Comparison

Monument Valley vs The Past Within

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

Head to head
About

Monument Valley

Explore a world of impossible architecture and optical illusions. Guide a silent princess through stunningly beautiful, hand-crafted monuments by manipulating the environment. Uncover hidden paths and solve puzzles in this surreal exploration game.

Highlights
  • Impossible architecture manipulation
  • Optical illusion puzzles
  • Surreal exploration
  • Hand-crafted worlds
  • Intuitive twist and drag controls
  • Reactive soundscape
Features
Read full description

** Apple Game of the Year 2014 ** ** Winner of Apple Design Award 2014 ** In Monument Valley you will manipulate impossible architecture and guide a silent princess through a stunningly beautiful world. Monument Valley is a surreal exploration through fantastical architecture and impossible geometry. Guide the silent princess Ida through mysterious monuments, uncovering hidden paths, unfolding optical illusions and outsmarting the enigmatic Crow People. Ida's Dream now available. Forgotten Shores: Eight new chapters of adventure and illusion available now as a separate purchase. Buy or download Monument Valley now and you’ll also get our fully animated iMessage sticker pack, including 5 stickers exclusive to players! Only available on iOS10 and above. ======= "This might be the most beautiful iPad game of 2014" - Wired "Brilliant design... stayed with me like a dream I didn't want to forget" 9/10 - Polygon "The most sublime hour my iPad has ever given me... and the value of such a thing is incalculable" - Kotaku "Monument Valley stuns with its serenity... each screen is a work of art" - Huffington Post "Almost impossibly gorgeous... a feast for your senses" 5/5 - Touch Arcade ======= BEAUTIFUL Inspired by minimalist 3D design, optical illusions and palaces and temples from around the world, every monument is a unique, hand-crafted world to explore. EASY TO USE Twist and drag to reshape the world and help Ida to explore. Designed to be easy for everyone to pick up, enjoy and complete. SOUND Audio reacts to your manipulation of the world to provide a surreal and beautiful soundscape. Best experienced with headphones. iCloud Synchronize your game across all your devices. ** Monument Valley is designed for iPhone 4 and above. It is NOT compatible with iPod Touch 4th Generation.

About

The Past Within

Embark on a cooperative point-and-click adventure where players explore different time periods and dimensions. Work with a friend, communicating what you see to solve intricate puzzles and uncover mysteries. This unique experience requires both players to own the game and communicate externally.

Highlights
  • Co-op only gameplay
  • Explore past and future
  • Solve puzzles together
  • Two distinct perspectives (2D/3D)
  • Cross-platform play
  • Replayable with new solutions
Features
Read full description

Note: The Past Within is a co-op only game. Both players need to own a copy of the game on their own device (mobile, tablet or computer), as well as a way to communicate with each other. Play together with a friend or find a partner on our official Discord server! The past and future cannot be explored alone! Team up with a friend and piece together the mysteries surrounding Albert Vanderboom. Communicate what you see around you to help one another solve various puzzles and explore the worlds from different perspectives! The Past Within is the first co-op only point-and-click adventure set in the mysterious world of Rusty Lake. Features: ▪ A co-op experience Play together with a friend, one in The Past, the other in The Future. Work together to solve the puzzles and help Rose set her father’s plan in motion! ▪ Two worlds - Two perspectives Both players will experience their environments in two different dimensions: 2D as well as in 3D - a first-time experience in the Rusty Lake universe! ▪ Cross-platform As long as you can communicate with each other, you and your partner of choice can each play The Past Within on your preferred platform: Mac, PC and Nintendo Switch! ▪ Playtime & Replayability The game contains 2 chapters and has an average play-time of 2 hours. For the full experience, we recommend replaying the game from the other perspective. Plus you can use our replayability feature for a fresh start with new solutions to all puzzles.

Screenshots

Monument Valley4 screens
The Past Within4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: The Past Within at none against Monument Valley's 1. The Past Within also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (89% vs 81%). On rating, ratings volume, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Monument Valley costs $3.99 and The Past Within $2.99 up front. Monument Valley sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Past Within asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Monument Valley against 4.9 for The Past Within. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 7.4K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Monument Valley's written reviews are positive against 89% of The Past Within's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, The Past Within every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Monument Valley versus The Past Within: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMonument ValleyThe Past Within
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.8 (18K ratings)4.9 (7.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.5% of reviews88.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18K — better7.4K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#10#5 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size324 MB379 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developerustwo gamesRusty Lake

Customer experience

Monument Valley

All ratings15,824 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews946 reviews
Positive80.5%
Neutral8.6%
Negative10.9%

The Past Within

All ratings7,180 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews537 reviews
Positive88.6%
Neutral6.1%
Negative5.2%

User reviews

Monument Valley

From 18K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Stunning visuals and graphics
  • 🎶 Soothing and atmospheric audio
  • 🧠 Clever and mind-bending puzzles
  • 🕰️ Relaxing and calming gameplay
  • 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly controls

Room to improve

  • 🕹️ Puzzles can be too easy at times
  • ⏱️ Game is relatively short in length
  • 💰 Expensive for the amount of content
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes reported

The Past Within

From 7.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun co-op experience
  • 🤝 Excellent for bonding with friends/family
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and art style
  • 🕹️ Clever and challenging puzzles
  • 🔗 Ties in well with Rusty Lake universe

Room to improve

  • 🕰️ Game is too short
  • 💬 Requires communication with another player
  • 🐛 Some technical issues like no sound or crashes
  • 🤔 Puzzles can be one-sided for one player

Bugs and requests

Monument Valley

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Levels not loading or freezing on certain devices
  • Inability to purchase or access DLC/expansion content
  • Compatibility issues with recent iOS updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • More levels and chapters to extend the gameplay
  • Increased difficulty and challenge in later puzzles
  • Ability to save progress and resume levels
  • Support for newer device screen sizes and resolutions

The Past Within

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • No sound in the game
  • Crashes after Chapter 1 title screen
  • Downloading issues on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More chapters/levels
  • Single-player mode option
  • Ability to switch roles/perspectives
  • Online/remote co-op functionality

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Monument Valley

One-time1
  • Forgotten Shores$1.99
None

The Past Within

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Monument Valley free?
Monument Valley costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is The Past Within free?
The Past Within costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Monument Valley or The Past Within?
The Past Within is rated higher. Monument Valley averages 4.8 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while The Past Within averages 4.9 from 7.4K ratings.
Do Monument Valley or The Past Within have ads?
Neither Monument Valley nor The Past Within shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Monument Valley or The Past Within?
Monument Valley ships an update every 2 months, and The Past Within every 2 weeks. Most recently, Monument Valley was updated on November 8, 2026 and The Past Within on November 8, 2026.
Which is more popular, Monument Valley or The Past Within?
Monument Valley currently peaks at #10 in the App Store charts, and The Past Within at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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