Comparison

Pool Shark vs Mateforge

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

Head to head
About

Pool Shark

This game combines real 8-ball pool physics with roguelike deckbuilding mechanics. Pot balls, chain combos, and build a deck of cards to strategize your way through escalating challenges and opponents.

Highlights
  • Real 8-ball pool physics simulation
  • Roguelike deckbuilding with 204 cards
  • Strategic shot calling for multipliers
  • 18 opponents with unique challenges
  • Six rooms of escalating stakes
  • Online ranked multiplayer
  • Unlockable cosmetic items
Features
Read full description

Pool Shark is a deep roguelike deckbuilder built on real 8-ball pool. Every rack is a scoring run — pot balls, chain combos, stack multipliers — and every table plays for money you carry up six rooms of rising stakes. REAL POOL PHYSICS. A deterministic table where spin, banks, kisses, and caroms all count — and the aim hint shows you exactly the shot the table will play, because it IS the same simulation. BUILD YOUR DECK. Draft from a 204-card catalog between matches: 90 Tells that change how shots score, Chalk you burn for one perfect shot, Marks that ride a single ball, Cues that change what a break can do. The order of your build is the strategy. CALL YOUR SHOTS. Banks, combos, and called pockets multiply the take. Style is money — showboating pays if you can back it up. EVERY TABLE IS A MONEY MATCH. Eighteen opponents, each with their own aim, nerve, and temper — race them for stakes and take their purse. A REAL RUN. Eighteen tables across six rooms in one night. Four difficulty tiers, twenty House Rules that bend the game, four different endings. No two runs build the same shark. SURVIVE THE HOUSE. House Tables close side pockets, ban rails, make you call the 8. Read the room and pick your battles. EARN YOUR NAME. Seventy unlockables — masks, titles, cues, gloves, trails, cloths, stamps — won at the table, never sold. TAKE IT ONLINE. Ranked 1v1 on a live referee server: six divisions, seasons, and a ladder with your name on it. Earn House Chips as you play, wager them on a match, and take the crowd's pocket bet. And yes, there's a story: your best friend owes the wrong people $12,500, due before close. Chalk up and get him out. No ads. The only in-app purchases are optional tips behind the SUPPORT US door: they unlock nothing, and the whole game is yours either way.

About

Mateforge

Features
Read full description

Mateforge is a single-player chess roguelike deckbuilder. Command an army of chess pieces, cast powerful spell cards, and survive an ever-collapsing board across an endless run of battles. Each round the board crumbles beneath you — capture every enemy before it does. Between fights, draft upgrades, recruit and merge pieces, forge your deck, and grow stronger for the boss waiting ahead. FEATURES - Chess meets roguelike — pieces move by real chess rules, but the board falls apart every turn - Build your deck — craft custom decks from 29 spell cards: lightning, meteors, freezes, teleports and more - Evolve your pieces — defeat bosses to permanently evolve your army through 3 tiers of power - Merge & recruit — fuse pieces into stronger ones and expand your squad - Boss battles — face bosses with shields, swift moves and spawning, scaling in difficulty - Daily challenge — a new rule-bending mutator every day - Meta progression — earn shards and unlock permanent perks that carry across runs - Endless runs — no two are ever the same - 6 languages — English, Türkçe, Deutsch, Français, Español, Italiano How far can you get before the board swallows you?

Screenshots

Pool Shark4 screens
Mateforge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mateforge at none against Pool Shark's 3. Pool Shark's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 5 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. Pool Shark sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Mateforge asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pool Shark ships an update every 3 days, Mateforge every 5 days. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Pool Shark versus Mateforge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPool SharkMateforge
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size398 MB9 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperMotivation Stack LLCSalih Eksioglu

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pool Shark

One-time3
  • Chalk Up$0.99
  • Rack a Round$2.99
  • Keep the Lights On$4.99
None

Mateforge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pool Shark free?
Pool Shark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Mateforge free?
Mateforge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pool Shark or Mateforge have ads?
Mateforge shows ads; Pool Shark does not.
Which is updated more often, Pool Shark or Mateforge?
Pool Shark ships an update every 3 days, and Mateforge every 5 days. Most recently, Pool Shark was updated on October 31, 2026 and Mateforge on October 31, 2026.

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