# Epic Shadow vs Shadow Rival

Epic Shadow and Shadow Rival both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 68% of Shadow Rival's written reviews are positive against 36% of Epic Shadow's. Epic Shadow's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Epic Shadow sells 25 one-off in-app purchases and Shadow Rival sells 52 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Epic Shadow against 4.7 for Shadow Rival. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 95 and 84 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Epic Shadow's written reviews are positive against 68% of Shadow Rival's.

Epic Shadow ships an update every 11 days, Shadow Rival weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Epic Shadow | Shadow Rival |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (95 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epic-shadow-idle-rpg-war/id6698869581/reviews)** | [4.7 (84 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-rival-action-war-game/id6737874569/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **95** | 84 |
| Positive reviews | 36.1% of reviews | **68.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 296 MB | 898 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Fansipan Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1501817933) | [ONDI TECHNOLOGY JSC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1648266464) |

## What reviewers say

### Epic Shadow

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/epic-shadow-idle-rpg-war/id6698869581)

Assemble a cybernetic army and battle through digital underworld campaigns. Enjoy idle progression with strategic upgrades and diverse troops. Conquer territories, face bosses, and compete globally in this immersive RPG.

**Highlights:** Idle progression, Strategic upgrades, Diverse cyber troops, Epic campaigns, Prestige system, Global leaderboards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (25)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Adventure Package | $1.99 | one-time |
| Handful of Gem | $1.99 | one-time |
| Dungeon Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads Pack (3 days) | $2.99 | one-time |
| Elite Dungeon Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads Pack (10 days) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Auto-Blessing Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Growth Package | $4.99 | one-time |
| Guardian Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Magic Package | $9.99 | one-time |
| Market Package | $9.99 | one-time |
| Membership | $9.99 | one-time |
| 3 Mythic Package | $9.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ascension Package | $9.99 | one-time |
| Month Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Month Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Celebration Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Celebration Pack 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads Pack (30 days) | $11.99 | one-time |
| Hero Package | $19.99 | one-time |
| Month Pack 1 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Celebration Pack 1 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass + | $24.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads Pack | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Good fun idle game
- ✨ Attractive graphics and movements
- 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
- 💯 Can be enjoyed without ads removal
- 🌟 Engaging combat feel and speed

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💸 Too many ads for F2P
- 💰 Expensive ad removal cost
- 📉 Unbalanced difficulty after updates
- 😴 Boring gameplay, just watching
- 💸 Greedy monetization practices

**Reported bugs**

- UI is broken when receiving new quests
- Cannot close pop-ups
- Game crashes or freezes
- Hero does not appear after recruitment
- Game hung after new update

**Requested features**

- Add guilds and guild bosses
- More events and side quests
- Leaderboards
- In-game chat
- Guilds


### Shadow Rival

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-rival-action-war-game/id6737874569)

Engage in intense hack-and-slash combat against dark fantasy monsters. Choose from diverse hero classes, master unique skills, and explore a mysterious world filled with challenges and secrets. Level up your character and customize their appearance to become the ultimate demon hunter.

**Highlights:** Dynamic hack and slash gameplay, Multiple character classes with unique skills, Explore a dark fantasy world, Level up and learn new combos, Character customization, Battle hordes of monsters and demons

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (52)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gem Hoard | $0.99 | one-time |
| Endless jingle 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Fistful of Gem | $0.99 | one-time |
| Endless Brick 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Mystical Wealth Chest | $2.99 | one-time |
| Ticket Package 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Isolde Point boost 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Harlee Point boost 1 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Enchanted Fortune Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Gems | $2.99 | one-time |
| Expert Pack I | $2.99 | one-time |
| Endless jingle 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Endless Brick 2 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Chrismas candy 4 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Normal Monthly Card | $4.99 | one-time |
| Resource selection 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Isolde Point boost 2 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Harlee Point boost 2 | $5.99 | one-time |
| Chrismas candy 3 | $7.99 | one-time |
| Lyra Bundle I | $7.99 | one-time |
| Sorcerer's Bounty | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hero Isolde | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hero Harlee | $9.99 | one-time |
| Power of Holy Gods | $9.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads Pack (Sale) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Christmas selection 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Equipment Pack 1 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Weekly Bundle 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lyra Bundle II | $9.99 | one-time |
| Lyra Buy All | $12.99 | one-time |
| Deluxe Pack All | $12.99 | one-time |
| Hero 5 Path | $14.99 | one-time |
| Battle Pass Premium | $14.99 | one-time |
| Prestige Monthly Card | $14.99 | one-time |
| Harlee Normal Bundle I | $19.99 | one-time |
| Block of Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| Ticket Package 3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Harlee Bundle I | $19.99 | one-time |
| Chrismas candy 2 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Hero christmas | $19.99 | one-time |
| Battle Pass Premium 2 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Equipment Pack 2 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Isolde Normal Bundle II | $29.99 | one-time |
| Harlee Normal Buy All | $34.99 | one-time |
| Isolde Normal Buy All | $34.99 | one-time |
| Rune Ticket Package 4 | $39.99 | one-time |
| Ticket Package 4 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Christmas equipment selection | $49.99 | one-time |
| Weekly Bundle 4 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Equipment selection 5 | $89.99 | one-time |
| Weekly Bundle 5 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth graphics and performance
- 👍 Engaging gameplay
- 💡 Unique fighting game mechanics
- 🎨 Beautiful art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💰 Monetization issues
- 🕰️ Difficulty completing events in time

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes
- Progression loss issues
- Compatibility problems on older devices

**Requested features**

- Account binding function
- More free character unlocks
- Improved event design


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Epic Shadow free?

Epic Shadow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Shadow Rival free?

Shadow Rival is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Epic Shadow or Shadow Rival?

Epic Shadow is rated higher. Epic Shadow averages 4.8 out of 5 from 95 ratings, while Shadow Rival averages 4.7 from 84 ratings.

### Do Epic Shadow or Shadow Rival have ads?

Both Epic Shadow and Shadow Rival show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Epic Shadow or Shadow Rival?

Epic Shadow ships an update every 11 days, and Shadow Rival weekly. Most recently, Epic Shadow was updated on October 24, 2026 and Shadow Rival on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*