Comparison

Cthulhu Realms vs Authority Counter

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

Head to head
About

Cthulhu Realms

This digital card game challenges players to drive opponents insane or maintain more sanity than them by the end of the deck. It features comical art and strategic deck-building mechanics, offering a free-to-play experience with an optional upgrade for expanded features and online play.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Sanity-based win conditions
  • Comical horror art
  • AI opponent
  • Campaign missions
  • Online multiplayer
  • Pass and Play mode
Features
Read full description

Star Realms has gone insane! Introducing Cthulhu Realms! Are you zany enough to play the crazier and creepier cousin of Star Realms? Download and play today to find out why Cthulhu Realms is so crazily addictive! In Cthulhu Realms, each player tries to drive their opponent insane or have more sanity than their opponents when the deck runs out. "The art in Cthulhu Realms is hilarious and beautifully done, somehow complimenting the horror theme perfectly. The production value is top-notch." — Gameosity "It’s a surprisingly effective package that delivers a great little deck builder with a low price tag. If you can embrace the playful theme, you’ll find a pleasant gem in Cthulhu Realms." — Geek Ken "It certainly is not just another deck-building game, but has original and fresh mechanics that will challenge your brain." — Board Game Maniac How to Play the Game: Each player starts the game with a small deck comprised of initiates, goons and followers. Five cards from the deck form a row of available cards on the table; with more than two players, place three available cards between each pair of players. Each turn, you start with five cards in hand, playing those cards in order to put locations into play, boost your own sanity or reduce that of others, collect conjuring power to acquire new cards, and remove cards from the game. You can use the power of your locations once each turn. At the end of your turn, discard any cards still in hand and all entities and artifacts that you played. If you lose all of your sanity, you're out of the game. If you're the only one at the table who's still sane, you win. Otherwise, the game ends when the deck runs out and whoever has the most sanity wins. Darwin Kastle is the designer of the popular Star Realms Deckbuilding Game, and with the digital release of Cthulhu Realms, he once again provides tons of playability for free, and a one-time upgrade to be able play with your friends and more on any device. Free Version • Drive people insane everywhere - play across devices. • Crazyily addictive deckbuilding game. • Tutorial teaches you how to make people crazy in minutes. • Awesome, comical art. • Play VS the AI. • 8 silly campaign missions! Full Game Additional Features • Play the AI on 2 different difficulty settings. • 8 more fun campaign missions. • Battle your friends face to face with Pass and Play. • Play against many more opponents online. • Challenge a friend to online Player v Player combat Cthulhu Realms is also available at your local game store as a physical card game from Tasty Minstrel Games.

About

Authority Counter

Track scores for the board game Star Empires with this convenient app. It supports up to four players, offers customizable flag colors for easy identification, and allows for point rotation for shared play. Adjust the starting authority value and enjoy a space-themed background.

Highlights
  • Up to four player support
  • Customizable flag colors
  • Point rotation for shared play
  • Adjustable starting authority
  • Apple Watch app
  • Space background
Features
Read full description

This is a simple but effective app for keeping score in the board game Star Empires. The app has features that make the gameplay convenient and understandable. - Support for up to four players. - Selection of the flag color for visual differentiation of each player's points. - Display of buttons on both sides and rotation of points: for convenient play at one table. - Selection of the starting value of authority. - Apple Watch app .. and space background.

Screenshots

Cthulhu Realms3 screens
Authority Counter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Authority Counter at 100% against Cthulhu Realms's 38%. Authority Counter also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.2) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Cthulhu Realms's advantage is ratings volume (64 vs 3). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Cthulhu Realms sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Authority Counter asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Authority Counter holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cthulhu Realms has 64 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Cthulhu Realms's written reviews are positive against 100% of Authority Counter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cthulhu Realms ships an update every 5 weeks, Authority Counter every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cthulhu Realms versus Authority Counter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCthulhu RealmsAuthority Counter
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (64 ratings)4.7 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews37.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings64 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB4 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperWhite Wizard GamesVladislav Antonov

Customer experience

Cthulhu Realms

All ratings64 ratings
Positive46.9%
Neutral9.4%
Negative43.8%
Written reviews85 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral11.8%
Negative50.6%

Authority Counter

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Cthulhu Realms

Reported bugs

43 issues
  • Not fullscreen on iPad 10
  • Words cutoff on Face ID iPhones
  • Cannot login
  • No way to contact support
  • In-app purchase says available on all devices but not so
Show 38 more
  • User name doesn't show up
  • Cannot play online
  • Cannot play missions or vs AI
  • App is completely broken
  • Tap on campaign - nothing
  • Tap on single match - nothing
  • Everything now broken
  • Update broke everything
  • Campaign, vs AI, Tutorial non-responsive
  • Stopped working
  • Update broken
  • Cannot start a game
  • June2018 update problem
  • 'Start game' button not working
  • Update broken on iPad and iPhone 7
  • Won't let me buy full version
  • Server error on online play
  • Online play has never given a match
  • UI could be improved
  • Online play implemented well
  • App badge and notifications when it is your turn
  • Game lags with perfect graphics
  • Push notifications don't appear
  • Badge notifications appear after opening app
  • Online doesn't work
  • Purchased full version, won't let me play online
  • App doesn't remember purchase
  • Constantly logging out
  • Broken, please fix
  • Bought but won't recognize it
  • Broken-purchased and won't unlock or restore
  • Still can't make the purchase for full game
  • Broke, doesn't allow purchases
  • Loses connection often
  • Notification bug
  • Bug that app doesn't remember I bought the in-app purchase
  • Keep having to rebuy the game
  • Account creation bug

Requested features

12 requests
  • More campaign content
  • More levels
  • Rank ladders for online play
  • Fix current stats
  • Turn off background movement
Show 7 more
  • Add pass & play feature
  • Improve UI for readability
  • Fix online connection issues
  • Allow real-time games with friends
  • Fix notifications
  • Allow multiple online accounts per purchase
  • Fix account creation bug

Authority Counter

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cthulhu Realms

One-time1
  • Main Expansion$4.99
None

Authority Counter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cthulhu Realms free?
Cthulhu Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Authority Counter free?
Authority Counter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cthulhu Realms or Authority Counter?
Authority Counter is rated higher. Cthulhu Realms averages 3.2 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Authority Counter averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Cthulhu Realms or Authority Counter have ads?
Neither Cthulhu Realms nor Authority Counter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cthulhu Realms or Authority Counter?
Cthulhu Realms ships an update every 5 weeks, and Authority Counter every 2 weeks. Most recently, Cthulhu Realms was updated on November 4, 2026 and Authority Counter on October 30, 2026.

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