Comparison

Dawnfolk vs Underground

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

Head to head
About

Dawnfolk

Lead a kingdom lost to shadows, using a mythical fiery companion to push back darkness. Explore, build cities, manage resources, and survive dangers in a minimalist strategy and city-building experience. Discover new systems and shape your people's fate through interactive storytelling.

Highlights
  • Minimalist city building
  • Exploration of medieval fantasy world
  • Resource management
  • Interactive story with player choices
  • Skill-based minigames
  • Multiple game modes
Features
Read full description

In a world of darkness, you are the ruler of a kingdom lost to shadows. On a quest to save your people, you discover Lueur—a mythical, fiery companion who will light your way. Created by solo developer Darenn Keller, Dawnfolk blends minimalist strategy, exploration, and city-building into a relaxing yet deeply rewarding experience. Decades ago, obsidian monoliths fell from the sky, bringing a creeping darkness that consumed the land. Now, with the power of Lueur, you can push back the shadows and reclaim your realm. But what kind of ruler will you be? Explore an uncharted medieval fantasy world, manage resources, build cities, and survive against many dangers. Minigames add a unique challenge to supporting your people. The better you perform, the more resources you gain—helping your community weather the darkness. Every choice matters as you explore different strategies and play styles. Grow your settlement from a handful of tents into a thriving city in less than an hour, with no need for long tutorials or complex systems. Designed to feel familiar yet fresh, the game focuses on exploration and experimentation—where discovery is part of the journey. Your choices will shape the fate of your people. Will you succeed in bringing light back to the world? Features - A Comfy Game: A strategy experience designed for relaxed play, wherever you are. - Easy to learn: No long tutorials or complex menus—jump in and start building. - Short sessions: Grow from nothing to a thriving city in under an hour. - Mixing Macro and Micro: Blend city-building with mini-games inspired by farming sims and RPGs. Earn bonus resources through skill-based challenges that break up city management. - Game Modes: Multiple ways to play, including real-time, turn-based, and adjustable difficulty. - Incentivized Discovery: Explore, experiment, and uncover systems at your own pace—the game won’t tell you everything. - Minimalist Design: Focused mechanics that deliver depth without unnecessary complexity. - Interactive Story: Your buildings shape evolving stories. Your choices determine outcomes and directly impact your city—will you rule with kindness or pragmatism?

About

Underground

Manage a post-apocalyptic bunker, balancing resources and survivor needs. Build diverse compartments, manage individuals with unique skills and stress, and make critical decisions about who to admit. Explore tunnels, trade, and fight threats to ensure your community's survival.

Highlights
  • Deep bunker management simulation
  • Build over 40 compartment types
  • Manage resources like power, water, and food
  • Individual survivor management with skills and stress
  • Decide on survivor arrivals and reputation
  • Explore metro tunnels for loot and combat
  • Engage in mini-games for resources
Features
Read full description

The world has fallen. You are the last hope for those knocking at your gates. Underground is a deep bunker-management sim where every decision echoes through your food, water, power — and your people's spirits. Build compartments across three floors, take in survivors at the airlock, keep your resources in balance, and don't let the bunker go dark. What's waiting for you: • A living bunker — 40+ compartment types: generator room, farm, med bay, laboratory, armory, district map, the old metro and more. Every room works differently and demands your attention. • Resources with consequences — power, water, food, air, parts, fuel. Run out of water and newcomers will walk right past your gates. Overheat the generator and an accident is only a matter of time. • People, not numbers — every resident has skills, health, stress and relationships. Quarrels, illness, theft, panic — incidents won't wait: you have limited time to solve a problem before it gets worse. • Arrivals at the gate — survivors keep coming to the airlock. Let them in, turn them away, or send them off with rations? Your bunker's reputation decides who shows up tomorrow. • Your own path — fortress, radio contact, autonomy, science, evacuation or a return to the surface. Goals will show you where to grow next. • The metro and recon — explore the tunnels, gather loot, trade with friends and fight off threats in the corridors. • Mini-games that matter — harvest crops, repair equipment, calm a panic: quick games earn resources and change how events end. • Friends in the game — add friends, meet their survivors at your gates, exchange resources and earn bonuses for playing together. • Play at your own pace — minimize the app and time in the bunker stops. Come back and pick up right where you left off. Who this game is for: If you love Fallout Shelter, This War of Mine, or management games with personality — this one is full of "what if I try it this way?" moments. Not a five-minute arcade, but a bunker that grows with you. Download. Open the airlock. Decide who gets in first.

Screenshots

Dawnfolk4 screens
Underground4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dawnfolk at Free against Underground's $0.29. Dawnfolk also leads on ratings volume (52 vs 8) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). Underground's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.1) and chart position (#158 vs unranked). On review sentiment, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Dawnfolk is free to download; Underground costs $0.29 up front. Dawnfolk sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Underground sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Underground holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dawnfolk has 52 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Dawnfolk's written reviews are positive against 71% of Underground's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dawnfolk ships an update every 5 days, Underground every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Dawnfolk versus Underground: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDawnfolkUnderground
PriceFree — better$0.29
Rating4.1 (52 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.5% of reviews — better70.8% of reviews
Number of ratings52 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#158 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size323 MB36 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperShort Circuit StudioSunspear Software LLC

Customer experience

Dawnfolk

All ratings45 ratings
Positive73.3%
Neutral4.4%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews53 reviews
Positive75.5%
Neutral9.4%
Negative15.1%

Underground

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews48 reviews
Positive70.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative22.9%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Dawnfolk

One-time1
  • Dawnfolk$7.99
5 purchases

Underground

One-time5
  • Parts Crate (Small)$0.99
  • Parts Crate (Medium)$1.99
  • Supply Crate (Mixed)$1.99
Show 2 more
  • Support the Shelter2 variants$2.99
  • Parts Crate (Large)$3.99

Questions

Is Dawnfolk free?
Dawnfolk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Underground free?
Underground costs $0.29, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dawnfolk or Underground?
Underground is rated higher. Dawnfolk averages 4.1 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Underground averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Dawnfolk or Underground have ads?
Neither Dawnfolk nor Underground shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dawnfolk or Underground?
Dawnfolk ships an update every 5 days, and Underground every 2 days. Most recently, Dawnfolk was updated on November 12, 2026 and Underground on November 13, 2026.

Other comparisons