Comparison

Deer Hunter 2018 vs Big Buck Hunter

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

Head to head
About

Deer Hunter 2018

Experience the ultimate hunting simulation with realistic graphics and diverse gameplay. Pursue exotic animals across stunning global locations, hone your shooting skills, and compete for trophies. Upgrade your arsenal and engage in various game modes for an immersive hunting adventure.

Highlights
  • Realistic hunting simulation
  • Global hunting locations
  • Trophy animal hunts
  • Weapon customization and upgrades
  • Multiple game modes
  • Predator hunting
Read full description

From the creators of Deer Hunter 2014 comes the world’s greatest hunting experience in 2020 that targets your heart and mind: Return to the Wild. PURSUE, HUNT, REPEAT. SHOOT LIKE A PRO In this hunting simulator, we take you straight to the action. Line up your sights, aim for vital organs & hone your skills for the perfect hunt. A Trophy Hunt. HUNT ACROSS THE GLOBE Pursue trophies & survive while you hunt in breathtaking new locations every month, across the globe, from Alaska to Zimbabwe. SEASONAL EVENTS 3 Weeks of all you can HUNT. It’s Hunting Season - Get Huntin’ ! MULTIPLE GAME MODES Go back in time with Historical Hunts, go underwater with Spear Fishing, Hunt with Man’s best friend and or get fiercely competitive with Target Shooting Events! BAG BIG GAME ANIMALS Hunt animals so real they nearly jump off the screen! Track down and hunt the world’s most exotic and elusive animals. THE HUNTER BECOMES THE HUNTED Hunt predators before they hunt you. COLLECT HUNTING TROPHIES Compete to brag and hunt the biggest trophy animals ! AUGMENT YOUR ARSENAL Collect firearms, add scopes, magazines, barrels, and stocks as you perfect your weapons before each hunt. Deer Hunter 2018 includes auto-renewable subscriptions with the benefits described below: • Silver Subscription: $0.99USD / week (or local equivalent) or $1.99USD / month (or local equivalent) - 2x gold when you level up - 2x Gold rewards from trophy hunts - Access to the Silver VIP Crate that allows tickets to be redeemed for up to 3 spins per day • Gold Subscription: $1.99USD / week (or local equivalent) or $4.99USD / month (or local equivalent) including a 7 day free trial or $12.99USD / 3 months (or local equivalent) or $19.99USD / 6 months (or local equivalent) - 2x gold when you level up - 2x Gold rewards from trophy hunts - Access to the Silver VIP Crate that allows tickets to be redeemed for up to 3 spins per day - 2x Platinum Eagles from Events - Reduces by half the Dog Training and Promotion Speed - Access to the Gold VIP Crate that allows tickets to be redeemed for up to 6 spins per day - Energy level maximum increased by 5 - Reduces by half the diving suit upgrade speed Subscriptions are available via in app purchase. Subscriptions will automatically renew at the applicable subscription price at the end of the subscription period until you cancel your subscription. Payment for the subscription period you selected will be charged to your iTunes account within 24-hours prior to the end of the current subscription period. You can cancel your subscription at any time by accessing your iTunes Account Settings and selecting to cancel your subscription. After canceling, you will be responsible for paying the subscription fee for the current active applicable subscription period. Here are the links to our privacy policy and terms of service: Privacy Policy: http://www.glu.com/privacy Terms of use: http://www.glu.com/terms PLEASE NOTE: - This game is free to play, but you can choose to pay real money for some extra items, which will charge your iTunes account. You can disable in-app purchasing by adjusting your device settings. - This game is not intended for children. - Please buy carefully. - Advertising appears in this game. - This game may permit users to interact with one another (e.g., chat rooms, player to player chat, messaging) depending on the availability of these features. Linking to social networking sites are not intended for persons in violation of the applicable rules of such social networking sites. - A network connection is required to play. - For information about how Glu collects and uses your data, please read our privacy policy at: www.Glu.com/privacy - If you have a problem with this game, please use the game’s “Help” feature.

About

Big Buck Hunter

Compete in a virtual hunting game to win cash prizes. Aim, shoot, and score by taking down bucks while avoiding does. Upgrade your gear with in-game currency earned through successful hunts.

Highlights
  • Competitive hunting gameplay
  • Win cash prizes
  • Tap and hold scope to slow time
  • Aim for head and heart shots
  • Maintain Marksman Streak
  • Unlock in-game upgrades
Read full description

