Shattered Pixel Dungeon vs Vault Runner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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.
Vault Runner
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Vault Runner is a fast arcade treasure escape game built for quick runs, risky choices, and satisfying upgrades. Enter ancient vaults, hunt for keys, collect relics, grab the main treasure, and race to the exit before the collapse catches you. Every run is short enough to play anytime, but each floor adds more traps, guards, debris, and pressure. Why play Vault Runner? - Fast treasure runs made for mobile - Scaling vault difficulty as you level up - Randomized starts, exits, loot, traps, guards, and relic locations - Permanent upgrades for health, speed, dash, luck, and treasure sense - Relics that add useful powers across your collection - Coins, gems, premium relic chests, optional rewarded ads, and one-time support packs - Works on iPhone and iPad - No account required Vault Runner is easy to start and tense to master: find the key, unlock the chamber, grab the treasure, then decide whether to escape safely or stay for more loot. Download Vault Runner and start your next vault run.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Vault Runner at Free against Shattered Pixel Dungeon's $4.99. Shattered Pixel Dungeon's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On 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
Vault Runner is free to download; Shattered Pixel Dungeon costs $4.99 up front. Vault Runner sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Shattered Pixel Dungeon asks for nothing beyond the download.
Shattered Pixel Dungeon ships an update fortnightly, Vault Runner every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shattered Pixel Dungeon | Vault Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.9 (4.2K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 93.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4.2K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #9 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 134 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Evan Debenham | Randy Torres |
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
Vault Runner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
No in-app purchases
Vault Runner
- Starter Pack$2.99
- Remove Ads$4.99
- Founder's Edition$7.99
Questions
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?
Is Vault Runner free?
Do Shattered Pixel Dungeon or Vault Runner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Shattered Pixel Dungeon or Vault Runner?
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