Comparison

A Dark Room vs Sometimes You Die

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Text-based adventure
  • Survival mechanics
  • Exploration
  • Resource management
  • VoiceOver compatible
  • No ads or IAP
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Sometimes You Die

This game challenges your perception of death and invincibility. It features disturbing puzzles that require thoughtful solutions and explores the meaning of dying in a digital realm. With over 80 levels and hidden content, it offers a unique and thought-provoking experience.

Highlights
  • Unique death mechanic
  • Disturbing and surprising puzzles
  • Explores reality and illusion
  • Over 80 levels
  • Hidden content
  • Interactive art
Features
Read full description

In a game, you die. And imply that it has no effect on you. You feel invincible in the realm behind the screen. This one is different. In this game, you have to die. ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ G A M E ∙ ∙ ∙ What is your motivation? What do you expect from this game? Do you want to beat it? How do you know it can be beaten? This game plays with expectation, illusion, and reality. ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ P U Z Z L E S ∙ ∙ ∙ Think before you act. Who knows what it means to die behind the screen? Is it only a number that goes up? Pixels that change their intensity? Solve disturbing, surprising, and malicious puzzles. ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ D E A T H ∙ ∙ ∙ Is it possible to go through the game without dying even once? Will you aim for it? ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ D I F F I C U L T Y ∙ ∙ ∙ Some think the game is easy. I think, those haven't discovered the hidden levels yet. ∙ ∙ ∙ ∙ slidetoplay.com > "interactive art" appspy.com > "manipulates expectations" 148apps.com > "borderline brilliant" ilounge.com > "messes with the players' heads" toucharcade.com > "incredibly unique" tabtimes.com > "extremely clever" cultofmac.com > "must play" pocketgamer.co.uk > "deliciously unputdownable" tuaw.com > "play it, and love it" 80+ levels. Hidden content. Wow factor. Epilepsy warning: One level includes fast flashing lights.

Screenshots

A Dark Room4 screens
Sometimes You Die3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: A Dark Room at 4.8 against Sometimes You Die's 4.3. A Dark Room also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (2.7K vs 155). Sometimes You Die's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 11.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

A Dark Room costs $1.99 and Sometimes You Die $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

A Dark Room holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: A Dark Room has 2.7K ratings behind it against 155, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of A Dark Room's written reviews are positive against 82% of Sometimes You Die's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

A Dark Room ships an update every 2 months, Sometimes You Die every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
A Dark Room versus Sometimes You Die: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA Dark RoomSometimes You Die
Price$1.99$1.99
Rating4.8 (2.7K ratings) — better4.3 (155 ratings)
Positive reviews92.7% of reviews — better81.6% of reviews
Number of ratings2.7K — better155
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 8 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#30 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size100 MB28 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperAmirali RajanPhilipp Stollenmayer

Customer experience

A Dark Room

All ratings2,655 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral1.4%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews1,401 reviews
Positive92.7%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.7%

Sometimes You Die

All ratings155 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral9.0%
Negative13.5%
Written reviews494 reviews
Positive81.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative13.6%

Bugs and requests

A Dark Room

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Sometimes You Die

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Pause button not functioning properly
  • Game freezing on certain devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Leaderboard for fastest completions
  • More content and levels
  • Ability to reset/restart the game

In-app purchases

None

A Dark Room

No in-app purchases

None

Sometimes You Die

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is A Dark Room free?
A Dark Room costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sometimes You Die free?
Sometimes You Die costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, A Dark Room or Sometimes You Die?
A Dark Room is rated higher. A Dark Room averages 4.8 out of 5 from 2.7K ratings, while Sometimes You Die averages 4.3 from 155 ratings.
Do A Dark Room or Sometimes You Die have ads?
Neither A Dark Room nor Sometimes You Die shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A Dark Room or Sometimes You Die?
A Dark Room ships an update every 2 months, and Sometimes You Die every 8 months. Most recently, A Dark Room was updated on October 22, 2026 and Sometimes You Die on October 20, 2026.

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