For over 20 years, Big Buck Hunter has been a cultural icon as the world’s favorite hunting game. Millions of players have gotten hooked on the simple-to-play, hard-to-master game in their favorite bars, restaurants and arcades around the globe. Now, the legendary arcade franchise is introducing a sharp-shooting, competitive twist to the classic series and bringing the best-selling title to an exciting new place - your fingertips! Play Mechanix and Skillz are proud to present Big Buck Hunter: Marksman, the newest way to have fun, compete and win cash prizes while playing Big Buck Hunter anytime, anywhere! HOW TO PLAY BIG BUCK HUNTER: MARKSMAN - Select an animal and a hunting location to challenge an opponent for either virtual currency or cash. - Tap and hold to look through your rifle scope and slow time. Drag to adjust your aim. Release to fire! - You have limited time to take your shot before the scope timer runs out. Swipe down to cancel your shot. - Shoot bucks (deer with antlers) to earn points! - Shooting does (deer without antlers) will incur point penalties. Don't shoot the does! - Head and heart shots will down bucks in a single shot and receive more points! - Non-head or -heart body shots will require multiple shots to down the buck. - Maintain your Marksman Streak with consecutive head and heart shots for extra points! - The farther and more accurate the shot, the more points you'll collect! - Take aim at all other critters and trophy animals throughout the round to rack up additional points! - Get a higher score than your opponent to win your match and take home the prize on the line! - You will earn coins based upon your success. Spend your coins at the Big Buck Outfitters store to unlock in-game upgrades! Skillz is a powerful mobile competition platform that features matchmaking, tournaments, leaderboards, trophies, prizes, chat rooms and a rewarding player loyalty program. Please note that cash matches are not available in the following states: AR, CT, DE, LA and SD. If you do not live in a cash-enabled region, you can still play Big Buck Hunter: Marksman with virtual currency. Big Buck Hunter: Marksman undergoes frequent software updates, so keep an eye out for fresh new content coming often. If you have any questions or feedback about the game, feel free to reach out to Play Mechanix at mobilesupport@playmechanix.com. If you have any questions or feedback about the Skillz platform or cash matches, please contact support@skillz.com.

Screenshots

Deer Hunter 20184 screens
Big Buck Hunter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Big Buck Hunter at none against Deer Hunter 2018's 10. Big Buck Hunter also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 57%). Deer Hunter 2018's advantage is ratings volume (82K vs 13K) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Deer Hunter 2018 sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Big Buck Hunter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Deer Hunter 2018 against 4.7 for Big Buck Hunter. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Deer Hunter 2018 has 82K ratings behind it against 13K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Deer Hunter 2018's written reviews are positive against 85% of Big Buck Hunter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Deer Hunter 2018 ships an update every 2 months, Big Buck Hunter monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Deer Hunter 2018 versus Big Buck Hunter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDeer Hunter 2018Big Buck Hunter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (82K ratings)4.7 (13K ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.7% of reviews84.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings82K — better13K
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size495 MB932 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperGlu Games LLCRaw Thrills, Inc.

Customer experience

Deer Hunter 2018

All ratings81,789 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews503 reviews
Positive56.7%
Neutral11.7%
Negative31.6%

Big Buck Hunter

All ratings12,633 ratings
Positive94.6%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews286 reviews
Positive84.6%
Neutral2.4%
Negative12.9%

User reviews

Deer Hunter 2018

From 82K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Awesome graphics
  • 👍 Variety of game modes
  • ⭐ Great hunting experience
  • 🎮 Fun and addictive gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Excessive in-app purchases
  • 🕰️ Repetitive and short hunts
  • 🔑 Progression gated by premium currency

Big Buck Hunter

From 13K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎯 Excellent shooting mechanics
  • ⚖️ Fair matchmaking
  • 💰 Opportunities to win real money
  • 🕹️ Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 🎨 Great graphics and visuals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent scoring and accuracy
  • 🤖 Suspicion of AI opponents/bots
  • 💸 Difficult to consistently earn money
  • 🔒 Withdrawal and payout issues
  • 🔧 Frequent crashes and bugs

Bugs and requests

Deer Hunter 2018

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Events and tournaments not working
  • Inability to access certain game modes
  • Disappearing purchased items
  • Constant forced restarts and login issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Hunting blinds and deer feeders
  • Longer and more challenging hunts
  • Ability to restore progress and purchases
  • More realistic animal behaviors

Big Buck Hunter

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes during matches
  • Scope/aiming issues affecting accuracy
  • Matchmaking problems and unfair pairings
  • Withdrawal and payout problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • More animal species and hunting locations
  • Ability to challenge friends directly
  • Replay/review feature to analyze matches
  • Offline/practice mode without real money
  • Improved tutorial and game instructions

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Deer Hunter 2018

Subscriptions2
  • Gold$1.997 Days
  • Gold7 Days trial$4.991 Month
One-time8
  • 100 Gold$0.99
  • A Bit More Awesome Pack$1.99
  • Pocket Change Gold Pack$4.99
Show 5 more
  • Pocket Change Hunter Buck Pack$4.99
  • Starter Pack$4.99
  • Spending Money Gold Pack$9.99
  • Pay Day Gold Pack$19.99
  • Pay Day Hunter Buck Pack$19.99
None

Big Buck Hunter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Deer Hunter 2018 free?
Deer Hunter 2018 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Big Buck Hunter free?
Big Buck Hunter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Deer Hunter 2018 or Big Buck Hunter?
Big Buck Hunter is rated higher. Deer Hunter 2018 averages 4.7 out of 5 from 82K ratings, while Big Buck Hunter averages 4.7 from 13K ratings.
Do Deer Hunter 2018 or Big Buck Hunter have ads?
Both Deer Hunter 2018 and Big Buck Hunter show ads.
Which is updated more often, Deer Hunter 2018 or Big Buck Hunter?
Deer Hunter 2018 ships an update every 2 months, and Big Buck Hunter monthly. Most recently, Deer Hunter 2018 was updated on November 10, 2026 and Big Buck Hunter on November 8, 2026.

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