Comparison

Eclipse vs Dawnmaker

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

Head to head
About

Eclipse

Lead a vast interstellar civilization in a strategic 4X game. Explore, expand, exploit, and exterminate your rivals to achieve galactic domination. Features customizable species, technologies, and ship designs for a unique experience.

Highlights
  • Official board game adaptation
  • Deep 4X gameplay
  • Customizable species, tech, and ships
  • Up to 6 players (human/AI)
  • Asynchronous multiplayer
  • In-game tutorial
Features
Read full description

The galaxy has been a peaceful place for many years. After the ruthless Terran–Hegemony War, much effort has been employed by all major spacefaring species to prevent the terrifying events from repeating themselves. The Galactic Council was formed to enforce precious peace, and it has taken many courageous efforts to prevent the escalation of malicious acts. Nevertheless, tension and discord are growing among the seven major species and in the Council itself. Old alliances are shattering, and hasty diplomatic treaties are made in secrecy. A confrontation of the superpowers seems inevitable—only the outcome of the galactic conflict remains to be seen. Which faction will emerge victorious and lead the galaxy under its rule? The shadows of the great civilizations are about to eclipse the galaxy. A game of Eclipse Second Dawn places you in control of a vast interstellar civilization, competing for success with its rivals. You will explore new star systems, research technologies, and build mighty spaceships. There are many potential paths to victory, so you need to plan your strategy considering the strengths and weaknesses of your species, while paying attention to the other civilizations' endeavors. Eclipse other civilizations and lead your people to victory! Exciting Gameplay: Challenge AI opponents or play against friends in real-time or turn-based. Tutorial & Help: Whether you're an experienced Eclipse player or a beginner, the game features a detailed tutorial that walks you through the basics step-by-step. Online Domination: The Eclipse app allows you to compete against friends or rivals from around the world. The app gives you the opportunity to compete with players from all over the world. The "Eclipse-2nd Dawn" app has been carefully designed to seamlessly bring the charm of the board game to your device. The intuitive interface ensures a smooth gaming experience for both experienced players and novices. This is the new version, which corresponds to the original board game "Eclipse - 2nd Dawn for the Galaxy" that makes the gameplay even more diverse and challenging. FEATURES * Official iOS version of the 'Eclipse - Second Dawn for the Galaxy' boardgame * Deep and challenging 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) gameplay * 7 species with different strengths and weaknesses * Customizable star systems, technology tree and ship designs * Up to 6 players (human or AI) * Asynchronous multiplayer with push notifications * 3 AI difficulty levels * In-game tutorial & manual Eclipse received multiple awards: Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy 2021 Geek Media Awards Game of the Year for Experienced Gamers Winner 2021 Geek Media Awards Game of the Year for Experienced Gamers Nominee 2020 Charles S. Roberts Best SciFi Fantasy Board Wargame Winner 2020 Charles S. Roberts Best SciFi Fantasy Board Wargame Nominee Eclipse base game * 2011 Charles S. Roberts Best Science-Fiction or Fantasy Board Wargame Nominee * 2011 Jogo do Ano Nominee * 2012 Golden Geek Board Game of the Year Winner * 2012 Golden Geek Golden Geek Best Strategy Board Game Winner * 2012 International Gamers Award - General Strategy: Multi-player Nominee * 2012 JoTa Best Gamer Game Audience Award * 2012 JUG Game of the Year Winner * 2012 Ludoteca Ideale Winner * 2012 Lys Passioné Winner * 2012 Tric Trac Nominee

About

Dawnmaker

A solo strategy game blending city building and deck building mechanics. Rebuild a world shrouded in toxic smog by constructing buildings, acquiring powerful cards, and upgrading your lighthouse to reclaim lost lands and technologies.

Highlights
  • City building mechanics
  • Deck building gameplay
  • Resource management
  • Lighthouse upgrades
  • Smog reclamation
  • Technology recovery
Read full description

Dawnmaker is a solo strategy game combining elements of city building and deck building to create a board game-like experience. In a world covered by a toxic Smog, only you can rekindle the ancient lighthouses and bring light and life back. Construct buildings, gain new cards, generate resources and improve your central lighthouse to unlock new building space. Optimize your deck - gain increasingly powerful cards as you improve your city. Your cards and buildings interact in various ways: choose them wisely to create the most powerful combinations! Build efficient cities - make the best of your limited space by optimally positioning your buildings. Improve your lighthouse to repel the Smog and expand your city. Manage your resources - grow farms, build industries, develop science and inspire your people to create the rarest of resources: Eclairium! Reclaim the lost continent - the continent of Heksiga has been covered by a toxic Smog. Repair and improve magical lighthouses to repel that Smog and reclaim the land, region by region. Recover lost technologies - explore vestiges of the old Empire and rediscover technologies that were lost to the Smog.

Screenshots

Eclipse4 screens
Dawnmaker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Dawnmaker at 100% against Eclipse's 33%. Dawnmaker also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.2) and update cadence (daily vs every 3 months). Eclipse's advantage is ratings volume (15 vs 2). On ads, 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

Eclipse costs $9.99 and Dawnmaker $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dawnmaker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Eclipse has 15 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Eclipse's written reviews are positive against 100% of Dawnmaker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Eclipse ships an update every 3 months, Dawnmaker daily. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Eclipse versus Dawnmaker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEclipseDawnmaker
Price$9.99$8.99 — better
Rating3.2 (15 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings15 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size157 MB144 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperBrettspielWeltAcram Digital

Customer experience

Eclipse

All ratings15 ratings
Positive53.3%
Neutral13.3%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral29.2%
Negative37.5%

Dawnmaker

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Eclipse

No in-app purchases

None

Dawnmaker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Eclipse free?
Eclipse costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Dawnmaker free?
Dawnmaker costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Eclipse or Dawnmaker?
Dawnmaker is rated higher. Eclipse averages 3.2 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Dawnmaker averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Eclipse or Dawnmaker have ads?
Neither Eclipse nor Dawnmaker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Eclipse or Dawnmaker?
Eclipse ships an update every 3 months, and Dawnmaker daily. Most recently, Eclipse was updated on September 23, 2026 and Dawnmaker on September 19, 2026.

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