Comparison

DragonVale vs AR Dragon

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

Head to head
About

DragonVale

This game lets you collect, breed, and raise over 500 mythical dragons. Build a fantasy park, nurture your dragons from baby to elder, and send them on quests for treasures. Discover new dragons and decorations during seasonal events.

Highlights
  • Breed and hatch over 500 mythical dragons
  • Nurture dragons from baby to elder
  • Enter dragons in races and quests
  • Discover new dragons and decorations
  • Build and decorate floating islands
  • Connect and share with friends
Features
Read full description

Breed two dragons. Find out what hatches. Then do it hundreds of times over! DragonVale is the original dragon-breeding park builder, raise mythical creatures from egg to elder and build a floating island paradise in the clouds. Fifteen years on, players still haven't hatched everything. ---- BREED & DISCOVER ---- Every pairing is a question. Combine two dragons, wait for the egg, and find out what their elements produce together. Some results take minutes. Some take seasons. A few have taken the community years to crack. • Hundreds of dragons to uncover, from common hatchlings to legendary rarities • Elemental combinations that reward experimentation, not memorization • The Dragonarium tracks every dragon you have bred, hatched, and raised • Team up in the Cooperative Breeding Cave for dragons you cannot get alone • Rare and limited dragons return only during specific events — miss one and you wait • Twin and rift dragons for players who want the deep end of the collection ---- RAISE THEM ---- A dragon is not finished when it hatches. Feed it, level it, and watch it change. • Grow and harvest Dragon Treats on your own farms to feed your collection • Every dragon transforms through baby, juvenile, adult, and elder stages • Each stage is drawn by hand — no recolors, no reused models • Enter your dragons in races and send them on quests for treasure and Dragon Cash • Higher-level dragons unlock better breeding results and bigger rewards • Elder forms take real dedication and look like it ---- BUILD YOUR PARK ---- Your islands float above the clouds, and the layout is entirely yours. • Expand across dozens of islands, each with its own habitats and terrain • Match habitats to elements — fire, water, air, earth, lightning, and far stranger • Decorate with hundreds of items, from topiaries and fountains to full attractions • Rearrange anything, anytime — your park is never locked into one design • Explore beyond the sky and chase Galaxy Dragons among the stars ---- SOMETHING NEW EVERY SEASON ---- DragonVale has run live events continuously for over a decade, and the calendar never repeats itself. • Seasonal events bring new dragons, decorations, habitats, and activities • Limited-time challenges with rewards you cannot get any other way • Regular updates with genuinely new content, not just maintenance • Returning favorites for players who missed them the first time around ---- PLAY WITH FRIENDS ---- • Visit friends' parks and see what they have managed to hatch • Send gems and gifts to help each other along • Share your rarest finds and compare Dragonariums • Breed cooperatively for results neither of you could reach alone ---- MADE BY HAND ---- Every dragon in DragonVale started as a sketch on someone's desk. • Spectacular visuals, sparkling animations, and eggs worth staring at • Every egg, baby, juvenile, adult, and elder drawn frame by frame by our artists • Each creature imagined by a person before a single line was ever drawn • An original soundtrack composed and recorded by our award-winning composer • Fifteen years of craft from a studio that has never taken the shortcut Legend says dragons are fierce, fire-breathing monsters. DragonVale says otherwise. From cuddly hatchlings that fit in your hand to massive, time-bending elders that reshape the sky, these are creatures worth raising — and the park you build for them is worth showing off. Whether you have five minutes to harvest treats or an afternoon to redesign an entire island, there is always something waiting. Start with two dragons and an empty stretch of sky. See where it goes. Your park. Your dragons. Your DragonVale. Download free and start hatching. Your first egg is already waiting. _________________________________ PLEASE NOTE! Some game items can be purchased for real money. If you don't want to use this feature, please disable in-app purchases. DragonVale requires an internet connection to play.

About

AR Dragon

Hatch, raise, and care for a unique virtual dragon in augmented reality. Interact with your dragon by feeding, playing, and dressing it up with various accessories. Watch your dragon grow and explore the real world with it.

Highlights
  • Hatch and raise unique dragons
  • Augmented reality integration
  • Feed and play with your dragon
  • Collect hats and skins
  • Discover rare toys and food
  • Dragon grows and changes size
Features
Read full description

Augmented Reality Virtual Pet Simulator! Hatch and care for your own unique dragon! Your dragon is one of a kind and unlike any other in the world! Discover and care for your own unique pet dragon: * Each day your dragon grows older and larger in size. * No two dragons will look the same! * Bring your dragon into the real world with AR! * Play catch with your dragon to ensure they’re having fun. * Make sure to feed your dragon so they dont go hungry. * Collect over 20 unique hats and fancy skins to dress up your dragon. * Rare toys and food to collect! * Training mode coming soon! * Teen / Adult dragon coming soon! PLEASE NOTE: AR Dragon is free game. However, some extra items can be purchased for real money. AR Dragon was developed by PlaySide, the developers behind the Editors’ Choice title “Catch The Ark”, Icy Ropes, Monkey Ropes, The Lego Batman Movie Game and Bouncy Bits. Let us know what you would love to see in our next update. Visit us at : www.playsidestudios.com

