# Root Board Game vs Exploding Kittens® 2

The clearest difference is price: Exploding Kittens® 2 at $4.99 against Root Board Game's $9.99. Root Board Game's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks) and review sentiment (77% vs 60%). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Root Board Game costs $9.99 and Exploding Kittens® 2 $4.99 up front. Root Board Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Exploding Kittens® 2 sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Root Board Game against 4.8 for Exploding Kittens® 2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5.4K and 3.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 77% of Root Board Game's written reviews are positive against 60% of Exploding Kittens® 2's.

Root Board Game ships an update every 4 days, Exploding Kittens® 2 every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Root Board Game | Exploding Kittens® 2 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $9.99 | **$4.99** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (5.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206/reviews)** | [4.8 (3.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exploding-kittens-2/id6478287619/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.4K** | 3.7K |
| Positive reviews | **77.1% of reviews** | 59.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #10 | **#9** |
| Size | 505 MB | 443 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Dire Wolf Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/815343758) | [Marmalade Game Studio Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/988365603) |

## What reviewers say

### Root Board Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Paid · Board, #46 Top Paid · Strategy, #115 Top Paid · Games, #196 Top Paid (US App Store)

Experience a digital adaptation of a popular tabletop board game. Engage in strategic woodland warfare as 2 to 4 players vie for control of a vast wilderness, leading diverse factions to victory.

**Highlights:** Digital board game adaptation, Adventure and war gameplay, 2-4 player battles, Faction control mechanics, Wilderness exploration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Clockwork Expansion | $5.99 | one-time |
| Exiles & Partisans & Vagabonds | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Riverfolk Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Root: The Underworld Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Root: The Marauder Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hirelings & Landmarks | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
- 🎨 Charming visuals and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
- 🧠 Helpful tutorials for learning the game
- 🕹️ Great way to practice and learn the game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ AI could be improved, makes questionable decisions
- 🕹️ Lack of undo button frustrating
- 🕹️ Replaying opponent moves can be tedious
- 🕹️ Animations can be slow, need option to speed up

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes during gameplay
- Issues with async game notifications and state
- Bugs with specific faction mechanics (e.g. Vagabond)

**Requested features**

- Add undo button
- Implement option to skip/speed up opponent moves
- Include expansion factions and maps
- Add match history and player stats tracking
- Improve async game notifications and stability


### Exploding Kittens® 2

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/exploding-kittens-2/id6478287619)

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Paid · Card, #14 Top Paid · Board, #161 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

Experience the chaotic fun of a popular card game with friends. This digital version features customizable avatars, animated cards, and new ways to play, including the highly requested "Nope" card. Engage in quick rounds of strategy and luck to be the last player standing.

**Highlights:** Customizable avatars, Emoji reactions, Multiple game modes, Animated cards, Online multiplayer, AI opponent

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Santa Claws Card Back | $0.99 | one-time |
| Mystic Mayhem Card Back | $0.99 | one-time |
| Beach Day Emoji Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Beach Day Card back | $0.99 | one-time |
| Kitchen Chaos Emoji Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Kitchen Chaos Card Back | $0.99 | one-time |
| Mystic Mayhem Emoji Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| MysticMayhem Cauldron Creature | $1.99 | one-time |
| Glenn Coco | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sea Rat Outfit | $1.99 | one-time |
| Beach Day Location | $1.99 | one-time |
| Slice of Heaven Outfit | $1.99 | one-time |
| Yucky Buddy Outfit | $1.99 | one-time |
| Kitchen Chaos Location | $1.99 | one-time |
| Santa Claws Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Mystic Mayhem Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Beach Day Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Kitchen Chaos Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Sun and Spice Bundle | $7.99 | one-time |
| Explosive Expansions Pass | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast-paced gameplay
- 👍 Charming animations and visuals
- 🤩 Engaging and fun experience
- 🎨 Customizable skins and backgrounds

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- ⏱️ Slow animations and gameplay
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🤖 Unresponsive AI opponents

**Reported bugs**

- Nope card not functioning properly
- Leaderboard not updating correctly
- Inability to leave a game after losing
- Forced account creation for online play

**Requested features**

- Add a turn timer to prevent stalling
- Allow custom deck creation and configuration
- Improve online multiplayer stability and matchmaking
- Bring back the original game's sound effects and personality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Root Board Game free?

Root Board Game costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Exploding Kittens® 2 free?

Exploding Kittens® 2 costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Root Board Game or Exploding Kittens® 2?

Root Board Game is rated higher. Root Board Game averages 4.9 out of 5 from 5.4K ratings, while Exploding Kittens® 2 averages 4.8 from 3.7K ratings.

### Do Root Board Game or Exploding Kittens® 2 have ads?

Neither Root Board Game nor Exploding Kittens® 2 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Root Board Game or Exploding Kittens® 2?

Root Board Game ships an update every 4 days, and Exploding Kittens® 2 every 2 weeks. Most recently, Root Board Game was updated on September 25, 2026 and Exploding Kittens® 2 on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Root Board Game or Exploding Kittens® 2?

Root Board Game currently peaks at #10 in the App Store charts, and Exploding Kittens® 2 at #9. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*