Comparison

Tavern Crawl vs Close Encounters RPG

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

Head to head
About

Tavern Crawl

Features
Read full description

You are Otter — a retired legendary adventurer who traded his sword for a bar towel. You run The Parsonage, a tavern on the edge of civilisation. When your oldest friends come knocking with talk of dark forests and ancient evils, you grab a bottle of something strong and head straight into danger. One last ride. Tavern Crawl is a single-player medieval fantasy RPG that blends tavern management, turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and AI-powered NPC conversation into one deeply interconnected experience. FEATURES: - Tavern Management: 10 upgrades, seasonal events, staff, and legendary parties - Adventure & Combat: 10 regions, 8 elements, dual tech combos, turn-based strategy - The Cellar Depths: 100-floor dungeon with 51 monsters, mini-bosses, and a final boss - AI-Powered NPCs: 10 characters who know your story and evolve with your choices - Crafting: 97 recipes across forge, alchemy, and enchanting - Quests & Bounties: 78 quests, 7 NPC chain quests, 10 multi-day expeditions - 5 legendary artifacts with hidden multi-step quests - 42 achievements, 6 minigames, 4 seasons - No ads. No paywalls. No energy timers. Just a tip jar. Welcome to The Parsonage. Moira's already poured your drink.

About

Close Encounters RPG

Embark on a fantasy adventure that transforms your real-world surroundings into a game. Create a unique character, explore your local area for encounters, and engage in strategic combat. Collect gear, learn spells, and develop your adventurer through a rich progression system.

Highlights
  • Location-based exploration
  • Custom character creation
  • Strategic combat encounters
  • Weapon and armor collection
  • Magic and spell learning
  • Dynamic weather and time-of-day
Features
Read full description

Close Encounters RPG is a location-based fantasy role-playing game that turns the world around you into an adventure. Create a custom character by choosing a kindred and class, assigning attributes, and learning spells. Explore nearby locations, discover players, creatures, and loot, then enter strategic encounters. Equip weapons and armor, collect gold, learn magic, improve your attributes, and develop a unique adventurer over time. Features include: • Location-based exploration and nearby encounters • Multiple character kindreds and classes • Combat against players and fantasy creatures • Weapons, armor, spells, loot, and progression • Dynamic weather and time-of-day atmosphere • Optional consumable gold purchases Location access is used while playing to provide nearby game activity and encounters.

Screenshots

Tavern Crawl4 screens
Close Encounters RPG4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Tavern Crawl at none against Close Encounters RPG's 3. Close Encounters RPG's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 9 days). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Close Encounters RPG sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Tavern Crawl asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tavern Crawl ships an update every 9 days, Close Encounters RPG every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Tavern Crawl versus Close Encounters RPG: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTavern CrawlClose Encounters RPG
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—3 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB690 MB
Age rating17+9+
DeveloperAdam OttEric Neumuller

In-app purchases

None

Tavern Crawl

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Close Encounters RPG

One-time3
  • 250 Gold$0.99
  • 600 Gold$1.99
  • 1500 Gold$3.99

Questions

Is Tavern Crawl free?
Tavern Crawl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Close Encounters RPG free?
Close Encounters RPG is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Tavern Crawl or Close Encounters RPG have ads?
Tavern Crawl shows ads; Close Encounters RPG does not.
Which is updated more often, Tavern Crawl or Close Encounters RPG?
Tavern Crawl ships an update every 9 days, and Close Encounters RPG every 2 days. Most recently, Tavern Crawl was updated on October 25, 2026 and Close Encounters RPG on October 31, 2026.

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