DEVICE 6 vs A Dark Room
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DEVICE 6
A surreal thriller where text serves as your map and narrator. Immerse yourself in an intriguing mystery of technology and neuroscience by reading, listening, and exploring three-dimensional photographs to solve puzzles and uncover secrets.
- Text-based navigation and narration
- Interactive puzzles
- 3D photographic elements
- Intriguing mystery narrative
- Exploration of technology and neuroscience themes
- Unique blend of game and literature conventions
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** Winner of Apple Design Award 2014 ** A surreal thriller in which the written word is your map, as well as your narrator. DEVICE 6 plays with the conventions of games and literature, entwines story with geography and blends puzzle and novella, to draw players into an intriguing mystery of technology and neuroscience. Anna wakes up in a castle on a remote island, with little recollection of how she got there. All she remembers is an unusually unpleasant doll. Why are there two identical castles on the island? Who is the mysterious man in the bowler hat? And above all, what is the purpose of the tests Anna is put through? Read, listen and peek into three-dimensional photographs to solve the bizarre mysteries of DEVICE 6. "DEVICE 6 is designed to linger in the mind long after the last code has been cracked and the last sentence read. Spy stories - even traditional ones - often haunt their readers' dreams once they've been completed. It's only appropriate, really. Is that a final full-stop or a microdot? Is this the end of the affair or an invitation to go deeper?" Eurogamer - 9/10 "In using its text both as narrative and as geography – and through its impressively restrained use of illustration and sound – it generates an almost unrivalled sense of place. It isn’t embarrassed to allow Device 6 to be a game when it needs to be, and yet it knows precisely when to let the story take over. The result is a sharp, striking mystery that is at once provocative, extraordinarily stylish and altogether essential" EDGE - 9/10 "In turning a text adventure into a world map, Simogo has resurrected a long-dead genre with style and confidence. Great presentation and brilliant puzzles complete a stellar package" Pocketgamer – 9/10 "Ever exceeding expectations, the developer has followed up one of 2013′s highlights with another title that can be classed as such. With a compelling story that keeps you guessing, and a pin-point utilisation of the platform, Device 6 is an accomplishment in games design, mobile or otherwise" God is a Geek - 9/10 "DEVICE 6 not only explores the boundaries of narrative storytelling, it also demonstrates the creative potential of touchscreen gaming" Appspy – 5/5 "Simogo’s doing something few others are doing, and it’s wonderful that someone is both providing great experiences and testing the limits of interactive media" 148apps - 5/5 "An ingenious slice of puzzling adventure that's as imaginative as it is stylish" Modojo - 4.5/5
A Dark Room
Awaken in a mysterious world with a throbbing head and blurry vision. Follow the voices' instructions to survive and explore this text-based adventure. Experience a game free from ads, loot boxes, in-app purchases, and tracking, fully playable with VoiceOver.
- Text-based adventure
- Survival mechanics
- Exploration
- Resource management
- VoiceOver compatible
- No ads or IAP
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awake. head throbbing. vision blurry. the voices say to survive. - One of Apple's most downloaded apps of 2014. - Ranked in the top 10 games in 70 countries, #1 app overall in 7 countries. - No ads, no loot boxes, no IAP, no tracking. - 100% playable via VoiceOver. - Relive the glory days of gaming from the era of Zork.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: A Dark Room at every 2 months against DEVICE 6's every 21 months. A Dark Room also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.5) and review sentiment (93% vs 81%). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and chart position 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
DEVICE 6 costs $3.99 and A Dark Room $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
A Dark Room holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 882 and 2.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of DEVICE 6's written reviews are positive against 93% of A Dark Room's.
DEVICE 6 ships an update every 21 months, A Dark Room every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DEVICE 6 | A Dark Room |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $3.99 | $1.99 — better |
| Rating | 4.5 (882 ratings) | 4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 81.4% of reviews | 92.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 882 | 2.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 21 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #75 | #43 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 760 MB | 100 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Simogo AB | Amirali Rajan |
Customer experience
DEVICE 6
A Dark Room
Bugs and requests
DEVICE 6
Reported bugs
2 issues- Sound not working on some devices
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Longer or more expansive story
- Difficulty settings or hints for puzzles
- Accessibility options like subtitles
- More games or sequels in a similar style
A Dark Room
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DEVICE 6
No in-app purchases
A Dark Room
No in-app purchases









