Comparison

Dark Summoner vs Ancient Monster Wars

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

Ancient Monster Wars

Embark on an epic adventure in a world inspired by ancient Chinese mythology. Collect and upgrade powerful monsters, experience legendary tales, and engage in thrilling battles with stunning visual effects. Become the ultimate monster tamer and dominate the realms.

Highlights
  • Monster collection and upgrading
  • Mythology-inspired world and stories
  • Special monster skins with buffs
  • Immersive battle scenes with animations
  • Subdue dragons and Kirin
  • Become the strongest monster tamer
Features
Read full description

The world view of "Ancient Monster Wars" is based on "Mountains & Seas", in which there are mysterious monsters and epic stories. Pangu broke the chaos and created the sky and earth. In the very beginning, the northern world was a wilderness, monster was rampant. And you are the master of northern wildland in mountains and seas. Magnificent monster Skin Get special skins with super attribute buff by upgrading monsters, and become the most dazzling presence on the battlefield. Immersive Story Experience Experience the myths and legends such as “Houyi shot the suns” and “Jingwei the divine bird tried to fill the sea”. Real and Exciting Battle Scenes Every battle has exquisite animations and gorgeous skill effects. The immersive battle scenes bring a more realistic experience. Fight against Ferocious Monster Wandering around the ancient world, you can not only seal the monsters but also subdue dragons and the Kirin. Collect Various Monsters You won't be alone on the adventure, various types of powerful monsters with different combat skills will fight alongside you. Let's explore the ancient world, become the strongest monster tamer, promote them to be the King of monsters, and dominate the three realms. Join the official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/monsterwars2021 If you have any questions, please contact us in the game or on Facebook.

Screenshots

Dark Summoner4 screens
Ancient Monster Wars4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dark Summoner at 3.6 against Ancient Monster Wars's 2.9. Dark Summoner also leads on review sentiment (62% vs 33%) and ratings volume (290 vs 9). Ancient Monster Wars's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Dark Summoner sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Ancient Monster Wars 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

Dark Summoner holds the better App Store score, 3.6 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dark Summoner has 290 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Dark Summoner's written reviews are positive against 33% of Ancient Monster Wars's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dark Summoner ships an update every 3 months, Ancient Monster Wars every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Dark Summoner versus Ancient Monster Wars: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDark SummonerAncient Monster Wars
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.6 (290 ratings) — better2.9 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews61.6% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings290 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.010.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB13 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperAteam Entertainment Inc.Guangzhou hengkun Information Technology Co.,Ltd

Customer experience

Dark Summoner

All ratings289 ratings
Positive61.6%
Neutral10.4%
Negative28.0%
Written reviews367 reviews
Positive61.6%
Neutral6.8%
Negative31.6%

Ancient Monster Wars

All ratings9 ratings
Positive44.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative55.6%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

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

Ancient Monster Wars

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
10 purchases

Ancient Monster Wars

One-time10
  • 60Fairy Jade$0.99
  • 120Fairy Jade$1.99
  • 300Fairy Jade$4.99
Show 7 more
  • 400Fairy Jade$5.99
  • 680Fairy Jade$9.99
  • 980Fairy Jade$14.99
  • 1280Fairy Jade$19.99
  • 1980Fairy Jade$29.99
  • 3280Fairy Jade$49.99
  • 6480Fairy Jade$99.99

Questions

Is Dark Summoner free?
Dark Summoner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ancient Monster Wars free?
Ancient Monster Wars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Dark Summoner or Ancient Monster Wars?
Dark Summoner is rated higher. Dark Summoner averages 3.6 out of 5 from 290 ratings, while Ancient Monster Wars averages 2.9 from 9 ratings.
Do Dark Summoner or Ancient Monster Wars have ads?
Dark Summoner shows ads; Ancient Monster Wars does not.
Which is updated more often, Dark Summoner or Ancient Monster Wars?
Dark Summoner ships an update every 3 months, and Ancient Monster Wars every 5 days. Most recently, Dark Summoner was updated on October 29, 2026 and Ancient Monster Wars on October 18, 2026.

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