Comparison

Evolution Board Game vs Catan Universe

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

Head to head
About

Evolution Board Game

Adapt your species to survive and thrive in a dynamic ecosystem. Evolve traits to overcome environmental challenges and outcompete opponents. Experience a rich campaign, challenging multiplayer, and endless replayability with thousands of species combinations.

Highlights
  • Adapt species to survive
  • Evolve traits and abilities
  • Compete in dynamic ecosystems
  • Engaging single-player campaign
  • Online multiplayer matches
  • Thousands of species combinations
Features
Read full description

Evolution continues to evolve! New changes mean faster, fluid games and more content to explore. Adapt, survive, and thrive in a changing world enhanced by incredible art and thoughtful, balanced mechanics. Inspired by the award-winning board game with more than 3 million players, Evolution has arrived on iOS. "#1 Digital Board Game of the year" -Ars Technica "Best Mobile Strategy Game of the year" -Pocket Gamer NATURAL SELECTION IN ACTION In the game Evolution, you adapt your species to survive and stay one step ahead of opponents. -Watering hole running dry? Evolve a long neck to reach food in the trees. -Staring down a Carnivore? Develop a hard shell to fend off an attack. -Evolve up the food chain to become a the most successful species. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY! Unlike most board games, evolution lets you try the game for free first. Freeplay includes the tutorial, the easy and intermediate AI opponents, five campaign levels, and 1 multiplayer game a day. Pay a one-time cost to unlock unlimited functionality such as the Weekly Challenges, the Hard & Expert AI, Pass and Play, the full Campaign, Private Multiplayer Games and Asynchronous Games, and unlimited Matchmade Games. CHALLENGING AND ADDICTIVE Do you evolve protection from Carnivores, or find a way to eat if there is no Food in the Watering Hole? The ecosystem is constantly changing, and you’ve got to figure out what your opponents are up to. INTERACTIVE TUTORIAL Our friendly professor will guide you from one watering hole to the next on our learn-as-you-play tutorial, showing you how to survive in evolution before sending you off to make a name for yourself. Hone your skill as you progress from lowly Biology Intern to competing for the Nobel Prize! EXPLORE THE CAMPAIGN Explore the mysteries of Evolution Island and discover distinct Boss opponents. As you move through the campaign you’ll unlock new “Apex Species” that are masters of specific strategies; defeat them to add them to your menu of single-player opponents. MATCH MADE MULTIPLAYER One click and the game will match you with players of similar skill in a fast paced online game. Make friends in the game and set up custom games, or rank up in the ongoing seasonal tournaments and see how far you can go. ENDLESS REPLAYS, ONE PRICE This isn't a collectible card game, the full set of cards are included in the base game. Thousands of possible species combinations evolve from 17 unique trait cards, meaning no two games are ever the same. PACE & POLISH With a smooth user interface and fast, informative animations, Evolution was built to satisfy a quick fix of intense strategic battles. Easy to learn, almost impossible to master, one game and you’ll find yourself addicted. Evolution isn’t just a top tier strategy game – it’s a whole new animal. "Best Digital Board Game of the year" -Vulture "A powerhouse game poised to steal the thunder of some of the most popular games on the app store" -Touch Arcade

About

Catan Universe

Experience the classic board game and its card game counterpart on your mobile device. Trade, build, and settle on the island of Catan, competing against players worldwide. Unlock expansions and new game modes for endless strategic fun.

Highlights
  • Trade, build, and settle
  • Play across multiple devices with one account
  • Faithful adaptation of board and card games
  • Design your own avatar
  • Chat with players and form guilds
  • Participate in seasons and win prizes
  • Unlock achievements and rewards
Features
Read full description

Play your favorite game CATAN anytime and anywhere: the original board game, the card game, the expansions and ‘CATAN – Rise of the Inkas‘, all in one app! After a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. However, other explorers have also landed on Catan: The race to settle the island has begun! Build roads and cities, trade skillfully and become Lord or Lady of Catan! Go on a journey to the Catan universe, and compete in exciting duels against players from all over the world. The board game classic and the Catan card game bring a real tabletop feeling to your screen! Play with your Catan Universe account on the device of your choice: You can use your login on numerous desktop and mobile platforms! Become part of the huge worldwide Catan community, and compete against players from all over the world, and on all supported platforms. The board game: Play the basic board game in multiplayer mode! Join two of your friends for a maximum of three players and face all the challenges in “Arrival on Catan”. Make things even more exciting by unlocking the full Basegame; the expansions “Cities & Knights” and “Seafarers”, each for up to six players. The special scenario pack containing the scenarios “Enchanted Land” and “The Great Canal” adds even more variety to your games. The game edition ‘Rise of the Inkas‘ is another exciting challenge for you, as your settlements are doomed in their heyday. The jungle swallows the signs of human civilization, and your opponents seize their chance to build their settlement at the location they crave for. The card game: Play the introductory game of the popular 2 player card game “Catan – The Duel” online free of charge or master the free “Arrival on Catan”, to permanently unlock the single player mode against the AI. Get the complete card game as an in-game purchase to play three different theme sets against friends, other fans friends or different AI opponents and submerge yourself into the bustling life on Catan. Features: - Trade – build – settle – Become Lord of Catan! - Play on all your devices with one account. - Faithful to the original version of the board game “Catan”, as well as the card game “Catan – The Duel” (aka “Rivals for Catan”) - Design your own avatar. - Chat with other players and form guilds. - Participate in seasons and win amazing prizes. - Play to earn numerous achievements and unlock rewards. - Get additional expansions and play modes as in-game purchases. - Get started very easily with the comprehensive tutorial. Free-to-play content: - Basic game free matches against two other human players - Introductory game free matches Catan – The Duel against a human player - “Arrival on Catan”: Master the challenges in all areas of the game to get more red Catan suns. - You can use Catan suns to play against the computer. Your yellow suns recharge on their own. ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to support@catanuniverse.com We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: www.catanuniverse.com or visit us on www.facebook.com/CatanUniverse *****