Screenshots

DragonVale4 screens
AR Dragon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: DragonVale at 100K against AR Dragon's 7K. DragonVale also leads on chart position (#27 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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. DragonVale sells 20 one-off in-app purchases and AR Dragon sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for DragonVale against 4.6 for AR Dragon. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DragonVale has 100K ratings behind it against 7K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of DragonVale's written reviews are positive against 72% of AR Dragon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DragonVale ships an update every 4 weeks, AR Dragon fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
DragonVale versus AR Dragon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDragonValeAR Dragon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (100K ratings) — better4.6 (7K ratings)
Positive reviews65.0% of reviews72.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings100K — better7K
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#27 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size535 MB299 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDeca Live Operations GmbHPlaySide

Customer experience

DragonVale

All ratings99,788 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.3%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews959 reviews
Positive65.0%
Neutral11.5%
Negative23.6%

AR Dragon

All ratings7,016 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral3.5%
Negative5.3%
Written reviews1,494 reviews
Positive72.2%
Neutral7.9%
Negative19.9%

User reviews

DragonVale

From 100K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🐉 Nostalgic and long-running game
  • 👍 Variety of unique dragons to collect
  • 🎨 Appealing and creative dragon designs
  • 🎉 Engaging seasonal events and new content
  • 🤝 Cooperative breeding with friends

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases and upgrades
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and long waiting times
  • 🤯 Overwhelming number of new dragons
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and loading issues
  • 🤔 Confusing and complicated new features (Rift)

AR Dragon

From 7K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🐉 Cute and interactive dragon
  • 🎨 Customizable dragon with skins and accessories
  • 🔍 Realistic AR integration
  • 🕹️ Fun feeding and training activities

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Dragon gets hungry/bored too quickly
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 🔒 Difficulty accessing camera permissions
  • 🔁 Limited gameplay beyond feeding and playing

Bugs and requests

DragonVale

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Glitches with ad-related features
  • Inconsistent performance on older devices
  • Inability to delete or reset saved parks

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to gift dragons to friends
  • More customization options for islands
  • Easier way to reorganize and manage park
  • Reduced costs for habitats and upgrades
  • Improved rewards and currency acquisition

AR Dragon

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Ads not working properly
  • Compatibility issues with older devices
  • Dragon disappearing or getting stuck in certain locations

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more mini-games and activities
  • Implement a sleep/hibernation mode for the dragon
  • Allow for multiple dragons or a breeding feature
  • Improve dragon aging and visual progression
  • Add multiplayer/social features to interact with other players

In-app purchases

20 purchases

DragonVale

One-time20
  • Pile of Cash$0.99
  • Pile of Treats$0.99
  • Pile of Gems$1.99
Show 17 more
  • Sack of Cash$1.99
  • Sack of Treats$1.99
  • Sack of Gems$4.99
  • Bag of Cash$4.99
  • Bag of Treats$4.99
  • Excellent Iceberry/Gem Bundle$4.99
  • Excellent Eggs & Gem Bundle$4.99
  • Bag of Gems$9.99
  • Outstanding Iceberry/Gem Pack$9.99
  • Outstanding Eggs & Gem Bundle$9.99
  • Impressive Iceberry/Gem Bundle$19.99
  • Impressive Eggs & Gem Bundle$19.99
  • Box of Gems$24.99
  • Stunning Iceberry & Gem Bundle$49.99
  • Stunning Eggs & Gem Bundle$49.99
  • Incredible Iceberry/Gem Bundle$99.99
  • Incredible Eggs & Gem Bundle$99.99
10 purchases

AR Dragon

One-time10
  • Small pile of Crystals$0.99
  • Adult Dragon$0.99
  • Food Bowl$1.99
Show 7 more
  • Extra Lair 1$1.99
  • Extra Lair 2$1.99
  • Bag of Crystals$2.99
  • Winter is Coming$3.99
  • Crate of Crystals$9.99
  • Chest of Crystals$29.99
  • Treasure trove of Crystals$79.99

Questions

Is DragonVale free?
DragonVale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AR Dragon free?
AR Dragon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DragonVale or AR Dragon?
DragonVale is rated higher. DragonVale averages 4.7 out of 5 from 100K ratings, while AR Dragon averages 4.6 from 7K ratings.
Do DragonVale or AR Dragon have ads?
Both DragonVale and AR Dragon show ads.
Which is updated more often, DragonVale or AR Dragon?
DragonVale ships an update every 4 weeks, and AR Dragon fortnightly. Most recently, DragonVale was updated on September 24, 2026 and AR Dragon on September 21, 2026.

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