The Elder Scrolls vs DREDGE
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The Elder Scrolls
Build and manage your own castle and dynasty across generations. Make crucial decisions, customize your stronghold, and send heroes on quests to protect your kingdom. Your choices shape your legacy.
- Build and customize your castle
- Manage your dynasty across generations
- Make impactful kingdom decisions
- Train subjects and assign workstations
- Complete epic quests with heroes
- Equip heroes with epic gear
Read full descriptionHide full description
From Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning developer behind Skyrim and Fallout Shelter, comes The Elder Scrolls: Castles – a new mobile game that puts you in control of your very own castle and dynasty. Oversee your subjects as the years come and go, families grow, and new rulers take the throne. BUILD YOUR DYNASTY Tell your story for generations - each day in real life covers the span of an entire year in The Elder Scrolls: Castles. Train your subjects, name heirs, and maintain order to help your kingdom flourish. Will you keep your subjects happy and ensure a long life for their ruler? Or will they grow discontent and plot assassination? MANAGE YOUR CASTLE Customize your castle from the ground up, adding and expanding rooms, placing lavish decorations and inspirational monuments, and even assign subjects to workstations to ensure your castle has the resources to thrive for years to come! RULE YOUR KINGDOM Make key decisions that impact your legacy. Will you risk a limited supply of food to aid a neighboring kingdom? How should a heated spat between your subjects be settled? Your choices determine if your rule will inspire prosperity or lead your castle to peril. COMPLETE EPIC QUESTS Create heroes, equip them with epic gear, and send them to battle against classic Elder Scrolls foes to collect valuable items and keep your kingdom growing.
DREDGE
Explore remote islands and their depths as a fishing trawler captain. Sell your catch, complete quests to uncover local secrets, and upgrade your boat. Beware of the dangers lurking in the dark.
- Explore remote islands and depths
- Catch and sell diverse sea life
- Complete quests to uncover secrets
- Upgrade fishing boat and equipment
- Survive nighttime dangers
- Unravel a dark mystery
Read full descriptionHide full description
*TRY BEFORE YOU BUY* Play the first area for free. One-time purchase unlocks the base game. DLC expansions available as additional in-app purchases. Captain your fishing trawler to explore a collection of remote isles, and their surrounding depths, to see what lies below. Sell your catch to the locals and complete quests to learn more about each area’s troubled past. Outfit your boat with better equipment to trawl deep-sea trenches and navigate to far-off lands, but keep an eye on the time. You might not like what finds you in the dark... Explore the Islands & Discover their Secrets Starting from your new home in the remote archipelago, ‘The Marrows’, take to the water and scour the depths for curious collectables and over 125 deep sea denizens. Explore each area while completing quests and visiting neighboring island regions – each with their own unique opportunities, inhabitants, and secrets. Dredge the Depths Someone wants you to dig up the past, but can you trust them and will it ever be enough? Beware the Fog Danger is everywhere, so watch for sharp rocks and shallow reefs, though the biggest threats of all lurk within the fog that cloaks the night-time seas... Game Features: - Unravel a Mystery: Captain your fishing trawler across a collection of remote islands, each with its own inhabitants to meet, wildlife to discover, and stories to unearth. - Dredge the Depths: Scour the sea for hidden treasures and complete quests to gain access to strange new abilities - Study Your Craft: Research special equipment and upgrade your boat’s capabilities to gain access to rare fish and valuable deep-sea curios. - Fish to Survive: Sell your discoveries to the locals to learn more about each area, and upgrade your boat to reach even more secluded locations. - Fight the Unfathomable: Strengthen your mind and use your abilities to survive trips out on the water after dark.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: DREDGE at none against The Elder Scrolls's shown. DREDGE also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 49%). The Elder Scrolls's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (13K vs 1.1K). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. The Elder Scrolls sells 39 one-off in-app purchases and DREDGE sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