Screenshots

Evolution Board Game4 screens
Catan Universe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Evolution Board Game at 59% against Catan Universe's 13%. Evolution Board Game also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 11 days vs every 2 months). Catan Universe's advantage is chart position (#113 vs unranked) and ratings volume (31K vs 4.8K). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Evolution Board Game sells 14 one-off in-app purchases and Catan Universe sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Evolution Board Game holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Catan Universe has 31K ratings behind it against 4.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of Evolution Board Game's written reviews are positive against 13% of Catan Universe's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Evolution Board Game ships an update every 11 days, Catan Universe every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 28, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Evolution Board Game versus Catan Universe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEvolution Board GameCatan Universe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (4.8K ratings) — better3.8 (31K ratings)
Positive reviews59.2% of reviews — better12.6% of reviews
Number of ratings4.8K31K — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#113 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size531 MB901 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperNorth Star Digital GamesUnited Soft Media Verlag GmbH

Customer experience

Evolution Board Game

All ratings4,788 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews284 reviews
Positive59.2%
Neutral10.2%
Negative30.6%

Catan Universe

All ratings30,848 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral6.2%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3,305 reviews
Positive12.6%
Neutral14.0%
Negative73.4%

User reviews

Evolution Board Game

From 4.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Excellent digital implementation of the board game
  • 🎨 Beautiful artwork and animations
  • 🤖 Challenging and well-designed AI opponents
  • 🕹️ Smooth and intuitive gameplay
  • 📚 Helpful tutorial and campaign mode

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🔌 Battery-draining performance
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for full game access
  • 🤖 Overpowered AI opponents in some cases
  • 🤝 Limited multiplayer options and matchmaking

Catan Universe

From 31K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great representation of board game
  • 👍 Lots of game modes and expansions
  • 🎨 Good visual design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🔁 Unreliable connectivity and server issues
  • 🤖 Unfair and unbalanced AI
  • 💰 Expensive in-app purchases

Bugs and requests

Evolution Board Game

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Campaign progress not saving properly
  • Inability to create new accounts
  • Multiplayer games freezing or crashing
  • UI elements overlapping or not scaling correctly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add local pass-and-play multiplayer
  • Implement more customization options for creatures
  • Introduce new gameplay modes and expansions
  • Improve online matchmaking and stability
  • Optimize performance for older devices

Catan Universe

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes and gets stuck during play
  • Frequent log-out and login issues
  • Inconsistent enforcement of game rules
  • Disappearing resources and settlements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to mute group chat
  • Improve trade interface and AI trading behavior
  • Randomize dice rolls and resource distribution
  • Provide more customization options for game setup

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Evolution Board Game

One-time14
  • Gigantism$0.99
  • Venom$0.99
  • Promo Card Bundle$1.99
Show 11 more
  • Stained Glass Cards$2.99
  • Promo Card Bundle$3.99
  • Arms Race Promo Pack$3.99
  • Alone and Unafraid Promo Pack$3.99
  • Evolution Full Game$6.99
  • Climate$6.99
  • Flight Upgrade$6.99
  • Base Game & Climate Upgrade$9.99
  • Flight & Promo Packs$14.99
  • Ultimate Bundle$19.99
  • Ultimate Bundle$24.99
6 purchases

Catan Universe

One-time6
  • 200 Catan Gold$2.99
  • 300 Catan Gold$3.99
  • 500 Catan Gold$4.99
Show 3 more
  • 900 Catan Gold$7.99
  • 1700 Catan Gold$14.99
  • 3000 Catan Gold$26.99

Questions

Is Evolution Board Game free?
Evolution Board Game is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Catan Universe free?
Catan Universe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Evolution Board Game or Catan Universe?
Evolution Board Game is rated higher. Evolution Board Game averages 4.7 out of 5 from 4.8K ratings, while Catan Universe averages 3.8 from 31K ratings.
Do Evolution Board Game or Catan Universe have ads?
Neither Evolution Board Game nor Catan Universe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Evolution Board Game or Catan Universe?
Evolution Board Game ships an update every 11 days, and Catan Universe every 2 months. Most recently, Evolution Board Game was updated on September 28, 2026 and Catan Universe on September 28, 2026.

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