Pixel Shelter vs Exploding Piggies
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pixel Shelter
Build and manage an underground shelter to survive a zombie apocalypse. Recruit survivors, assign jobs, and manage resources like energy, water, and food. Defend your haven and make strategic choices to ensure humanity's survival in a detailed pixel-art world.
- Underground shelter construction
- Resource management (energy, water, food)
- Survivor recruitment and job assignment
- Shelter defense
- Pixel-art aesthetic
- Survivor interaction and messages
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Welcome to the thrilling world of Pixel Shelter, a pixel-art survival experience where you must build, manage, and endure the zombie apocalypse! This is an early version of the game, and development is still ongoing. Features and content may be missing or subject to change, and performance may vary. We appreciate your understanding! Immerse yourself in an engaging underground builder where survival, strategy, and resource management blend into one gripping adventure. Dreamed of managing your own shelter? Look no further! In Pixel Shelter, you’ll construct your underground refuge, floor by floor, ensuring the survival of your residents in a post-apocalyptic world. Our Unique Gameplay Offers You The Chance To: - Play as a shelter overseer, strategically expanding your underground base while managing crucial survival resources like energy, water, and food. - Recruit survivors, each with their own skills and personalities, to help maintain and develop your shelter. - Assign jobs to your residents, ensuring the efficient operation of key facilities needed for survival. - Collect and manage resources wisely to keep your shelter running and your people alive. - Defend your shelter and protect survivors who seek your help. Pixel Shelter is more than just a survival game; it’s a thriving underground society where every choice matters. Every resident, every floor, and every resource plays a crucial role in your survival strategy. Want to build a high-tech research lab? Or a cozy underground garden? The choice is yours! Interact, explore, and thrive in Pixel Shelter! - Peek into the thoughts of your survivors with their own unique messages and updates. - Enjoy the detailed pixel-art aesthetic that brings your underground haven to life. In Pixel Shelter, creativity and strategy will determine your survival. Carve out your place underground, ensure your shelter’s success, and outlast the apocalypse! The future of humanity is in your hands—are you ready to build and survive?
Exploding Piggies
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Exploding Piggies is a fast, one-touch arcade game about controlled chaos. Pop pigs, build streaks and trigger explosive chain reactions before 20 misses end your run. Easy to start. Hard to master. Completely ad-free. CHAIN THE CHAOS Pop nuclear pigs to blast nearby targets, unleash ultra strikes and turn a single tap into a screen-clearing combo. BATTLE FOUR BOSSES Take on the Hog-Ship, Steam Balloon, Cyber Hog and Fortress. Each encounter changes the rules with armor, weak spots, escorts, split phases and a ticking clock. LEARN EVERY PIG Some pigs need multiple taps. Others unleash nuclear blasts or electrical bursts. Choose the right target before the board overwhelms you. MAKE IT YOURS Give your piggies custom names, add your own cropped photo and discover or unlock 14 playful skins—from Ninja and Cyber Neon to Celestial Monarch. POWER UP YOUR RUN Spend earned rubies on Nuclear Strikes, Ultra Nuclear Strikes and Refills when a run is on the line. COMPETE AND COMPLETE Climb the global Game Center leaderboard, unlock 50 achievements and chase goals for scores, streaks, flawless runs, bosses, special pigs and more. SYNC YOUR PROGRESS Keep high scores, rubies, unlocked skins, power-ups and challenge progress in sync with iCloud. WATCH THE WORLD REACT The sky shifts from bright days to sunsets, eclipses and deep night while expressive sky mascots celebrate your streaks—and panic when pigs slip past. SEE HOW YOU DID Every game-over summary shows your score, level, pigs popped, special-pig counters and best streak. No ads. Just piggies.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Exploding Piggies at none against Pixel Shelter's 12. Exploding Piggies also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). Pixel Shelter's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price 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
Both are free to download. Pixel Shelter sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Exploding Piggies asks for nothing beyond the download.
Pixel Shelter ships an update every 2 months, Exploding Piggies fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pixel Shelter | Exploding Piggies |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (97 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 97 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 136 MB | 26 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | NimbleBit LLC | Saurabh Goyal |
Bugs and requests
Pixel Shelter
Reported bugs
1 issue- Graphical bugs
Requested features
1 request- Keep equipment after rebuild
Exploding Piggies
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pixel Shelter
- Expansion Pack$1.99
- Broadcast Pack$1.99
- VIP Pack 1$2.99
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- Welcome pack$2.99
- Bux Pack 1$4.99
- Expansion Pack$4.99
- BUX Pack 2$9.99
- VIP Pack 2$9.99
- Expansion Pack$9.99
- BUX Pack 3$19.99
- Broadcast Pack 4$19.99
- VIP Pack 3$79.99
Exploding Piggies
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pixel Shelter free?
Is Exploding Piggies free?
Do Pixel Shelter or Exploding Piggies have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pixel Shelter or Exploding Piggies?
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