Comparison

Shattered Pixel Dungeon vs Pixel Dungeon Heroe

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

Head to head
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
Read full description

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.

About

Pixel Dungeon Heroe

This puzzle game challenges your observation skills to find hidden keys and solve level-specific mysteries. Success relies on cleverness and attention to detail rather than speed. Each stage presents unique puzzles that require careful examination to uncover the solution.

Highlights
  • Observation-based puzzles
  • Unique level designs
  • Clever problem-solving
  • Attention to detail required
  • Non-speed-based gameplay
Features
Read full description

You need to be sharp-eyed and pay attention to the changes if you want to get the key. • Every level has something different in it, so be cautious. • Sometimes, the solution is right there in front of your eyes. • It's not about the speed; it is about the cleverness. Sep out of the box with Pixel Dungeon is not as easy as it seems.

Screenshots

Shattered Pixel Dungeon4 screens
Pixel Dungeon Heroe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pixel Dungeon Heroe at Free against Shattered Pixel Dungeon's $4.99. Shattered Pixel Dungeon's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (4.2K vs 2). On rating, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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

Pixel Dungeon Heroe is free to download; Shattered Pixel Dungeon costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Shattered Pixel Dungeon against 5.0 for Pixel Dungeon Heroe. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shattered Pixel Dungeon has 4.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Shattered Pixel Dungeon's written reviews are positive against 100% of Pixel Dungeon Heroe's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shattered Pixel Dungeon ships an update fortnightly, Pixel Dungeon Heroe every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Shattered Pixel Dungeon versus Pixel Dungeon Heroe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShattered Pixel DungeonPixel Dungeon Heroe
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (4.2K ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4.2K — better2
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
Best chart rank#9 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.4
Further details — not scored
Size134 MB106 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperEvan DebenhamSPJM LLC

Customer experience

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

All ratings4,210 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral0.6%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews971 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral1.5%
Negative5.6%

Pixel Dungeon Heroe

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

Pixel Dungeon Heroe

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Shattered Pixel Dungeon

No in-app purchases

None

Pixel Dungeon Heroe

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixel Dungeon Heroe free?
Pixel Dungeon Heroe is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Shattered Pixel Dungeon or Pixel Dungeon Heroe?
Pixel Dungeon Heroe is rated higher. Shattered Pixel Dungeon averages 4.9 out of 5 from 4.2K ratings, while Pixel Dungeon Heroe averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Shattered Pixel Dungeon or Pixel Dungeon Heroe have ads?
Pixel Dungeon Heroe shows ads; Shattered Pixel Dungeon does not.
Which is updated more often, Shattered Pixel Dungeon or Pixel Dungeon Heroe?
Shattered Pixel Dungeon ships an update fortnightly, and Pixel Dungeon Heroe every 2 months. Most recently, Shattered Pixel Dungeon was updated on October 29, 2026 and Pixel Dungeon Heroe on October 20, 2026.

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