Monster Dash vs Ancient Tails
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Monster Dash
Embark on an action-packed adventure running and gunning through monster hordes. Master simple controls to blast enemies with powerful weapons across diverse worlds. Discover hidden awards and enjoy uninterrupted gameplay.
- Run and gun gameplay
- Powerful weapons
- Diverse worlds
- Unique enemies
- Hidden awards
- Simple controls
Read full descriptionHide full description
Sprint, Jump and Blast your way through Monster Dash, an action-packed game by the creators of Jetpack Joyride and Fruit Ninja. Experience the classic game resurrected from the dead! With simple controls, just two buttons, making it easy-to-learn but hard to master. Join Barry Steakfries and his iconic Machine Gun Jetpack in a world full of menacing monster mayhem, as you run and gun your way through hordes of zombies, vampires and more with the most explosive and powerful weapons you can find! UNIQUE FEATURES: • Clear your path with punchy and powerful Weapons! • Uninterrupted gameplay without ads or in-app purchases • 5 different exotic worlds to survive • Unique enemies to defeat in each world • 62 Hidden Awards and Accolades to discover Download Monster Dash now and embark on an action-packed, monster-slaying, adventure… with a dash of nostalgia. Do the dash, do the Monster Dash! WHAT'S HALFBRICK+ Halfbrick+ is a mobile games subscription service featuring: ● Exclusive access to the highest-rated games ● No ads or in app purchases ● Brought to you by the makers of Award-winning mobile games ● Regular updates and new games ● Curated by hand - for gamers by gamers! Kick off your Guest Access with 60 minutes of gameplay! If you like what you see, start your One Month free trial and play all our games without ads, in app purchases, and fully unlocked games! Your subscription will auto-renew after 30 days, or save money with an annual membership! If you have any questions, please contact our support team https://support.halfbrick.com **************************************** View our privacy policy at https://halfbrick.com/hbpprivacy View our terms of service at https://www.halfbrick.com/terms-of-service
Ancient Tails
Embark on a retro-inspired platforming adventure to defeat feline foes. Stun enemies with head-butts while dodging hazards like bouncing balls and motorbikes. Relive classic gameplay with modern polish.
- Retro platforming gameplay
- Head-butt enemies to stun
- Dodge bouncing balls and motorbikes
- Inspired by 80s/90s classics
- Single-player adventure
Read full descriptionHide full description
Ancient Tails is a platform game inspired by a number of classic titles from the eighties and nineties. Your task is to stun enemy creatures by head-butting them, but watch out for bouncing balls and motorbikes!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Monster Dash at Free against Ancient Tails's $1.99. Monster Dash also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months). Ancient Tails's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 62%) and in-app purchases (none vs 19). 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
Monster Dash is free to download; Ancient Tails costs $1.99 up front. Monster Dash sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Ancient Tails asks for nothing beyond the download.
Monster Dash ships an update every 3 weeks, Ancient Tails every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Monster Dash | Ancient Tails |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (2.1K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 61.8% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 2.1K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 7 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Paid — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 116 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Halfbrick Studios | Richard Bannister |
Customer experience
Monster Dash
Ancient Tails
Bugs and requests
Monster Dash
Reported bugs
3 issues- Progress and purchases disappearing after updates
- Game Center integration not working properly
- Spawning enemies too close to the player
Requested features
3 requests- Bring back the original pixel art style
- Add more unlockable weapons and gadgets
- Implement a classic mode without energy/stamina system
Ancient Tails
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Monster Dash
- Halfbrick+$2.991 Month
- Halfbrick+ (Trial)1 Month trial$2.991 Month
- Halfbrick+ (Early Adopter)6 Months trial$2.991 Month
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Halfbrick+ (Yearly discount)$2.991 Month
- Halfbrick+3 variants$29.991 Year
- Halfbrick+1 Year trial$29.991 Year
- The Mega Magnet$0.99
- Special Ammo Gadget$0.99
- Small Gem Pack$1.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Fruit Ninja Blade$1.99
- Weapon Bundle 1$1.99
- Weapon Bundle 2$1.99
- Apocalypse Starter Pack$2.99
- Medium Gem Pack$3.99
- Incredibubble$3.99
- Large Gem Pack$8.99
- Halfbrick+$99.99
Ancient Tails
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Monster Dash free?
Is Ancient Tails free?
Do Monster Dash or Ancient Tails have ads?
Which is updated more often, Monster Dash or Ancient Tails?
Other comparisons















