Comparison

Dark City vs Gambit

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

Head to head
About

Dark City

Investigate a series of mysterious attacks in Budapest, where evidence suggests vampires have returned. Uncover secrets, find hidden objects, and solve puzzles to reveal a sinister plot. Unlock bonus content and achievements in this thrilling detective adventure.

Highlights
  • Bonus Game secrets
  • Morphing objects and collectibles
  • Replayable scenes and mini-games
  • Challenging achievements
  • Official strategy guide
Features
Read full description

A stranger's request brings you to Budapest for a case that promises to shake the city to its core! A series of nighttime attacks have shown suspicious evidence that vampires have returned to prowl the city streets. But as you and your new friend and partner, Agatha, quickly discover, something doesn't add up. Do vampires roam the streets and alleys of Budapest at night, or is someone hiding something even more sinister? Gather your wits and prepare for the hunt in this blood-chilling Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure! TRY THE FREE TRIAL VERSION, AND THEN UNLOCK THE COMPLETE ADVENTURE IN THE GAME! Dark City: Budapest features are: • Uncover the secrets in the Bonus Game! • Loads of morphing objects and collectibles to complete your collections! • Replay your favorite scenes and mini-games to unlock challenging achievements! • Keep the hunt on track with an official strategy guide! Discover more from Friendly Fox Studio: Terms of Use: https://friendlyfox.studio/terms-and-conditions/ Privacy Policy: https://friendlyfox.studio/privacy-policy/ Official website: https://friendlyfox.studio/hubs/hub-ios/ Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/FriendlyFoxStudio/

About

Gambit

Features
Read full description

One position. One winning move. Find the checkmate. Gambit is a daily chess puzzle built around a single, strict promise: every puzzle is a forced mate in two, three, or four, with exactly one first move that works. No "best try", no engine evaluation, no ambiguity. If you find the move, it mates, and the opponent will always play the most stubborn defense available. Tired of ads? App crashes? Dubious data collection and no offline play? So was I. That's how Gambit was born. A NEW PUZZLE EVERY DAY The daily puzzle gets harder as the week goes on: mate in two on Monday, climbing to mate in four by the weekend. Everyone playing on the same date gets the same puzzle, so you can compare notes with a friend. A FORTY-PUZZLE DROP EVERY WEEK Alongside the daily, each week brings a challenge of forty puzzles that ramps from mate in two through mate in four. Bonus hints at the halfway and the end, to stock up for when you need them. New drop every Monday. STORY MODE: THE QUEEN'S RANSOM A hooded figure called the Shade has taken the White Queen. Walk the checkered road across the kingdom as a pawn and win her back, one mate at a time: eight chapters of thirty puzzles, each ending in a mate-in-four boss, then the Long Game, which never ends. Earn up to three stars a puzzle, open chests of hints and pages of the Chronicle along the way, and take the Shade's gambits, such as Blindfold or Mirror, for bigger rewards. Free for every player. TRACK WHAT YOU EARN Hints for every solve, badges for volume, streaks and depth, and a daily check-in bonus. Integrated with Game Center so you can compete with friends. THE ARCHIVE Missed a day? Gambit Archive unlocks every past daily puzzle and every past weekly challenge since launch, growing by forty-seven puzzles a week. Gambit Archive is an auto-renewing subscription, available monthly or annually. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in-app or your Apple Account settings. No weird cancel hoops to jump through. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://johnpalmer.dev/gambit/privacy WORKS ANYWHERE No account, no sign-up, and no internet of any kind required (except for Apple's servers for in-app purchases). Gambit works the same in airplane mode as it does at home. I wanted this on long-haul flights where the wifi was spotty at best. I figure others might, too.

Screenshots

Dark City4 screens
Gambit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is device support: Dark City at 3 against Gambit's 1. Dark City also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads 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

Both are free to download. Dark City sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Gambit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark City ships an update every 3 weeks, Gambit fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Dark City versus Gambit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark CityGambit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (1.6K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.6K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS11.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.0 GB7 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperFriendly Fox Games LimitedJohn Palmer

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dark City

One-time1
  • Full Game & Bonus Unlock$6.99
2 purchases

Gambit

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Archive Access$1.991 Month
  • Annual Archive Access$19.991 Year

Questions

Is Dark City free?
Dark City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Gambit free?
Gambit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dark City or Gambit have ads?
Neither Dark City nor Gambit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dark City or Gambit?
Dark City ships an update every 3 weeks, and Gambit fortnightly. Most recently, Dark City was updated on November 3, 2026 and Gambit on October 24, 2026.

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