Question 1

Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon free?

Accepted Answer

The desktop version is entirely free and open-source under GPL-3.0 with no purchases or advertising. The iOS and Android store listings are paid, which is the only place money changes hands.

Question 2

Is Shattered Pixel Dungeon good for roguelike beginners?

Accepted Answer

Yes, unusually so. The rules are transparent, deaths are almost always explicable, and runs are short enough that starting again is cheap. It is one of the better introductions to the genre.

Question 3

How long is a run in Shattered Pixel Dungeon?

Accepted Answer

A full successful run takes roughly an hour or two. Most early runs end much sooner, which is part of the design — each attempt teaches you something.

Question 4

Does Shattered Pixel Dungeon have permadeath?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Death ends the run and nothing carries over except what you have learned. This is central to the design rather than an obstacle to it.

Question 5

How is Shattered Pixel Dungeon different from Pixel Dungeon?

Accepted Answer

Shattered Pixel Dungeon is a long-running, heavily expanded fork of the original Pixel Dungeon, with substantially more content, more classes and far more refined balance. It is the actively developed version.