Comparison

Reigns vs Dawncaster

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

Head to head
About

Reigns

Rule a medieval kingdom by making decisions with a swipe of your finger. Balance the needs of various factions, from the church to the army, to extend your reign. Each choice has consequences that can lead to your dynasty's downfall.

Highlights
  • Swipe-based decision making
  • Kingdom faction balance
  • Dynasty survival
  • Event spanning centuries
  • Multiple ways to die
Features
Read full description

Sit on the throne as a benevolent (or malevolent) medieval monarch of the modern age and swipe your royal fingers either left or right to impose your will upon the kingdom. Survive the seemingly never-ending gauntlet of requests from your advisors, peasants, allies, and enemies while maintaining balance between the influential factions of your kingdom. But beware; each decision you make might have implications and unfortunate consequences down the road that could put your reign and family’s dynasty at risk! Each year of your reign brings another important – seemingly random – request from your unpredictable kingdom as you strive for balance between the church, the people, the army, and the treasury. Prudent decisions and careful planning make for a long reign but unforeseen motivations, surprise events, and poor luck can take down even the most entrenched monarch. Extend your reign as long as possible, forge alliances, make enemies, and find new ways to die as your dynasty marches along through the ages. Some events will span on centuries, with an intrigue involving burning witches, scientific enlightenment, wicked politics and, maybe, the Devil himself. *iPhone 5 / iPod Touch 6 / iPad Mini / iPad Air or later recommended.

About

Dawncaster

Embark on a tactical deck-building adventure with over 900 illustrated cards. Explore a mysterious world, master unique class abilities, and forge your own path through a rich narrative. Enjoy a complete premium experience with no ads or microtransactions.

Highlights
  • Over 900 hand-illustrated cards
  • Unique class abilities
  • Innovative energy system
  • Richly illustrated world
  • Randomized encounters
  • Unlockable content
Features
Read full description

Dawncaster: Epic Deck-Building Adventure Dive into a world of strategy and magic in Dawncaster, the ultimate deck-building experience with over 900 stunning hand-illustrated cards. Will you become a shadow-dancing rogue, an indomitable warrior, a mysterious Seeker, or forge your own path? Unravel the dark secrets of Aethos in this tactical masterpiece that revolutionizes mobile card gaming. Redefining Card Games - Experience groundbreaking mechanics that seasoned players will love - Blend unique class abilities with powerful weapons and enchantments - Master an innovative energy system, freeing you from traditional deckbuilder constraints A World Shrouded in Mystery - Embark on a quest to find the legendary 'Dawnbringer' lost in the corrupted realm of Umbris - Immerse yourself in a richly illustrated world with compelling dialogue and meaningful choices - Shape the fate of a desperate world through your actions Complete Gaming Experience - Unlock all cards and classes with your purchase - no microtransactions! - Open up new exciting area's with optional expansion packs for even more content - Enjoy a premium game free from ads, timers, or pay-to-win mechanics Endless Replayability - Every run is unique with randomized encounters and battles - Unlock new starting cards, portraits, and challenges - Test your skills with increasing difficulty levels Join the Dawncaster Community - Connect with fellow players and developers on the Discord server - Share strategies, get the latest updates, and influence the game's future - Be part of a passionate community that's shaping the future of Dawncaster Ready to answer the call? Download Dawncaster now and begin your legendary journey! Discord: https://discord.gg/pfeMG9c Website: https://dawncaster.wanderlost.games

Screenshots

Reigns4 screens
Dawncaster4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Reigns at none against Dawncaster's 14. Reigns also leads on ratings volume (7.6K vs 928) and price ($2.99 vs $4.99). Dawncaster's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 weeks) and review sentiment (80% vs 70%). On rating, ads, monetization model and chart position 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

Reigns costs $2.99 and Dawncaster $4.99 up front. Dawncaster sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Reigns asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Reigns against 4.7 for Dawncaster. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reigns has 7.6K ratings behind it against 928, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 70% of Reigns's written reviews are positive against 80% of Dawncaster's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reigns ships an update every 5 weeks, Dawncaster every 10 days. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Reigns versus Dawncaster: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReignsDawncaster
Price$2.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.8 (7.6K ratings) — better4.7 (928 ratings)
Positive reviews70.2% of reviews80.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K — better928
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#16#7 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size124 MB1.4 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperDevolver Digital, Inc.Rick van der Wal

Customer experience

Reigns

All ratings7,608 ratings
Positive95.7%
Neutral2.1%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews921 reviews
Positive70.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative20.6%

Dawncaster

All ratings924 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews459 reviews
Positive80.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative12.4%

User reviews

Reigns

From 7.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👑 Great game concept
  • 🤴 Engaging storyline and characters
  • 🎨 Stylish art and design
  • 🕹️ Addictive and challenging gameplay
  • 🕰️ Replayability and multiple endings

Room to improve

  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay and card choices
  • 🤔 Unclear consequences of decisions
  • 🕹️ Frustrating difficulty and randomness
  • 🔋 Battery drain issues
  • 🐛 Bugs and save file corruption

Dawncaster

From 928 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Constant updates
  • 🔥 Addictive gameplay loop
  • 🔍 Discovering new secrets
  • 💎 Excellent value for money
  • 🎨 Beautiful art and visuals

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 🔍 Steep learning curve
  • 🔁 Repetitive enemy and boss encounters
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and unlock system
  • 🔧 Unbalanced difficulty spikes

Bugs and requests

Reigns

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Blank/corrupted cards
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Save file corruption
  • Compatibility issues on newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • More content and storylines
  • Ability to customize the king/kingdom
  • Improved UI and feedback on decisions
  • Difficulty settings or options
  • Cross-platform/cloud save support

Dawncaster

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes after certain card interactions
  • Incorrect card behavior or descriptions
  • Progression loss after updates
  • Compatibility issues on newer devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Endless or challenge mode
  • More language support (e.g. Chinese, Spanish, Russian)
  • Improved tutorial and onboarding
  • Ability to toggle DLC content on/off
  • Checkpoints or save states during runs

In-app purchases

None

Reigns

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

Dawncaster

One-time13
  • Vaul of the Void Promo PackFree
  • Synthesis Support Pack$3.99
  • Infinitum Support Banner$3.99
Show 10 more
  • Eclypse Supporter Pack$3.99
  • Buy the devs a coffee$4.99
  • Tribes of Twilight$4.99
  • Death of Divinity$4.99
  • Masks of Misery$4.99
  • Siege of Shadows$4.99
  • Dawncaster Origins Bundle$4.99
  • Nexus of Nightmares$5.99
  • Infernal Invasions$5.99
  • Dawncaster Mega Bundle$12.99

Questions

Is Reigns free?
Reigns costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dawncaster free?
Dawncaster costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Reigns or Dawncaster?
Reigns is rated higher. Reigns averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while Dawncaster averages 4.7 from 928 ratings.
Do Reigns or Dawncaster have ads?
Neither Reigns nor Dawncaster shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reigns or Dawncaster?
Reigns ships an update every 5 weeks, and Dawncaster every 10 days. Most recently, Reigns was updated on October 22, 2026 and Dawncaster on October 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Reigns or Dawncaster?
Reigns currently peaks at #16 in the App Store charts, and Dawncaster at #7. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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