Android
iOSAndroid and iOS mobile review
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
A turn-based dungeon crawler where knowing when to retreat matters more than tapping faster.
- Mobile release date
- Developed by
- Evan Debenham
- Play style
- Single-player, turn-based exploration with permadeath
Official artworkShattered Pixel Dungeon is a good choice for patient players who enjoy learning from failed expeditions. Movement, equipment, and limited supplies make even a small room a tactical problem. The cost is repeated early deaths without guaranteed permanent upgrades. Android lets you test that preference free; the iOS purchase suits players who already enjoy demanding roguelikes. The unforgiving opening and limited current phone performance evidence keep our recommendation qualified.
See why it got this score ↓Still images: Evan Debenham / Shattered Pixel; original Pixel Dungeon art by Oleg Dolya. Developer asset license: CC BY-SA 4.0. Official promotional screenshots and app icon resized and converted to WebP; these adaptations retain CC BY-SA 4.0. Screenshots show the desktop interface, not GamesRanker mobile testing.
On this page
Source-reviewed assessment by GamesRanker Editorial: GamesRanker did not claim a first-hand test for this score. We verified product facts and evaluated attributed mobile testing from the named reviewers below. Store details were last checked using the United States baseline on September 8, 2026; availability and prices may differ in your country. See how source-reviewed scores work.
The essentials
What is Shattered Pixel Dungeon?
Choose Shattered Pixel Dungeon if you want a demanding dungeon crawler you can think through one move at a time. Doors, unidentified equipment, food, and enemy behavior all affect whether a run survives. The Android edition is free to download; the iOS edition is an upfront purchase. This is Shattered Pixel Dungeon by Evan Debenham, not the original Pixel Dungeon or another mod. Our assessment combines named historical iOS reviews with the developer's stable 3.3.8 documentation and current store checks. GamesRanker has not played these builds.
Why it stands out
- Movement and enemy knowledge can solve problems that stronger equipment alone cannot
- Turn-based play leaves time to inspect items and choose a route
- A free Android edition provides a low-commitment way to test the difficulty
- Class, item, and terrain combinations reward learning the same system over many runs
What to consider
- Repeated early deaths can delay the more interesting combinations
- Unidentified gear and strength requirements create costly learning mistakes
- Permadeath does not provide a guaranteed permanent-power reward for time spent
- Current phone battery life and post-fix stability are not established by our historical review sources
Is it for you?
Should you download it?
Players who want a deliberate dungeon expedition and can enjoy discovering why a run failed. Choose it when moving through a physical space, using doors and terrain, is more appealing than building a scoring engine in Balatro.
You need reliable story progress each session or find repeated opening floors discouraging. Card Crawl 2 offers a more compact card-based dungeon format, although its progression purchases are a separate tradeoff; neither game is a substitute for a forgiving narrative RPG.
Score details
Why Shattered Pixel Dungeon scored 7.8
We score both the game itself and how well this version works on a phone or tablet.
Fun
Positioning and equipment knowledge give ordinary encounters lasting interest. Bird's account of frustrating early loot dependence tempers Nelson's enthusiasm for repeat runs. Later balance changes prevent treating their launch-era difficulty judgments as an exact current walkthrough.
Phone experience
Turn-based movement lets you stop to inspect a situation without a reflex penalty, a strength Bird describes. The developer supplies small-screen interface modes, but reading equipment and enemy details is still central: this is less effortless than a swipe-led card game.
Value
Android's free entry and the checked $4.99 iOS price are attractive for a player who enjoys exploring class and equipment combinations. They buy little enjoyment for someone who dislikes restarting. A free Android installation is the clearest way to test that fit if you own both platforms.
Performance
This is a qualified assessment of documented support and reliability, not measured frame rates. Stable 3.3.8 fixes rare crashes; earlier 3.3 patches corrected launch failures on older iOS processors after a renderer change. The modest installation and maintained compatibility are positives, but we lack current phone, thermal, and battery tests.
Ads & purchases
The developer describes Google Play's extra purchases as supporter features and separates them from the free game. iOS sells access upfront. That is a clearer proposition than paying repeatedly to rescue a run, though the different store and itch.io editions deserve checking before purchase.
On mobile
Features that matter
- 01Six hero classes develop through talents and subclass choices
- 02Randomized floors make positioning and exploration part of each new run
- 03Equipment requirements make a usable item different from an impressive-looking find
- 04Alchemy lets consumables and collected ingredients support a changing plan
- 05Optional challenges give experienced players additional restrictions
Quick answers
Common questions about Shattered Pixel Dungeon on mobile
Straight answers about price, content, offline play, controls, and compatibility.
Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free on both phones?+
No. Our US check found a free Android installation and a $4.99 upfront iOS app. Google Play also lists optional supporter purchases. The free Android game is not described as a timed trial; local store prices can differ.
Can I play without an internet connection?Shattered Pixel Dungeon+
Google Play labels the game for offline play. Downloads, updates, and optional store or synchronization features require a connection. We have not performed a current-build airplane-mode test; check your installed game and save before a trip.
Is version 4.0 already the normal mobile release?Shattered Pixel Dungeon+
Not in our September 8, 2026 reference check. Apple's stable listing was 3.3.8, while the developer's itch.io downloads separately labeled 4.0.0-RC-1 as beta. Check your installed version before following advice for the new Vault quest.
Do the original Pixel Dungeon guides apply here?Shattered Pixel Dungeon+
Only where the mechanics still match. Shattered is a separate, maintained game with added classes and changed items. Follow instructions that identify the Shattered version, especially for armor, class abilities, and boss behavior.
Will buying the iOS game move my Android save?Shattered Pixel Dungeon+
We did not establish an official Android-to-iOS save-transfer guarantee. Google Play features and Apple purchases are separate systems. Do not buy another edition solely to continue an existing run without checking the exact transfer route with the developer.
Store snapshot
What players are rating
United States snapshot, : September 8, 2026 US check: free Install action on Google Play, $4.99 on the App Store, stable 3.3.8 in Apple's metadata. Android supporter purchases are optional; this is not a timed free trial. Store age-rating metadata disagrees on iOS, so the visible local listing should guide that decision.
Your next step
Price and download
US reference check, September 8, 2026: Android has a free Install listing with optional supporter purchases; iOS costs $4.99 upfront. The developer distinguishes Google Play's supporter features from the separate itch.io editions. Local prices and availability may differ.
Regional store note: Listed on both reference stores on . GamesRanker uses this consistent baseline for comparison; use the store links to see availability, pricing, size, and requirements in your region.