The Elder Scrolls holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Elder Scrolls has 13K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of The Elder Scrolls's written reviews are positive against 60% of DREDGE's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The Elder Scrolls ships an update every 2 weeks, DREDGE every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The Elder Scrolls | DREDGE |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (13K ratings) — better | 4.3 (1.1K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 49.1% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 13K — better | 1.1K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 686 MB | 785 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Bethesda | Black Salt Games |
Customer experience
The Elder Scrolls
DREDGE
User reviews
The Elder Scrolls
From 13K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fun and addictive gameplay
- 👍 Unique Elder Scrolls-themed mechanics
- 💡 Interesting character relationships and decision-making
- 🎨 Beautiful visuals and music
Room to improve
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 💰 Aggressive monetization with paywall-locked content
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and sync issues
- 🕹️ Clunky controls and UI
DREDGE
From 1.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great game
- 🚀 Excellent port to mobile
- 🎮 Supports controllers
- 🎨 Stunning graphics
- 🕹️ Intuitive controls
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive for a mobile game
- 🔍 Misleading 'free' description
- 📱 Text/UI too small on phones
- 🐛 Crashes and performance issues
- 🎮 Controller support needs improvement
Bugs and requests
The Elder Scrolls
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to select rooms without selecting characters
- Accidental character movement due to poor UI
- Inconsistent resource collection when game is closed
Requested features
4 requests- Multiple save files or restart option
- More customization options for castle and characters
- Improved character management tools
- Deeper integration with Elder Scrolls lore and characters
DREDGE
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on startup
- Controller issues
- Inventory/menu navigation problems
Requested features
5 requests- Larger text and UI options
- Cross-save between devices
- More content and DLC
- Minimap or navigation aids
- Ability to walk around boat/town
In-app purchases
The Elder Scrolls
- Event Bundle$0.99
- Pouch of Gems - 50% discount$0.99
- Imperial Decoration: Discount$1.99
Show 36 moreShow fewer
- Legendary Shield Spellbreaker$1.99
- Legendary Axe: Warlock Butcher$1.99
- Pouch of Gems$1.99
- Event Bundle$2.99
- Potions and Scrolls$2.99
- Imperial Decoration$3.99
- Witch-Hunting Reinforcements$4.99
- Small Starter Bundle$4.99
- Emperor's Pass (7 days)$4.99
- Sack of Gems$4.99
- Magical Craftsmen$5.99
- Legendary Event Subject Bundle$6.99
- Redguard Bundle: New Blood$7.99
- Holiday Feast Bundle$9.99
- Satchel of Gems$9.99
- Potions and Scrolls$9.99
- Dwemer Furnace Bundle$9.99
- Emperor's Pass (14 days)$9.99
- Magical Craftsmen$9.99
- Weekly Bundle: Silversmith$11.99
- Put Your Dukes Up - Discount$11.99
- A Bit of Everything$11.99
- Decoration Pack$12.99
- But make it fashion - discount$13.99
- Emperor's Pass (30 days)$13.99
- Large Starter Bundle$14.99
- Weekly Bundle: It's Adore-able$17.99
- Imperial Coffer of Gems$19.99
- Weekly Bundle : A Noble Path$19.99
- Weekly Bundle: A Mage's Touch$19.99
- Biggest Bundle (Big Discount)$19.99
- Emperor's Pass (1 year)$19.99
- Strongbox of Gems$19.99
- Put Your Dukes Up$29.99
- Weekly Bundle: Silversmith$29.99
- Imperial Coffer of Gems$99.99
DREDGE
- Blackstone Key2 variants$0.99
- The Pale Reach2 variants$5.99
- The Iron Rig2 variants$11.99
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Base Game Unlock2 variants$24.99
Questions
Is The Elder Scrolls free?
Is DREDGE free?
Which has better reviews, The Elder Scrolls or DREDGE?
Do The Elder Scrolls or DREDGE have ads?
Which is updated more often, The Elder Scrolls or DREDGE?
Other comparisons















