# Papers, Please vs Stardew Valley

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Stardew Valley at 64K against Papers, Please's 1.2K. Stardew Valley also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly) and chart position (#1 vs #8). Papers, Please's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Papers, Please costs $4.99 and Stardew Valley $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Papers, Please against 4.8 for Stardew Valley. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stardew Valley has 64K ratings behind it against 1.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Papers, Please's written reviews are positive against 73% of Stardew Valley's.

Papers, Please ships an update weekly, Stardew Valley every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Papers, Please | Stardew Valley |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $4.99 | $4.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (1.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-please/id935216956/reviews) | **[4.8 (64K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.2K | **64K** |
| Positive reviews | **79.6% of reviews** | 73.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #8 | **#1** |
| Size | 62 MB | 442 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [3909](https://appshunter.io/developer/541419307) | [ConcernedApe](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620477446) |

## What reviewers say

### Papers, Please

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/papers-please/id935216956)

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Paid · Role Playing, #20 Top Paid · Simulation, #50 Top Paid · Games, #83 Top Paid (US App Store)

Step into the shoes of a border inspector in a dystopian communist state. Examine documents, interrogate travelers, and decide who is allowed to enter. Your choices impact your family's survival and the fate of the nation.

**Highlights:** Dystopian border inspector simulation, Document examination and verification, Interrogation and decision-making, Multiple endings based on choices, Unlockable multitouch support, Game Center achievements and leaderboards

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Stardew Valley

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Paid · Role Playing, #3 Top Paid · Simulation, #6 Top Paid · Games, #9 Top Paid (US App Store)

Cultivate a new life in this open-ended farming RPG. Build your dream farm, raise animals, grow crops, and explore mysterious caves. Customize your farmer, settle down, and become part of a vibrant community.

**Highlights:** Build and customize your farm, Raise animals and grow crops, Explore caves and battle monsters, Develop relationships and start a family, Participate in festivals and quests, Fishing and foraging activities, Mobile-specific controls and auto-save

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive and fun
- 👍 Engaging storylines
- 🌟 Beautiful game
- 🎮 Great gameplay
- 🕹️ Relaxing and calming

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Difficult to find/catch fish
- 🎮 Challenging controls, especially for combat
- 🔁 Repetitive dialogue/events
- 🔧 Bugs with furniture placement and interactions

**Reported bugs**

- Fishing rod sound bug
- Sewer key cutscene not triggering
- Furniture/building placement issues
- Inventory/interaction bugs
- Crashing when entering certain areas

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer support
- More NPC interactions and relationships
- Ability to grow up/customize children
- Joystick/controller support
- More end-game content and challenges


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Papers, Please free?

Papers, Please costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Stardew Valley free?

Stardew Valley costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Papers, Please or Stardew Valley?

Stardew Valley is rated higher. Papers, Please averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while Stardew Valley averages 4.8 from 64K ratings.

### Do Papers, Please or Stardew Valley have ads?

Neither Papers, Please nor Stardew Valley shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Papers, Please or Stardew Valley?

Papers, Please ships an update weekly, and Stardew Valley every 3 days. Most recently, Papers, Please was updated on October 29, 2026 and Stardew Valley on October 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Papers, Please or Stardew Valley?

Papers, Please currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Stardew Valley at #1. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*