Comparison

Dark Summoner vs Castlevania

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

Head to head
About

Dark Summoner

Engage in a dark fantasy world by summoning and powering up over 5,000 unique monsters. Team up with friends to defeat powerful raid bosses, form clans, and craft items to enhance your team's abilities. Play at your own pace with regular free updates and events.

Highlights
  • Summon and power up over 5,000 monsters
  • Cooperative raid boss battles
  • Form and develop clans with friends
  • Craft powerful battle items
  • Artwork by famous artists
  • Regular free events and updates
Features
Read full description

Garnering Critical Acclaim from Around the World! Dark Summoner, a Dark Fantasy Social Game Gem! Downloaded over 9 million times worldwide! Overwhelming Quality Recognized Around the Globe! *********************************************************** 【Game Introduction】 Bring about an end to the war that's plunged the world into chaos! Summon powerful Rare Monsters and power them up to be mighty warriors for your cause. Form Clans with your friends and aim for the top rank! ■Featuring artwork by many famous Japanese and international artists! A large number of artists from Japan and other countries have contributed to the game. Gorgeous illustrations and intense CG movies deepen the game experience. ■Features over 5,000 Monsters! Featuring more than 5,000 types of monsters designed by famous artists! Monsters are frequently added! Get them all to complete your collection! ■Power up your monsters! Make sacrifices to the monsters you've collected to create the strongest team. Raise epic monsters and become the best! ■Team up with friends to defeat legendary Dark Lord Raid Bosses! Summon legendary Dark Lords using items gathered from completing missions. Cooperate with friends to defeat the Dark Lords and their unbelievable power! Defeated Dark Lords will join your team! ■Form Clans with your friends! In the newly implemented Clan System, create and develop Clans with your friends to gain bonuses! Battle against your Clan mates in future in-game events! Secure your spot in history alongside your friends! ■Craft Relica that can influence the outcome of Battle! Monsters aren't the only vital part of Battles! Gather Magic Crystals to Craft powerful Items, and equip them to boost your stats! There are endless combinations! Find the one that suits your play style! ■Only have a few minutes free? That's OK! The game is playable even if you only have a few minutes to spare. Play at your own pace -- on the train to work or school, before bed, whatever fits your lifestyle! ■New free events and updates added monthly! New events and content are added to the game each month. Dark Summoner is constantly evolving! *********************************************************** ※This game is playable on iOS 15.0 and higher. ※The game may not run if your device's time and date settings are not correct. ※The game's initial load time may take a few minutes in areas with a weak network connection. In such cases, please wait for the load to complete and do not close the application. ※A Wi-Fi connection is recommended for the optimal Dark Summoner experience.

About

Castlevania

Experience a classic action RPG on mobile. Explore a vast castle, battle unique enemies, and uncover secrets as Alucard. This port features updated controls and achievements.

Highlights
  • Direct port of the console classic
  • Play as Alucard
  • Jump, dash, and slash combat
  • Vast castle exploration
  • Game controller compatibility
  • New continue feature
  • Unlockable achievements
Read full description

The iconic game from the beloved Castlevania series finally comes to mobile. This direct port of the classic console action RPG lets you jump, dash and slash your way through Dracula’s vast castle as Alucard while encountering a unique array of enemies and characters along the way. Rediscover the world of Castlevania with one of its original groundbreaking games and renowned music and graphics. □Features Fully compatible with game controllers New continue feature Unlock achievements with hard-fought battle milestones Available in 6 languages: English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Spanish

Screenshots

Dark Summoner4 screens
Castlevania4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dark Summoner at Free against Castlevania's $2.99. Dark Summoner also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 29 months). Castlevania's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support 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

Dark Summoner is free to download; Castlevania costs $2.99 up front. Dark Summoner sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Castlevania asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Castlevania holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Castlevania has 1.8K ratings behind it against 290, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Dark Summoner's written reviews are positive against 54% of Castlevania's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark Summoner ships an update every 3 months, Castlevania every 29 months. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Dark Summoner versus Castlevania: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark SummonerCastlevania
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating3.6 (290 ratings)3.9 (1.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.6% of reviews — better53.8% of reviews
Number of ratings2901.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 29 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#193#21 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.09.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB326 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperAteam Entertainment Inc.KONAMI

Customer experience

Dark Summoner

All ratings290 ratings
Positive61.7%
Neutral10.3%
Negative27.9%
Written reviews367 reviews
Positive61.6%
Neutral6.8%
Negative31.6%

Castlevania

All ratings1,791 ratings
Positive71.0%
Neutral9.3%
Negative19.8%
Written reviews1,103 reviews
Positive53.8%
Neutral11.5%
Negative34.7%

User reviews

Dark Summoner

From 290 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful artwork
  • 🕹️ Addictive gameplay
  • 🤝 Helpful community
  • 🏆 Competitive events

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
  • 🕰️ Slow loading times
  • 🤯 Overwhelming complexity
  • 📱 Screen size issues on newer devices

Castlevania

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Faithful port of a classic game
  • 🎮 Works well with controllers
  • 💰 Great value for the price

Room to improve

  • 🎮 Unresponsive touch controls
  • 🔍 Small action buttons
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (clock room issue, save system issues)

Bugs and requests

Dark Summoner

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to log in or create account
  • Disappearing rewards and progress
  • Broken trading/gifting functionality
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Account recovery option
  • Improved tutorial and onboarding
  • Rebalance of progression system
  • More F2P-friendly content

Castlevania

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Clock room not functioning properly
  • Save system issues (not saving, losing progress)
  • Audio issues (no sound, pitch/speed problems)

Requested features

4 requests
  • Customizable controls and button layout
  • Original voice acting option
  • Improved cutscene quality
  • Cloud save support

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Dark Summoner

One-time12
  • 120 Soul Points$0.99
  • 365 Soul Points$2.99
  • Event Value Pack I$3.99
Show 9 more
  • 1000 Soul Points$7.99
  • Royal Pack C$7.99
  • 1520 Soul Points$11.99
  • Summoner's Pass$12.99
  • 3100 Soul Points$22.99
  • 4800 Soul Points$34.99
  • 8300 Soul Points$59.99
  • 11000 Soul Points$69.99
  • Value Pack! (Platinum)$79.99
None

Castlevania

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dark Summoner free?
Dark Summoner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Castlevania free?
Castlevania costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dark Summoner or Castlevania?
Castlevania is rated higher. Dark Summoner averages 3.6 out of 5 from 290 ratings, while Castlevania averages 3.9 from 1.8K ratings.
Do Dark Summoner or Castlevania have ads?
Dark Summoner shows ads; Castlevania does not.
Which is updated more often, Dark Summoner or Castlevania?
Dark Summoner ships an update every 3 months, and Castlevania every 29 months. Most recently, Dark Summoner was updated on September 22, 2026 and Castlevania on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Dark Summoner or Castlevania?
Dark Summoner currently peaks at #193 in the App Store charts, and Castlevania at #21. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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