# Hidden City vs Grim Tales 17

The clearest difference is ads: Grim Tales 17 at none against Hidden City's shown. Grim Tales 17 also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Hidden City's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (95K vs 434). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hidden City sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Grim Tales 17 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Grim Tales 17 holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hidden City has 95K ratings behind it against 434, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Hidden City's written reviews are positive against 64% of Grim Tales 17's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Hidden City ships an update every 9 days, Grim Tales 17 every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hidden City | Grim Tales 17 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (95K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hidden-city-object-seekers/id722217471/reviews) | **[4.7 (434 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-tales-17-hidden-objects/id1479177379/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **95K** | 434 |
| Positive reviews | **72.3% of reviews** | 63.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#122** | — |
| Size | 320 MB | 810 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [G5 Entertainment AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/305426797) | [Elephant Games AR LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615019125) |

## What reviewers say

### Hidden City

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hidden-city-object-seekers/id722217471)

**Currently charting:** #122 Top Grossing · Adventure (US App Store)

Embark on a thrilling detective adventure to rescue a friend from a mysterious phantom city. Solve puzzles, explore dark dungeons, and battle strange creatures as you uncover secrets and confront evil.

**Highlights:** Hidden object scenes, Quests and puzzles, Dungeon exploration, Combat against monsters and cults, Offline play, Friend assistance

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Special Offer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cluster of Rubies | $1.99 | one-time |
| Tray of Rubies | $4.99 | one-time |
| Super Deal | $4.99 | one-time |
| Platter of Rubies | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hyper Deal | $9.99 | one-time |
| Drawer of Rubies | $19.99 | one-time |
| Special Deal | $19.99 | one-time |
| Trunk of Rubies | $49.99 | one-time |
| Stockpile of Rubies | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Challenging
- 👍 Fun and challenging
- 👍 Great fun
- 👍 Fabulous
- 👍 Never knew I could be such a clever person

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Hidden City: You have a VERY offensive ad in your line up
- 💰 Too costly, not enough bang for your hard earned bucks
- 💰 Game is the most frustrating I have ever played, very little in return for achieving goals
- 💰 Game is getting more and more difficult to play without making in-app purchases
- 🐛 Quite often when visiting friends, the game freezes and I can no longer continue playing

**Reported bugs**

- Can not access the game to sign in after changing password
- Game freezes and crashes frequently
- Losing progress and achievements when switching devices
- Glitches with events and mini-games
- Disappearing items and rewards

**Requested features**

- Give more free rubies, game is too expensive
- Make the game less expensive
- Give more rewards for completing goals
- Make the game less frustrating and more enjoyable
- Fix the glitches and technical issues


### Grim Tales 17

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/grim-tales-17-hidden-objects/id1479177379)

Embark on a thrilling detective adventure to uncover the source of a deadly tragedy threatening a family. Solve intricate puzzles, find hidden objects, and explore mysterious locations to unravel secrets before it's too late.

**Highlights:** Hidden object scenes, Solve puzzles, Find lost items, Mystery detective gameplay, Explore unusual locations, Mini-games, Collector's Edition bonuses

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Content | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- ❤️ Affordable and enjoyable gameplay
- 👍 Good storyline and puzzles
- 🌟 High-quality graphics and design
- 🤩 Series continuity is appreciated
- 💡 Engaging and addictive gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📉 Bonus chapter continuity issues
- ⏳ Games can feel too short
- 🤔 Some plot points lack explanation
- 💰 Perceived high price for game length
- 😵 Difficulty finding morphing objects

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Screen sliding/unlocked on iPhone
- 🐛 Game won't start, logo spins
- 🐛 Game not available in US (despite prior play)
- 🐛 Bonus game is buggy
- 🐛 Game play screen doesn't load

**Requested features**

- Longer game duration for the price
- More explanation in bonus chapters
- Improved continuity in bonus chapters


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hidden City free?

Hidden City is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Grim Tales 17 free?

Grim Tales 17 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hidden City or Grim Tales 17?

Grim Tales 17 is rated higher. Hidden City averages 4.3 out of 5 from 95K ratings, while Grim Tales 17 averages 4.7 from 434 ratings.

### Do Hidden City or Grim Tales 17 have ads?

Hidden City shows ads; Grim Tales 17 does not.

### Which is updated more often, Hidden City or Grim Tales 17?

Hidden City ships an update every 9 days, and Grim Tales 17 every 6 months. Most recently, Hidden City was updated on November 5, 2026 and Grim Tales 17 on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*