Comparison

Dungeons of Aether vs Hex Tactical War

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

Head to head
About

Dungeons of Aether

Embark on a challenging turn-based dungeon crawler where strategic dice drafting determines your fate. Explore diverse biomes, uncover journal entries, and master unique hero skills in a quest for treasure or an early demise.

Highlights
  • Turn-based dice drafting combat
  • Four unique heroes with special skills
  • Story mode with steampunk town exploration
  • Multiple dungeon biomes
  • Challenge dungeons for roguelike difficulty
  • Collectible journal entries
Features
Read full description

Dungeons of Aether is a turn-based dungeon crawler designed by Nikita ‘ampersandbear’ Belorusov from the Aether Studios team. Rivals of Aether is known for its intense competition and twitch skills, while Dungeons of Aether allows you to take things at your own pace - but it’s still just as challenging! Every choice you make can lead you deeper into the dungeons or to an early demise. Will you carry out a treasure chest, or be carried out in a pine box? The combat in Dungeons of Aether uses a dice draft system that ensures each battle is unique while challenging the player to adapt the pool of dice each turn. Use fortune to your favor to defeat your foes, collect treasures and shift the odds in your favor... Game Features: - Meet four NEW HEROES from the world of Aether, each with their own unique skills and memorable personalities. - Play STORY MODE and travel to the steampunk town of Julesvale and brave the sprawling caverns underneath it. - Explore each DUNGEON BIOME as you dive into Julesvale Mines, the Lava Caves, the Underground Oasis and the Mineral Deposits, collecting revealing Journal Entries along the way. - Brave the CHALLENGE DUNGEONS if you are looking for true roguelike difficulty to test your skills in the randomly generated dungeons.

About

Hex Tactical War

Features
Read full description

Hex Tactical War is a quick hex-grid conquest game where every move resolves at the same time. Plan your attacks, end the turn, and find out if your plan held. You start with a castle and a handful of units. Tap a tile and send troops to a neighbor, or drag one tile onto another. Set up supply routes that feed the front every turn. When you press End Turn, your orders and the enemy's orders resolve together: armies clash, tiles change hands, and every owned tile grows. Capture an enemy castle and that faction falls. Lose yours and the battle is over. Combat has no dice. The bigger effective army wins and keeps what is left, so every attack is a calculation you can make before you commit. FEATURES • Three modes: Easy, Medium and Hard maps with 1 to 3 enemy factions • A new random battlefield every time you play • Painted terrain tiles: forests, mountains, lakes, villages and ruins • Special tiles: crystals that speed up growth, forts that defend, war camps that strike harder • Supply routes and "send all" orders that repeat each turn • Your battle is saved, so you can pick it up where you left off • Quick matches of 5 to 20 minutes • Free to play, with one purchase to remove ads

Screenshots

Dungeons of Aether4 screens
Hex Tactical War4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hex Tactical War at Free against Dungeons of Aether's $4.99. Dungeons of Aether's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Hex Tactical War is free to download; Dungeons of Aether costs $4.99 up front. Hex Tactical War sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Dungeons of Aether asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dungeons of Aether ships an update every 8 days, Hex Tactical War every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Dungeons of Aether versus Hex Tactical War: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDungeons of AetherHex Tactical War
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (28 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews93.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings28 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS10.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size189 MB21 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperDan FornaceMM&F Software LLC

In-app purchases

None

Dungeons of Aether

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Hex Tactical War

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is Dungeons of Aether free?
Dungeons of Aether costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hex Tactical War free?
Hex Tactical War is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Dungeons of Aether or Hex Tactical War have ads?
Hex Tactical War shows ads; Dungeons of Aether does not.
Which is updated more often, Dungeons of Aether or Hex Tactical War?
Dungeons of Aether ships an update every 8 days, and Hex Tactical War every 4 months. Most recently, Dungeons of Aether was updated on November 3, 2026 and Hex Tactical War on November 5, 2026.

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