Comparison

Slay the Spire+ vs Monster Train+

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

Head to head
About

Slay the Spire+

Embark on a roguelike deckbuilding adventure where you craft a unique deck to battle creatures and discover powerful relics. Each journey through the ever-changing Spire offers a new challenge with different paths, enemies, and events.

Highlights
  • Dynamic deck building
  • Procedurally generated Spire layout
  • Hundreds of cards and items
  • Multiple playable characters
  • Discover powerful relics
  • Unique combat encounters
Features
Read full description

Now on Arcade! Play the roguelike deckbuilder IGN named the Best Strategy Game of 2019. Developed by Mega Crit, this team fused card games and roguelikes together to make the best single player deckbuilder they could. Craft a unique deck, encounter bizarre creatures, discover relics of immense power, and Slay the Spire! Choose between 4 different characters to begin your run. Enter the Spire and battle to defeat enemies by playing cards from your deck. No two runs are the same, battle your way to victory. FEATURES: - DARE TO ASCEND: 350+ fully implemented cards, 200+ different items, 50+ unique combat encounters, and 50+ mysterious events that can help or harm you! - DYNAMIC DECK BUILDING: Choose your cards wisely! Discover hundreds of cards to add to your deck with each attempt at climbing the Spire. Select cards that work together to efficiently dispatch foes and reach the top - AN EVER-CHANGING SPIRE: Whenever you embark on a journey up the Spire, the layout differs each time. Choose a risky or safe path, face different enemies, choose different cards, discover different relics, and even fight different bosses! - POWERFUL RELICS TO DISCOVER: Powerful items known as relics can be found throughout the Spire. The effects of these relics can greatly enhance your deck through powerful interactions. But beware, obtaining a relic may cost you more than just gold…

About

Monster Train+

Defend the last burning pyre from Heaven's forces in this strategic deckbuilding roguelike. Build unique decks with over 250 cards across five distinct monster clans, each offering unique gameplay. Explore powerful locations and upgrade your champions to restore the Inferno.

Highlights
  • Unlock over 250 cards
  • Discover 5 distinct Monster Clans
  • Upgrade Champions multiple times
  • Explore powerful locations for benefits
  • Build and strategize unique decks
  • Includes Wild Mutations and Friends & Foes updates
  • Adds new clan, Pact Shards, and endboss with DLC
Features
Read full description

Hell has frozen over. Only you can protect the final burning pyre from the forces of Heaven and restore the Inferno. Monster Train brings a new strategic layer to Roguelite Deck Building, with three vertical playing fields to defend. Features: * Unlock over 250 cards * Discover 5 Monster Clans, each with their own distinct gameplay * Each clan has 10 levels to unlock, bringing new cards to your deck * Upgrade your powerful Champions multiple times * Includes the released updates Wild Mutations and Friends & Foes! Ultimate Replayability No playthrough is ever the same, it’s a fresh challenge every time. You’ll really never play the same deck twice! Perfect entertainment for your mobile device! Explore powerful locations To take back hell, you’ll need to power up. Choose your route carefully, different locations yield different benefits; upgrade your Champion, recruit powerful units, upgrade cards, gain passive bonuses or duplicate any card in your deck. Strategize to fit your playstyle With five clans to choose from, each has its own unique and surprising gameplay. Pick your primary and supporting clan to gain access to all cards from both. Build your deck and perfect your strategy to defeat your enemies! The Last Divinity DLC Epic new content expansion for Monster Train bringing new challenges, more replayability, and a new clan! * A new clan, the Wurmkin *Note: the Wurmkin clan unlocks upon completing Covenant level 1.* * Pact Shards; the new currency bringing benefits at a cost * New endboss: The Last Divinity

Screenshots

Slay the Spire+4 screens
Monster Train+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Slay the Spire+ at free against Monster Train+'s paid. Monster Train+'s advantage is review sentiment (79% vs 52%) and rating (4.9 vs 4.5). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Monster Train+ holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 808 and 965 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Slay the Spire+'s written reviews are positive against 79% of Monster Train+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Slay the Spire+ ships an update every 5 weeks, Monster Train+ every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Slay the Spire+ versus Monster Train+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSlay the Spire+Monster Train+
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (808 ratings)4.9 (965 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.5% of reviews79.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings808965 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.013.0
Further details — not scored
Size866 MB536 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperHumble Bundle, Inc.Good Shepherd Entertainment

Customer experience

Slay the Spire+

All ratings807 ratings
Positive87.0%
Neutral4.1%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews204 reviews
Positive52.5%
Neutral11.3%
Negative36.3%

Monster Train+

All ratings965 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews220 reviews
Positive79.1%
Neutral5.0%
Negative15.9%

User reviews

Slay the Spire+

From 808 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 💡 Unique deck-building mechanics
  • 🚀 Addictive and replayable
  • 👍 Excellent challenge and difficulty
  • 💡 Variety of playable characters

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional UI/control issues
  • 🔍 Small text/UI elements on mobile
  • 🐛 Progression/save issues for some users
  • 🔍 Unbalanced boss/enemy difficulty

Monster Train+

From 965 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Engaging and addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Variety of factions and strategies
  • 🎨 Cute and charming visuals
  • 🕹️ Challenging yet rewarding experience
  • 💰 Great value as part of Apple Arcade

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and performance issues
  • 🔋 Can drain device battery quickly
  • 🕹️ Difficulty can feel unbalanced at times
  • 🔁 Repetitive enemy and level designs

Bugs and requests

Slay the Spire+

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • End turn button not registering
  • Save data loss/reset issues
  • Crashes on daily challenge screen

Requested features

4 requests
  • Controller support
  • Larger text/UI options
  • Cloud save functionality
  • Improved card/deck viewing

Monster Train+

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes on certain devices
  • Saved progress being overwritten
  • Lag and performance problems on later levels

Requested features

4 requests
  • Longer and more varied gameplay runs
  • Cross-device save synchronization
  • Expanded faction and champion options
  • Customizable difficulty settings

In-app purchases

None

Slay the Spire+

No in-app purchases

None

Monster Train+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Slay the Spire+ free?
Slay the Spire+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Monster Train+ free?
Monster Train+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Slay the Spire+ or Monster Train+?
Monster Train+ is rated higher. Slay the Spire+ averages 4.5 out of 5 from 808 ratings, while Monster Train+ averages 4.9 from 965 ratings.
Do Slay the Spire+ or Monster Train+ have ads?
Neither Slay the Spire+ nor Monster Train+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Slay the Spire+ or Monster Train+?
Slay the Spire+ ships an update every 5 weeks, and Monster Train+ every 2 months. Most recently, Slay the Spire+ was updated on September 24, 2026 and Monster Train+ on September 19, 2026.

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