Comparison

Castle Empire vs Royal's Gambit

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

Head to head
About

Castle Empire

Lead an alliance in a medieval world where firearms are rising. Build your castle, train residents, and engage in real-time combat to fight against the old empire. Enjoy casual tower defense and strategic map control.

Highlights
  • Alliance leadership
  • Castle building and customization
  • Casual tower defense gameplay
  • Real-time RTS combat
  • Infinite map zoom
  • Resident training
Features
Read full description

At the end of Medieval time, firearms prevailed. The knights who had been glorious for more than one thousand years began to withdraw from the main stage of history. The power of the old empire fell apart... In Castle Empire, players will take on the role of alliance leader in the game and compete against the forces of the old empire with other players! -The chivalry lives on Eliminating evil and supporting the weak, building castles to protect your people. Unite with the surrounding rebels, and fight against the old empire together! -Unique Castle Feature Infinite map zoom, cutaway perspective, assign every castle room, training residents, and building your own dream castle! -Casual Tower Defense at Your Fingertips The game has added a casual tower defense gameplay, which is currently available in single-player mode. Although the gameplay is casual, it still offers strategic depth and requires certain finger flexibility! -Real-time Combat Control RTS large-scale map combat control, freely switch between marching and combat, multiple teams fighting simultaneously, flexible tactics and real-time operation, making the battlefield situation ever-changing!

About

Royal's Gambit

A retro-inspired strategy card game where players face intricate patterns of royal face cards. Match card values to health to clear paths, build your deck with new strategies, and aim for high scores. Every decision impacts your progress in this high-stakes gamble.

Highlights
  • Retro-inspired strategy card gameplay
  • 16-card stage patterns
  • Deck building with new tools
  • Score multipliers and combos
  • Multiple game modes
  • Over 80 unique stages
  • Nostalgic pixel visuals
Features
Read full description

Royal's Gambit is a retro-inspired, strategy card game where every decision counts. Face off against intricate 16-card stage patterns made of powerful royal face cards standing in your way. To clear a path to the exit, you'll need to match card values to their health, planning carefully with every move. Build your deck as you advance, unlocking new tools and strategies to overcome tougher stages. Each choice impacts your score, which rises with smart plays, combos and risk-reward multipliers. But beware, failure means starting over, making every run a high-stakes gamble. With multiple game modes and over 80 unique stages, Royal's Gambit challenges you to think ahead, adapt on the fly, and master the board in pursuit of the perfect run. All presented with nostalgic pixel visuals and stylized retro effects.

Screenshots

Castle Empire4 screens
Royal's Gambit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Castle Empire at Free against Royal's Gambit's $9.99. Castle Empire also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (3.5K vs 3). Royal's Gambit's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Castle Empire is free to download; Royal's Gambit costs $9.99 up front. Castle Empire sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Royal's Gambit asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Royal's Gambit holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Castle Empire has 3.5K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Castle Empire ships an update fortnightly, Royal's Gambit every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Castle Empire versus Royal's Gambit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCastle EmpireRoyal's Gambit
PriceFree — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (3.5K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings3.5K — better3
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB211 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperHaoPlay Limited96 Games Studio

Customer experience

Castle Empire

All ratings3,541 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral4.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews143 reviews
Positive36.4%
Neutral12.6%
Negative51.0%

Royal's Gambit

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Castle Empire

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezes during major battles
  • Login issues and loading problems
  • Compatibility issues on older devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Skip tutorial option
  • PvE-only game mode
  • More variety in gameplay and content

Royal's Gambit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Castle Empire

One-time13
  • Tiny Diamonds$0.99
  • Daily Special I$0.99
  • Activity Pack I$0.99
Show 10 more
  • Daily Special II$1.99
  • Daily Special III$2.99
  • Activity Pack II$4.99
  • Daily Special IV$4.99
  • Few Diamonds$4.99
  • Activity Pack III$9.99
  • Some Diamonds$9.99
  • Activity Pack IV$19.99
  • Activity Pack V$49.99
  • Activity Pack VI$99.99
None

Royal's Gambit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Castle Empire free?
Castle Empire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Royal's Gambit free?
Royal's Gambit costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Castle Empire or Royal's Gambit?
Royal's Gambit is rated higher. Castle Empire averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while Royal's Gambit averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Castle Empire or Royal's Gambit have ads?
Neither Castle Empire nor Royal's Gambit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Castle Empire or Royal's Gambit?
Castle Empire ships an update fortnightly, and Royal's Gambit every 4 months. Most recently, Castle Empire was updated on September 26, 2026 and Royal's Gambit on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons