Dope Wars 1987 vs Contraband
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dope Wars 1987
Experience a classic text-based economic strategy game set in the 1980s. Buy and sell goods in a dynamic urban market, outsmarting rivals and officials to build your empire. Can you thrive in the gritty underworld of 1987?
- Text-based gameplay
- Economic strategy simulation
- Fluctuating market prices
- Urban underworld setting
- Character interaction
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Relive the 80s with this updated remake of the classic text-based economic strategy game. Navigate a treacherous urban landscape, buying and selling goods at fluctuating prices to maximize your profits. Outwit shady characters and corrupt officials as you scheme your way to the top. Do you have what it takes to survive in the gritty underworld of '87?
Contraband
Engage in a high-stakes trading simulation across twelve cities within a 30-day limit. Navigate dynamic markets, manage risks from various factions, and build your net worth to compete on a global leaderboard. Every decision impacts your story and survival.
- Dynamic city markets
- Faction-based gameplay
- Risk management mechanics
- Story-driven outcomes
- Global leaderboards
- Automatic saving
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Twelve cities. Thirty days. One question — how much can you walk away with? Contraband is a trading game about risk. Buy low in one city, sell high in another, and stay ahead of everyone who wants what you're carrying: police, informants, rivals, and a loan shark who doesn't take excuses. THE RUN You start with a little cash and a map of twelve American cities, each with its own market. The cheapest heroin in Baltimore. The cheapest meth in Albuquerque. Cocaine moving through Miami at port prices. Those markets drift every time you travel, so the spread you planned on may not be waiting when you arrive. Thirty days. Then the clock stops and you're scored on what you built. SEVEN FACTIONS, SEVEN GAMES Choose who you run with. Your faction changes where you start, what you pay, who you owe — and what you can do when a night goes wrong. - The Mafia make a phone call. Someone downtown always owes them. - The Outlaws outrun it, and feel it in the morning. - The Cartel answer with force. It works. The city remembers. - The Yakuza negotiate. Never free, never a disaster. - The Red Network simply disappear for a day. - The Syndicate call the block — if the block is still cold. - The Independent has nothing but nerve and whatever name they've built. No two factions solve the same problem the same way. WHAT'S WORKING AGAINST YOU HEAT - Every bust raises the temperature in that city. Hot streets are dangerous streets, and heat only cools while you're somewhere else. REPUTATION - Build a name and trouble starts finding its own way around you. HEALTH - You can be hurt, badly. Carry a med pack. Carry a tourniquet for the night it saves your life. JAIL - A sentence costs you days you don't have. Draw one longer than your remaining time and the run ends behind bars. THE LOAN SHARK - Borrow when you're desperate, repay within six days. He is not a patient man. THE BANK - The only money an event can't take from you. EVERY RUN IS A STORY Hundreds of written outcomes rather than silent dice. Police chases, undercover buys, cut product, worse partners, and the occasional very good night. What happens is written from your faction's point of view, so the same bad luck reads differently depending on who you run with. Runs save automatically - close the app mid-deal and come back to it exactly where you left off. Final scores post to a global leaderboard ranked on net worth. Free to play. Two factions are free; the rest can be unlocked individually or all at once. --- All characters, organizations, markets and substances depicted are entirely fictional. Contraband is a strategy simulation and does not represent, promote or endorse real individuals, groups or activities.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Contraband at 100% against Dope Wars 1987's 55%. Contraband also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (5.0 vs 4.4). Dope Wars 1987's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 8 days). On ratings volume, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Contraband is free to download; Dope Wars 1987 costs $0.99 up front. Contraband sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Dope Wars 1987 asks for nothing beyond the download.
Contraband holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 19 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 55% of Dope Wars 1987's written reviews are positive against 100% of Contraband's.
Dope Wars 1987 ships an update every 3 days, Contraband every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dope Wars 1987 | Contraband |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.4 (19 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 19 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #175 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 82 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Tempest Press | Ian Robinson |
Customer experience
Dope Wars 1987
Contraband
In-app purchases
Dope Wars 1987
No in-app purchases
Contraband
- The Mafia$0.99
- The Cartel$0.99
- The Outlaws$0.99
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- The Yakuza$0.99
- The Red Network$0.99
- Unlock All Factions$2.99









