Comparison

Hostage Evac vs Shadow Heist

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

Head to head
About

Hostage Evac

Features
Read full description

Master the art of infiltration in this action-packed, top-down stealth game! Whether you prefer to be a silent killer lurking in the shadows or a tactical rogue going in guns blazing, every mission is a new puzzle to solve. Plan your approach, execute perfect takedowns, and escape before the enemy even knows you were there. Complete dangerous contracts to earn rewards, unlock a massive roster of deadly characters, and upgrade their stats to build the ultimate syndicate. Discover and equip powerful special abilities to turn the tide in the heat of battle! EPIC GAME MODES TO MASTER Stealth Missions: Evade detection, hide in the shadows, and eliminate targets without sounding the alarm. Clear the Area: Leave no survivors. Hunt down every enemy on the map. Hostage Rescue: Breach enemy lines, protect innocent captives, and extract them safely. Time Trials: Race against the clock to complete your hit before time runs out. Boss Fights: Test your skills against heavily armored, elite enemy commanders. GAME FEATURES Top-Down Tactical Action: Scout the map, find blind spots, and plan the perfect strike. Unlock & Upgrade Characters: Collect unique assassins, each with their own playstyle. Level them up to increase their speed, health, and lethality. Special Abilities: Unlock game-changing powers like invisibility, dash strikes, smoke bombs, and more. Bite-Sized Levels: Perfect for quick gaming sessions or hours of endless action. Do you have what it takes to be the apex predator of the criminal underworld? Download now and execute the perfect hit! Terms of service/use: https://axel-flutter-dev.github.io/hunter-assassin-legal/terms

About

Shadow Heist

Features
Read full description

You are a raccoon with a plan, a flashlight and no intention of paying for dinner. Shadow Heist is a real-time stealth game about staying in the dark. There are no turns and no grid: you move freely with one thumb, your flashlight lights the way you are walking, and every guard in the building is looking for exactly that. Sixty missions across six hand-painted chapters, from back-street kitchens to markets, mansions and vaults. THE JOB Every heist asks for two things. Grab the mission's target items off the floor, and drain enough food out of the furniture to fill the quota. Only then does the exit light up and the ESCAPE banner drops. Then get out. STAY IN THE SHADOWS Guards run a four-stage suspicion system. A noise or a glimpse of your flashlight sends one over to investigate; being caught square in a patrol cone starts a chase, and a chase that reaches you ends the run. Break line of sight and you can lose them. From chapter two, wall-mounted cameras sweep the room behind a red cone and give you a second and a half to out-turn the lens before the alarm. From chapter three, laser tripwires cut across corridors on a three-second timer, and touching one is instant. SIX THIEF TOOLS Every tool is found lying on the floor of the mission that teaches it, then restocked with coins. - Key: unlock any door instantly, no three-second lockpick. - Coin: toss it and the nearest guard walks over to stare at it. - Glue Trap: pin a guard in place for five seconds, chase or no chase. - Jammer: kill every camera and laser on the map for ten seconds. - Blowgun: a dart puts a guard to sleep for ten seconds, cone and all. - Invisibility Cloak: ten seconds where nothing can see you, and every chase breaks. COLLECT EVERYTHING Over 170 unique items to steal, each one hand-drawn and each one found in exactly one mission. Three stars per heist depending on how much you carry out, and your best time on every mission is kept. ONE MORE CHANCE Get caught and you can buy your way back into the run for coins, carrying on from exactly where you stopped with three seconds of invisibility to get clear. Lives refill over time, or top them up in the shop. ALSO INSIDE - Daily rewards with a weekly streak, and a jackpot on Sunday if you do not miss a day. - A prize wheel on every first clear. - A shop of tools, bundles and lives, all bought with in-game coins. - Playable in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese. No ads. No combat, no blood, nobody gets hurt - the worst that happens is a guard takes a nap. Optional in-app purchases for coins. Lights off. Go.

Screenshots

Hostage Evac4 screens
Shadow Heist4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Shadow Heist at none against Hostage Evac's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Hostage Evac sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days and Shadow Heist sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hostage Evac ships an update every 3 days, Shadow Heist every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference ยท 5 level
Hostage Evac versus Shadow Heist: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHostage EvacShadow Heist
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 days โ€” betterEvery 5 days
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size311 MB84 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAxel BergvallShort & Petit

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Hostage Evac

Subscriptions1
  • No Ads$0.997 Days
One-time3
  • Small Diamonds Pack$0.49
  • Medium Diamonds Pack$0.99
  • Large Diamonds Pack$1.29
5 purchases

Shadow Heist

One-time5
  • 3,000 Coins$0.99
  • 10,000 Coins$2.99
  • 18,000 Coins$4.99
Show 2 more
  • 40,000 Coins$9.99
  • 90,000 Coins$19.99

Questions

Is Hostage Evac free?
Hostage Evac is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shadow Heist free?
Shadow Heist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hostage Evac or Shadow Heist have ads?
Hostage Evac shows ads; Shadow Heist does not.
Which is updated more often, Hostage Evac or Shadow Heist?
Hostage Evac ships an update every 3 days, and Shadow Heist every 5 days. Most recently, Hostage Evac was updated on October 16, 2026 and Shadow Heist on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons