Game Dev Story vs Shotgun King
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Game Dev Story
Build your own game development studio from the ground up. Hire and train staff, research new genres, and develop hit games to conquer the industry. Create your own consoles and aim for a million-selling title.
- Manage game company
- Develop own game console
- Train staff members
- Unlock new genres
- Discover popular combinations
- Develop for latest platforms
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Manage your own game company and try to create a million-selling game in this unique simulation. Features the ability to develop your company's own game console, plus a system for changing your staff members' professions. Hire talented people and train them to develop their skills. As your staff gets more experience, you will unlock a wider array of game genres and content to develop. Try to find the most popular combinations and develop for the latest platform! Your staff members can have a variety of game-related professions, from programmer to sound engineer. Work hard and you may reach the top of the video game industry! -- Try searching for "Kairosoft" to see all of our games, or visit us at https://kairopark.jp. Be sure to check out both our free-to-play and our paid games! https://twitter.com/kairokun2010
Shotgun King
Experience a unique twist on chess where you command a king armed with a shotgun. Fight your way through enemy pieces, strategically reload, and upgrade your abilities to reclaim your kingdom. This roguelike chess adventure offers challenging gameplay and extensive replayability.
- Chess with a shotgun mechanic
- Roguelike progression with upgrades
- 15 difficulty ranks
- Unlockable cards
- Over 100 achievements
- Endless and chase modes
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Chess, but all your army has gone over to the white side, leaving you with nothing but your royal shotgun and your wounded pride. Carried by your dark folly, you decide it's time to teach those white pieces to fear the Shotgun King. Every turn, you may either move your king or shoot at enemy pieces, after what you'll need to move again to reload your shotgun. Avoid checkmate and kill the enemy king to complete the floor. After each floor, you may choose between two random combinations of one upgrade for you and one upgrade for the other side. Choose wisely and keep on winning floors and you just may get your kingdom back. Runs may take ~20 minutes to complete. The game features 15 ranks of difficulty, unlockable cards, over 100 achievements to complete, an endless mode, and now a chase mode where you get continually assailed from all sides!
Screenshots
Verdict
Game Dev Story and Shotgun King both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of Game Dev Story's written reviews are positive against 66% of Shotgun King's. Game Dev Story also leads on price ($4.99 vs $6.99) and ratings volume (3K vs 769). Shotgun King's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months). On rating, ads, 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
Game Dev Story costs $4.99 and Shotgun King $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Game Dev Story against 4.8 for Shotgun King. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3K and 769 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 96% of Game Dev Story's written reviews are positive against 66% of Shotgun King's.
Game Dev Story ships an update every 4 months, Shotgun King every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Game Dev Story | Shotgun King |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 — better | $6.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (3K ratings) — better | 4.8 (769 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 95.7% of reviews — better | 65.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3K — better | 769 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #82 | #53 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 74 MB | 468 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Kairosoft Co.,Ltd | Plug In Digital |
Customer experience
Game Dev Story
Shotgun King
Bugs and requests
Game Dev Story
Reported bugs
3 issues- Blackouts causing loss of progress
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
- Difficulty in obtaining certain resources
Requested features
5 requests- More consoles and game genres
- Ability to customize console designs
- Expanded content and longer playtime
- More staff and office options
- Improved late-game progression and challenges
Shotgun King
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Game Dev Story
No in-app purchases
Shotgun King
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Game Dev Story free?
Is Shotgun King free?
Which has better reviews, Game Dev Story or Shotgun King?
Do Game Dev Story or Shotgun King have ads?
Which is updated more often, Game Dev Story or Shotgun King?
Which is more popular, Game Dev Story or Shotgun King?
Other comparisons
