# Hidden City vs Mystery Files

The clearest difference is rating: Mystery Files at 4.6 against Hidden City's 4.3. Mystery Files also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Hidden City's advantage is ratings volume (95K vs 6K) and review sentiment (72% vs 58%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Hidden City sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Mystery Files sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Mystery Files holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hidden City has 95K ratings behind it against 6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of Hidden City's written reviews are positive against 58% of Mystery Files'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, Mystery Files fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Hidden City | Mystery Files |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (95K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hidden-city-object-seekers/id722217471/reviews) | **[4.6 (6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mystery-files-hidden-objects/id1589094825/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **95K** | 6K |
| Positive reviews | **72.3% of reviews** | 58.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#113** | #175 |
| Size | 320 MB | 432 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [G5 Entertainment AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/305426797) | [DO GAMES LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1542346466) |

## What reviewers say

### Hidden City

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

**Currently charting:** #113 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


### Mystery Files

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mystery-files-hidden-objects/id1589094825)

**Currently charting:** #175 Top Grossing · Adventure (US App Store)

Engage in free-to-play detective puzzles and brain teasers. Discover hidden objects in various locations and choose from a library of interactive stories and quests. Earn achievements and collect unique items as you unravel mysteries.

**Highlights:** Hidden object puzzles, Point-and-click adventures, Interactive stories, Brain teasers and mini-games, Achievement system, Collectible items

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A Handful of Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pack of useful things | $1.99 | one-time |
| A Handful of Crystals | $2.99 | one-time |
| A Pouch of Coins | $3.99 | one-time |
| A Pinch of Gems | $3.99 | one-time |
| Handful of useful things | $3.99 | one-time |
| Pack of useful things | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chalice of Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Currency box | $4.99 | one-time |
| Heap of Coins | $4.99 | one-time |
| Heap of Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| A Handful of Gems | $5.99 | one-time |
| A Pouch of Gems | $6.99 | one-time |
| A Bag of Coins | $7.99 | one-time |
| A Bag of Gems | $7.99 | one-time |
| Bandbox of Coins | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bandbox of Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| A Chest of Coins | $11.99 | one-time |
| Handful of useful things | $12.99 | one-time |
| Jewelry Box | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Continuous levels
- 👍 No ads
- 👍 Multiple games in one app
- 👍 Challenging puzzles
- 👍 Enjoyable stories

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitches and bugs
- 🐛 Unresponsive controls
- 🐛 Broken hint system
- 🔑 Excessive use of keys/coins to progress
- 🔑 Long wait times for keys

**Reported bugs**

- Puzzles not working as intended
- Scenes/items disappearing or becoming uninteractable
- Game progress being reset or lost
- Crashes and freezes when using in-app purchases

**Requested features**

- More ways to earn hints/coins without paying
- Better instructions for mini-games
- Ability to skip difficult puzzles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hidden City free?

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

### Is Mystery Files free?

Mystery Files is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Hidden City or Mystery Files?

Mystery Files is rated higher. Hidden City averages 4.3 out of 5 from 95K ratings, while Mystery Files averages 4.6 from 6K ratings.

### Do Hidden City or Mystery Files have ads?

Both Hidden City and Mystery Files show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Hidden City or Mystery Files?

Hidden City ships an update every 9 days, and Mystery Files fortnightly. Most recently, Hidden City was updated on November 1, 2026 and Mystery Files on November 1, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Hidden City or Mystery Files?

Hidden City currently peaks at #113 in the App Store charts, and Mystery Files at #175. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*