Comparison

Monster Train vs Ancient Gods

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

Head to head
About

Monster Train

Defend the last burning pyre from Heaven's forces in this strategic deckbuilding roguelike. Build unique decks with over 250 cards from five distinct monster clans, upgrade champions, and explore powerful locations to restore the Inferno. Enjoy ultimate replayability with daily and custom challenges.

Highlights
  • Unlock over 250 cards
  • 5 distinct Monster Clans
  • Upgrade powerful Champions
  • Explore powerful locations
  • Daily & Custom challenges
  • Includes Wild Mutations & Friends & Foes updates
Features
Read full description

Hell has frozen over. Only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of Heaven and restore the Inferno. Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to Roguelite Deck Building, with three vertical playing fields to defend. Features: * Unlock over 250 cards * Discover 5 Monster Clans, each with their own distinct gameplay * Each clan has 10 levels to unlock, bringing new cards to your deck * Upgrade your powerful Champions multiple times * Challenge your friends to beat your score * Includes the released updates Wild Mutations and Friends & Foes! Ultimate Replayability No playthrough is ever the same, it’s a fresh challenge every time. You’ll really never play the same deck twice! Perfect entertainment for your mobile device! Explore powerful locations To take back hell, you’ll need to power up. Choose your route carefully, different locations yield different benefits; upgrade your Champion, recruit powerful units, upgrade cards, gain passive bonuses or duplicate any card in your deck. Strategize to fit your playstyle With five clans to choose from, each has its own unique and surprising gameplay. Pick your primary and supporting clan to gain access to all cards from both. Build your deck and perfect your strategy to defeat your enemies! Daily & Custom challenges Take on a new challenge every day with a hugely modified run due to gameplay mutators or play with your own selection of buffs and nerfs to tailor to your playstyle! Compete globally and against friends, and climb the leaderboards with a skill-focused scoring system. The Last Divinity DLC Epic new content expansion for Monster Train bringing new challenges, more replayability, and a new clan! * A new clan, the Wurmkin *Note: the Wurmkin clan unlocks upon completing Covenant level 1.* * Pact Shards; the new currency bringing benefits at a cost * New endboss: The Last Divinity Available for purchase in-game!

About

Ancient Gods

Embark on offline roguelike adventures with this deck-building RPG. Collect over 300 cards and 50+ characters to craft powerful decks and overcome turn-based card battles. Explore randomly generated events and conquer challenges in a quest to protect your planet.

Highlights
  • Deckbuilding rogue-lite gameplay
  • Turn-based card battles
  • Offline play
  • Hundreds of cards and characters
  • Unique character classes and skills
  • Card combo system
Features
Read full description

Ancient Gods is a combination of gacha and deck-building rogue-lite. No need for the internet, you will experience unique adventures, and build OP decks from hundreds of cards and characters to conquer new challenges. [Features] * Mild strategy turn-based card battle - One versus One battle, single-player mode, decide on which cards to take to make awesome, flawless combinations! Adventure awaits, but can you make the right decision in the randomly generated events on your journey? * 50+ beautifully drawn characters to play with their own unique card and passive skill - Summon and complete your collection of gods * Classes and Skill System - Craft your own deck by choosing classes for your character * Combo system according to the color of the card you play * More than 300 cards to build [Story] Since ancient times, all the planets of the Solar System have had life. Inhabitants of most planets have very powerful powers, with the exception of Earth. One day, the Sun moved into a new era creating a terrifying explosion, burning all the planets. Earth is the only place to live, all the races on other planets have moved here, using all their strength to protect this last planet and get through the Apocalypse. As time passed, the original unity was gone, leaving behind the contempt of powerful races with Humans, who divided the land and ruled over Humans like slaves. At that moment, Humanity appeared 3 siblings with special powers, that is to copy the power of others. From there these Chosen Ones begin their journey to reclaim their planet.

Screenshots

Monster Train4 screens
Ancient Gods4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ancient Gods at Free against Monster Train's $7.99. Monster Train's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (89% vs 66%). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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

Ancient Gods is free to download; Monster Train costs $7.99 up front. Monster Train sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Ancient Gods sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Monster Train against 4.8 for Ancient Gods. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 2K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Monster Train's written reviews are positive against 66% of Ancient Gods's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monster Train ships an update every 3 weeks, Ancient Gods monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Monster Train versus Ancient Gods: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonster TrainAncient Gods
Price$7.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (1.8K ratings) — better4.8 (2K ratings)
Positive reviews88.8% of reviews — better66.2% of reviews
Number of ratings1.8K2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#13 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size533 MB377 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperGood Shepherd EntertainmentLinh Lam Quang

Customer experience

Monster Train

All ratings1,812 ratings
Positive98.3%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.0%
Written reviews358 reviews
Positive88.8%
Neutral5.9%
Negative5.3%

Ancient Gods

All ratings1,978 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews142 reviews
Positive66.2%
Neutral9.2%
Negative24.6%

User reviews

Monster Train

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Outstanding soundtrack
  • 🚀 Lots of discovery and relatability
  • 👍 Great deck builder with deep mechanics
  • 👍 Excellent value for money
  • 👍 Addictive and replayable gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with cloud saves and device switching
  • 🐛 Difficulty targeting off-screen bosses on mobile
  • 🐛 Finicky card selection and play controls
  • 🔋 Can drain phone battery quickly

Ancient Gods

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Offline playability
  • 👍 Generous free-to-play model
  • 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing art and music
  • 💡 Diverse character roster with unique playstyles
  • 🤩 Engaging and challenging gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Lack of content and replayability
  • 🕹️ Clunky and inconsistent controls
  • 🤔 Unclear progression and upgrade systems
  • 💰 Expensive premium content

Bugs and requests

Monster Train

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Cloud save issues causing lost progress
  • Inability to target off-screen bosses
  • Occasional crashes and performance issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to view deck during card selection
  • Customizable UI and graphics options
  • Swipe gestures for floor switching
  • 60fps support

Ancient Gods

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Progress loss and save data issues
  • Incorrect damage calculations
  • Broken challenge mode objectives
  • Unreliable ad rewards

Requested features

5 requests
  • More diverse character representation
  • Expanded story and lore
  • Endless mode improvements
  • Customization options for characters
  • Better save/load functionality

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Monster Train

One-time1
  • The Last Divinity DLC$3.99
10 purchases

Ancient Gods

One-time10
  • Starter pack Silver$0.99
  • Energy Supply 02$0.99
  • Token Package 01$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Starter pack Gold$4.99
  • Endless Pass 01$9.99
  • Thor Pass$9.99
  • Token Package 03$9.99
  • Weekly Pass$9.99
  • Starter pack Platinum$14.99
  • Foundation Forge$14.99

Questions

Is Monster Train free?
Monster Train costs $7.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Ancient Gods free?
Ancient Gods is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Monster Train or Ancient Gods?
Monster Train is rated higher. Monster Train averages 4.9 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Ancient Gods averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.
Do Monster Train or Ancient Gods have ads?
Ancient Gods shows ads; Monster Train does not.
Which is updated more often, Monster Train or Ancient Gods?
Monster Train ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ancient Gods monthly. Most recently, Monster Train was updated on November 8, 2026 and Ancient Gods on November 7, 2026.

Other comparisons