Comparison

Catan Universe vs Message Games

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

Head to head
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 *****

About

Message Games

Transform your iMessage chats into interactive game sessions. Challenge friends to a variety of multiplayer games playable directly within your conversations. Enjoy free games or customize experiences with premium options.

Highlights
  • Play games inside iMessage
  • Collection of multiplayer games
  • Customize games with themes
  • Unlock premium modes and features
  • Ad-free experience with subscription
Features
Read full description

Turn your iMessage conversations into game night. Challenge friends to a growing collection of multiplayer games designed to be played right inside iMessage. Choose a game, make your move, and send the action to your opponent. 15 FREE GAMES TO PLAY • Flip Cup • Bottle Flip • Attach 4 • Attach 5 • Shooting Range • Fleety Bird • Soccer • Tic Tac Toe • Mega Tic Tac Toe • Rock Paper Scissors • Guns N' Bullets • Card Match • Hangman • Coin Flip • 4096 MAKE IT YOURS Customize supported games with different themes and enjoy additional premium modes and features. MESSAGE GAMES PLUS Upgrade to Message Games Plus to unlock all games, themes, premium modes, exclusive Message Games Plus content, and remove ads. Whether you want a quick challenge or a head-to-head competition with a friend, there's always another game to play. More games are coming soon! Message Games Plus is an auto-renewable monthly subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account subscription settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Catan Universe4 screens
Message Games4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Message Games at 100% against Catan Universe's 13%. Message Games also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). Catan Universe's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (31K vs 8). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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. Catan Universe sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Message Games sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Message Games holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Catan Universe has 31K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of Catan Universe's written reviews are positive against 100% of Message Games's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Catan Universe ships an update every 2 months, Message Games every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Catan Universe versus Message Games: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatan UniverseMessage Games
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (31K ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews12.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings31K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#162 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size901 MB29 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperUnited Soft Media Verlag GmbHBradley Knispel

Customer experience

Catan Universe

All ratings30,848 ratings
Positive68.8%
Neutral6.2%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews3,367 reviews
Positive12.6%
Neutral14.0%
Negative73.4%

Message Games

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

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

Message Games

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

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
10 purchases

Message Games

Subscriptions1
  • Message Games Plus$3.991 Month
One-time9
  • Flip Cup Tiki Party$0.99
  • RPS - Medieval Battle$0.99
  • RPS Neon$0.99
Show 6 more
  • RPS Real Objects$0.99
  • Guns N' Bullets Ultimate$1.99
  • Card Match Ultimate$1.99
  • Remove Ads$2.99
  • Shot Clock Pack$2.99
  • Chess Clock Pack$2.99

Questions

Is Catan Universe free?
Catan Universe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Message Games free?
Message Games is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Catan Universe or Message Games?
Message Games is rated higher. Catan Universe averages 3.8 out of 5 from 31K ratings, while Message Games averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Catan Universe or Message Games have ads?
Message Games shows ads; Catan Universe does not.
Which is updated more often, Catan Universe or Message Games?
Catan Universe ships an update every 2 months, and Message Games every 8 days. Most recently, Catan Universe was updated on October 24, 2026 and Message Games on October 24, 2026.

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