Comparison

Thieves' Gambit vs Hosted Games

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

Head to head
About

Thieves' Gambit

Embark on a thrilling text-based heist adventure as a master thief aiming to steal a legendary, unlucky diamond. Make critical choices that shape your story, character, and alliances in this interactive caper.

Highlights
  • Interactive story with player choices
  • Text-based gameplay
  • Character customization (gender, orientation, motives)
  • Heist mission with evasion
  • Multiple plot paths and outcomes
  • High-stakes intrigue and double-crossing
Features
Read full description

You're the world's greatest jewel thief! Well, second greatest. But if you and your team of talented crooks can steal the Black Cat, the world's unluckiest diamond, you'll be legendary! “Thieves’ Gambit: The Curse of the Black Cat” is an interactive heist caper by Dana Duffield, where your choices control the story. It's entirely text-based--without graphics or sound effects--and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. Play as male or female; gay, straight, or bi. Choose your methods and your motives. Will you be an honorable thief or a ruthless criminal? A technical genius or a master of disguise? Who can you trust, and who will you double-cross? The Black Cat has never been stolen, its previous owners all having died under improbably unfortunate circumstances. Break into the palace of San Castellano, pinch the gem, evade the relentless Inspector Leclerc and get away before you succumb to the Curse of the Black Cat! • 100,000-word tale of adventure and intrigue • Fast cars • High fashion • State-of-the-art spy gadgets • Double-cross or be double-crossed

About

Hosted Games

Explore a vast library of text-based interactive novels where your choices shape the narrative. Engage in diverse genres from horror and fantasy to romance and sci-fi, all powered by your imagination. Create your own stories using a simple scripting language.

Highlights
  • Vast library of interactive novels
  • Text-based storytelling
  • Choice-driven narratives
  • Multiple genres available
  • Create your own games
  • ChoiceScript programming language
Features
Read full description

The choice is yours! Joust for love and glory, solve an eldritch murder, find romance, or battle aliens with Magitek? "Hosted Games" is a magnificent library of interactive novels, written by authors like you. Hosted Games are entirely text-based—without graphics or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination. Try a few of these fan favorites: • Zombie Exodus — Fight your way out of a zombie-filled city in this interactive horror story! • Fallen Hero — Step into the shoes of a telepath turned villain and explore the dark side. • Wayhaven Chronicles — Something stalks the shadows, and it's up to you to find out what! • Sabres of Infinity — Step into the boots of a Royal Dragoon in this tale of war in a fantasy world. • Golden Rose — Explore a medieval Europe where history took a different turn! • Soul Stone War — Fight for the future—your own, and the world's! Your fate is yours. • I, the Forgotten One — Can you defeat the rebellion in your kingdom before your past consumes you? • An Unexpectedly Green Journey — From birth to death, craft your orc's legacy. Are you destined for glory? • Fields of Asphodel — Join the ranks of the Underworld's misfit gods and make it your home! • Tin Star — Ride out into the Old West as a U.S. marshal and craft a legend. Authors just like you have developed these games using ChoiceScript, a simple programming language for writing multiple-choice interactive novels. Writing games with ChoiceScript is easy and fun, even for authors with no programming experience. Learn more at https://hostedgames.org

Screenshots

Thieves' Gambit4 screens
Hosted Games4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hosted Games at Free against Thieves' Gambit's $4.99. Hosted Games also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and ratings volume (1K vs 13). Thieves' Gambit's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On review sentiment, ads and device support 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

Hosted Games is free to download; Thieves' Gambit costs $4.99 up front. Hosted Games sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Thieves' Gambit asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hosted Games holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hosted Games has 1K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of Thieves' Gambit's written reviews are positive against 77% of Hosted Games's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thieves' Gambit ships an update every 2 months, Hosted Games fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Thieves' Gambit versus Hosted Games: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThieves' GambitHosted Games
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating4.2 (13 ratings)4.7 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews71.4% of reviews77.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings131K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB97 MB
Age rating12++12
DeveloperChoice of Games LLCHosted Games LLC

Customer experience

Thieves' Gambit

All ratings13 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral15.4%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

Hosted Games

All ratings956 ratings
Positive92.4%
Neutral1.7%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews213 reviews
Positive77.5%
Neutral6.6%
Negative16.0%

In-app purchases

None

Thieves' Gambit

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Hosted Games

One-time10
  • Keeper of the Sun and Moon$6.99
  • Fallen Hero: Rebirth$6.99
  • Hero or Villain: Genesis$6.99
Show 7 more
  • A Kiss from Death$6.99
  • Wayhaven Chronicles: Book One$7.99
  • The Soul Stone War$7.99
  • Breach: The Archangel Job$8.99
  • Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two$8.99
  • The Golden Rose: Book One$11.99
  • Wayhaven Chronicles Three$11.99

Questions

Is Thieves' Gambit free?
Thieves' Gambit costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hosted Games free?
Hosted Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Thieves' Gambit or Hosted Games?
Hosted Games is rated higher. Thieves' Gambit averages 4.2 out of 5 from 13 ratings, while Hosted Games averages 4.7 from 1K ratings.
Do Thieves' Gambit or Hosted Games have ads?
Both Thieves' Gambit and Hosted Games show ads.
Which is updated more often, Thieves' Gambit or Hosted Games?
Thieves' Gambit ships an update every 2 months, and Hosted Games fortnightly. Most recently, Thieves' Gambit was updated on November 1, 2026 and Hosted Games on November 4, 2026.

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