# Castle Empire vs Royal's Gambit

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.

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.

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.

Castle Empire ships an update fortnightly, Royal's Gambit every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Castle Empire | Royal's Gambit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-empire/id1643664657/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royals-gambit/id6751735893/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 36.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 1.4 GB | 211 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [HaoPlay Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1518979561) | [96 Games Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1836517854) |

## What reviewers say

### Castle Empire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/castle-empire/id1643664657)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tiny Diamonds | $0.99 | one-time |
| Daily Special I | $0.99 | one-time |
| Activity Pack I | $0.99 | one-time |
| Daily Special II | $1.99 | one-time |
| Daily Special III | $2.99 | one-time |
| Activity Pack II | $4.99 | one-time |
| Daily Special IV | $4.99 | one-time |
| Few Diamonds | $4.99 | one-time |
| Activity Pack III | $9.99 | one-time |
| Some Diamonds | $9.99 | one-time |
| Activity Pack IV | $19.99 | one-time |
| Activity Pack V | $49.99 | one-time |
| Activity Pack VI | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Fun and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Straightforward and easy to understand
- 🎉 Entertaining visuals and characters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
- 🔁 Repetitive and grindy gameplay
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🕰️ Slow progression without spending money

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

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


### Royal's Gambit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/royals-gambit/id6751735893)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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 October 27, 2026 and Royal's Gambit on October 7, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*