Comparison

Deadlock vs DUAL!

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

Head to head
About

Deadlock

Engage in intense 3D online multiplayer battles as a dualstick shooter. Compete in daily and weekly tournaments to earn unlock points and customize your arsenal with over 30 weapons and armor pieces. Practice offline in survival or bot matches before joining global arenas.

Highlights
  • 3D online multiplayer action
  • Daily and weekly tournaments
  • Over 30 weapons and armor
  • Offline practice modes
  • Multiple gameplay modes
  • Ranked progression system
  • Game Center integration
Features
Read full description

From Crescent Moon, makers of the hit titles Aralon: Sword and Shadow and Gears, comes a new breed of Multiplayer game. Step into the world of DEADLOCK, the most Epic 3d online dualstick shooter on the App Store! Join in on the action and play against thousands of other players in online matches. Compete in daily and weekly tournaments to win unlock points. Over 30 different weapons, armor, and attachments - including different pistols, rifles, machine guns, grenades, scopes,and flashbangs! Practice your shooting skills before entering in online matches by playing Survival Mode and Bot Matches offline! System Requirements: Game Center, iOS 4.1 or higher, iPhone 3GS and up, iPad 1 or iPad 2 Features: - Gorgeous 3d Graphics - Up to 8 player online multiplayer action. - Over 30 weapons including assault rifles, sub machine guns, grenades and more. - Robust loadout system including multiple weapon attachments, and armor. - 3 Gameplay modes at launch including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture & Hold - 30 ranks to earn with rewards for each rank you earn. - Asynchronous Online Tournaments – automatically be entered into new tournaments running every day and every week to win unlock points which can be used to unlock new weapons and items. - Gamecenter integration for tournaments and achievements, character stat tracking. - Character synchronization between multiple devices (iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch) - 7 Maps Like Facebook.com/CrescentMoonGames and follow @cm_games on Twitter for more great games and deals!

About

DUAL!

Engage in local multiplayer fun with friends using your mobile devices. Connect via WiFi or Bluetooth to play competitive or cooperative games by shooting from one screen to another. Enjoy classic duels, team defense, or goal-scoring challenges.

Highlights
  • Local multiplayer over WiFi or Bluetooth
  • Competitive and cooperative modes
  • DUEL: Classic standoff
  • DEFEND: Cooperative defense
  • DEFLECT: Goal-scoring game
  • Unlockable color sets
  • Stats, achievements, and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Between people, across screens. DUAL is a local multiplayer game where two players use their mobile devices to shoot from one screen to the other. It's easy to pick up and play any of the competitive or cooperative modes: DUEL, DEFLECT, and DEFEND. Features: + Battle locally over WiFi or Bluetooth. + DUEL - Tilt your phone, dodge bullets, charge, and shoot your friends in this classic duel standoff. + DEFEND - Work together to defend the middle from an onslaught of attackers. + DEFLECT - Score goals by blasting, banking, and curving the ball from one screen to the other. + Only one person needs to have the full version unlocked to play DEFEND and DEFLECT with another player. + Collectable color sets unique to your device; unlock them all by playing against different people. + Single one-time in-app purchase to unlock the full game, and restore it on all your devices using the same account. + Stats, achievements, and leaderboards. "Working together right next to each other really brings back the magic of couch gaming." - Chris Carter, Destructoid "...it's a really fun way to engage with another live human, up-close and personal." - Rick Broida, CNET "You play it with someone, anywhere, and it actually brings you closer together..." - Chris Priestman, Kill Screen "...sending bullets across to someone else’s phone as you sit opposite them has a curious sense of technological magic to it." - Chris Charlton, Kaijupop Quick Troubleshooting Guide: + Make sure your WiFi is enabled and both players are on the same WiFi network. + Use Manual IP Discovery from the WiFi lobby if unable to find each other while on the same WiFi network. + To restore your purchase go to the Unlock screen and select the Restore Purchases button.

Screenshots

Deadlock4 screens
DUAL!4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Deadlock at monthly against DUAL!'s every 3 months. Deadlock also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.1) and review sentiment (75% vs 65%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Deadlock sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and DUAL! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Deadlock holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4K and 2.4K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Deadlock's written reviews are positive against 65% of DUAL!'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Deadlock ships an update monthly, DUAL! every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Deadlock versus DUAL!: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeadlockDUAL!
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (4K ratings) — better4.1 (2.4K ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better64.7% of reviews
Number of ratings4K — better2.4K
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS4.1 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size77 MB14 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperCrescent Moon Games LLCSeabaa, Inc.

Customer experience

Deadlock

All ratings3,972 ratings
Positive81.2%
Neutral7.1%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews1,348 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral10.3%
Negative14.7%

DUAL!

All ratings2,418 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews801 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral7.9%
Negative27.5%

User reviews

Deadlock

From 4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 👍 Fun and addictive
  • 🔥 Awesome gameplay
  • 💯 Best shooter on iOS
  • 🎮 Unique controls

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🔌 Connection issues
  • ⏱️ Slow matchmaking
  • 🤖 Unbalanced matchmaking
  • 💰 Difficult to earn unlock points

DUAL!

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun
  • 👍 Super entertaining and quick to play
  • 👍 Great well designed game
  • 👍 Amazing!
  • 👍 Very creative

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity Issues
  • 🐛 Doesn't Connect Anymore
  • 🐛 can't connect
  • 🐛 Pairing doesn't work
  • 🐛 Doesn't work

Bugs and requests

Deadlock

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Unable to log in
  • Losing connection during matches
  • Unlock points not registering properly
  • Crashes on loading screens
  • Laggy performance

Requested features

5 requests
  • More maps and game modes
  • Easier way to earn unlock points
  • Offline progression
  • First-person mode
  • Ability to kick players from matches

DUAL!

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Trying to connect is not working with others
  • Cannot play with others on the same network
  • Restore purchases not working
  • Couldn't play in class
  • I can't move
Show 2 more
  • Login screen freezes
  • Incompatible with older devices

Requested features

10 requests
  • 💡 Add more game modes
  • 💡 Add single player mode
  • 💡 Add online multiplayer
  • 💡 Add more ships/characters
  • 💡 Add joystick controls
Show 5 more
  • 💡 Add more free ships/characters
  • 💡 Add AI/bots to play against
  • 💡 Add more levels/difficulty
  • 💡 Add worldwide/online multiplayer
  • 💡 Add team/doubles mode

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Deadlock

One-time4
  • 4 Unlock Points$0.99
  • 16 Unlock Points$2.99
  • 40 Unlock Points$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 120 Unlock Points$9.99
1 purchases

DUAL!

One-time1
  • Full Game Unlock$2.99

Questions

Is Deadlock free?
Deadlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DUAL! free?
DUAL! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Deadlock or DUAL!?
Deadlock is rated higher. Deadlock averages 4.3 out of 5 from 4K ratings, while DUAL! averages 4.1 from 2.4K ratings.
Do Deadlock or DUAL! have ads?
Neither Deadlock nor DUAL! shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Deadlock or DUAL!?
Deadlock ships an update monthly, and DUAL! every 3 months. Most recently, Deadlock was updated on November 1, 2026 and DUAL! on October 29, 2026.

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