What reviewers say

### Despot's Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/despots-game/id1558859156)

Build a dystopian army and guide them through a challenging labyrinth. This roguelike strategy game focuses on item and mutation choices, with automatic combat. Permadeath means starting over, but a secret multiplayer mode awaits those who conquer the game.

**Highlights:** Army building, Item and mutation customization, Automatic combat, Roguelike/roguelite gameplay, Permadeath with world regeneration, Secret multiplayer mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Despot's Game: Full Version | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Epic game, epic difficulty
- 🚀 Fun without end!
- 👍 Great game, different
- 👍 Nice game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes around level 7-8
- 🐛 Crashes frequently, losing progress
- 🐛 Crashes on start
- 🐛 Crashes, can't save progress
- 🐛 Crashes, unplayable

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on start
- Crashes during gameplay
- Crashes, losing progress

**Requested features**

- Add save/continue option
- Fix crashes
- Lower the price


### Vactics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778)

Engage in tactical, chess-like combat by building powerful mechs to battle robotic enemies. Face randomly generated challenges and fight for a better future in this strategic warfare game.

**Highlights:** Mech building, Tactical chess-like combat, Randomly generated challenges, Mech and tech upgrades, Extended campaign, Leaderboard competition

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe to Vactics Pro | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Vactics Pro | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Innovative gameplay mechanics
- 👍 Deep tactical gameplay
- 🎨 Gorgeous art style
- 🎶 Excellent synthwave score
- ✨ Well-balanced gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 High price for pro version
- 💸 Expensive subscription options
- 😩 Frustrating paywall
- ❓ Lacking tutorial explanations
- 🐌 Slow restart function

**Reported bugs**

- Combo attack bonus cancelled by heavy landing
- "Restore purchases" not working after update
- Cannot equip more than one ability
- Inconsistent combat: adjacent Vactic not hitting
- Cannot mount one tech in Chassis and one in Engine

**Requested features**

- Add more upgrades
- Add more game modes
- Add online co-op
- Add infinite wave competition
- Add diverging paths on map like FTL


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Despot's Game free?

Despot's Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Vactics free?

Vactics is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Despot's Game or Vactics?

Vactics is rated higher. Despot's Game averages 3.4 out of 5 from 119 ratings, while Vactics averages 4.0 from 56 ratings.

### Do Despot's Game or Vactics have ads?

Neither Despot's Game nor Vactics shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Despot's Game or Vactics?

Despot's Game ships an update monthly, and Vactics every 3 weeks. Most recently, Despot's Game was updated on October 20, 2026 and Vactics on October 24, 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.*