Dominion vs Dawncaster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Dominion
Build a powerful deck to expand your kingdom and earn victory points in this acclaimed deck-building strategy game. Explore vast card combinations, compete against AI or other players online, and enjoy endless replayability with numerous expansions.
- Deck-building mechanics
- Kingdom expansion
- AI opponent
- Online multiplayer
- Daily puzzles
- Cross-platform play
- Expansion packs
Read full descriptionHide full description
Expand a small kingdom to a mighty Dominion! Play the Spiel des Jahres winner beloved by millions of boardgame hobbyists around the world. This is the officially licensed implementation. REIGNING DECKBUILDER Discover the game that defined a genre, Dominion was first to popularize deck-building and remains a staple of tabletop. GROW YOUR KINGDOM Collect as many Victory Points as you can by building a powerful deck. Your deck starts out a small sad set of Estates and Coppers, but you hope that by the end of the game it will be brimming with Gold, Provinces, and the inhabitants and structures of your kingdom. BUILD YOUR ENGINE Choose wisely among the 10 cards available in the tableau to create the strongest combos to dominate your opponent. COLLECT ALL EXPANSIONS Make your games more exciting with additional cards and rules from up to 15 expansions including the recent Plunder expansion! NEAR INFINITE VARIETY Over one hundred thirty-two septillion possible Kingdom combinations, 500+ cards, 15 and counting expansions, and ongoing promo packs make Dominion one of the most extensive and replayable boardgames in the hobby. COMPETE WITH THE COMPUTER Sharpen your skills with solitaire style solo play against a robust AI, with four levels of difficulty. Our innovative AI learns through self-play. Earn Achievements and win in Recommended Sets against each AI level. PLAY FRIENDS OR STRANGERS Play with up to 6 players online through your device or pass and play among your friends. Join ranked or unranked matchmaking, with realtime and asynchronous modes. Set up a private table for a family game, challenge a stranger in the lobby, or invite a friend! DAILY PUZZLE A daily ritual to relax with over a cup of coffee. Try the Daily Dominion, a free puzzle level available to players around the world. Practice your strategy to keep up a winning streak and climb the leaderboard. CROSS-PLATFORM PLAY Play from any supported device, whenever you want, after verifying your email in-game. Join games with opponents on platforms other than your own. JOIN THE COMMUNITY With an active Discord and online community, make new friends or challenge new people to a game. Export and share kingdoms and game summaries to compare strategies. FREE TO PLAY Download the game that started it all for free! The base set of Dominion is available at no charge. Try the rotation of expansion cards in the Daily at no cost once per day. Jump into a lobby game with expansions enabled to try before you buy. Only the host needs to own the expansions. INTRODUCTION TO TABLETOP Learn the ropes in this easy to pick-up, hard to master title. Play one of the most highly regarded strategy tabletop games of all time through our simple tutorial. The core loop is easy to follow, but offers a wealth of strategy to explore. • 1 - 6 player support • Five-hundred plus cards • Solo play against 4 AI difficulties • Async & real-time multiplayer • Ranked & unranked matchmaking • Lobby & Private game tables • Cross platform multiplayer • Cross platform purchases • Daily challenge • Challenging AI that learns through self-play • Recommended Sets • Customize, save & share Kingdoms • Achievements, Stats & Leaderboards • Pass & Play mode • Automated score-keeping & hints • Smart-play options to streamline gameplay • Jumbo mode for readability on phones • Turbo mode to zoom through games quickly • Tutorial & Rules • 4 languages: English, Japanese, German, French • 15+ expansions plus three promo packs
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.
- Over 900 hand-illustrated cards
- Unique class abilities
- Innovative energy system
- Richly illustrated world
- Randomized encounters
- Unlockable content
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Dominion at Free against Dawncaster's $4.99. Dominion also leads on ratings volume (5K vs 929) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Dawncaster's advantage is chart position (#8 vs #188) and review sentiment (80% vs 68%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Dominion is free to download; Dawncaster costs $4.99 up front. Dominion sells 17 one-off in-app purchases and Dawncaster sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Dominion holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dominion has 5K ratings behind it against 929, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 68% of Dominion's written reviews are positive against 80% of Dawncaster's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Dominion ships an update every 5 days, Dawncaster every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Dominion | Dawncaster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.9 (5K ratings) — better | 4.7 (929 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 68.5% of reviews | 80.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 5K — better | 929 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #188 | #8 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 423 MB | 1.4 GB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Temple Gates Games LLC | Rick van der Wal |
Customer experience
Dominion
Dawncaster
User reviews
Dominion
From 5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 🎮 Faithful adaptation of the board game
- 👍 Challenging AI opponents
- 🎨 Great visual design and animations
- 📱 Convenient mobile experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (e.g. crashes, card interactions not working as expected)
- 🤖 Inconsistent or overpowered AI behavior
- 💰 Expensive expansion packs
- 🕰️ Slow animation speed for AI turns
- 🔀 Lack of customization options (e.g. disabling certain cards, saving game setups)
Dawncaster
From 929 App Store ratingsWhat 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
Dominion
Reported bugs
3 issues- Possession card not working correctly
- Victory points not displayed properly
- Inability to rejoin games after server disconnects
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to select specific card sets for randomized games
- Option to complete games against AI when opponents forfeit
- More detailed game statistics and player history tracking
- Improved matchmaking filters for online play
- Shareable in-app purchases for family members
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
Dominion
- Alchemy$4.99
- Intrigue$4.99
- Cornucopia$4.99
Show 14 moreShow fewer
- Guilds$4.99
- Seaside$9.99
- Renaissance$9.99
- Menagerie$9.99
- Prosperity$9.99
- Dark Ages$9.99
- Adventures$9.99
- Empires$9.99
- Plunder$9.99
- Nocturne$9.99
- Rising Sun$9.99
- Hinterlands$9.99
- Launch Bundle$99.99
- Expansion Bundle$109.99
Dawncaster
- Vaul of the Void Promo PackFree
- Synthesis Support Pack$3.99
- Infinitum Support Banner$3.99
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- 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








