# Dominion vs Payback Arcade

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Payback Arcade at none against Dominion's 17. Payback Arcade also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 68%). Dominion's advantage is ratings volume (4.7K vs 3) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 16.6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Dominion sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Payback Arcade asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Dominion against 5.0 for Payback Arcade. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dominion has 4.7K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 68% of Dominion's written reviews are positive against 100% of Payback Arcade's.

Dominion ships an update every 5 days, Payback Arcade every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Dominion | Payback Arcade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.9 (4.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dominion/id1476461085/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/payback-arcade/id6762797497/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **4.7K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 68.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 423 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 16.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Temple Gates Games LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1190675051) | [Great Guy Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895016605) |

## What reviewers say

### Dominion

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dominion/id1476461085)

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.

**Highlights:** Deck-building mechanics, Kingdom expansion, AI opponent, Online multiplayer, Daily puzzles, Cross-platform play, Expansion packs

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Alchemy | $4.99 | one-time |
| Intrigue | $4.99 | one-time |
| Cornucopia | $4.99 | one-time |
| Guilds | $4.99 | one-time |
| Seaside | $9.99 | one-time |
| Renaissance | $9.99 | one-time |
| Menagerie | $9.99 | one-time |
| Prosperity | $9.99 | one-time |
| Dark Ages | $9.99 | one-time |
| Adventures | $9.99 | one-time |
| Empires | $9.99 | one-time |
| Plunder | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nocturne | $9.99 | one-time |
| Rising Sun | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hinterlands | $9.99 | one-time |
| Launch Bundle | $99.99 | one-time |
| Expansion Bundle | $109.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 🎮 Faithful adaptation of the board game
- 👍 Challenging AI opponents
- 🎨 Great visual design and animations
- 📱 Convenient mobile experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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)

**Reported bugs**

- Possession card not working correctly
- Victory points not displayed properly
- Inability to rejoin games after server disconnects

**Requested features**

- 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


### Payback Arcade

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/payback-arcade/id6762797497)

Experience a competitive card game of insults and comebacks digitally. Practice solo to master the game, then challenge others online and climb the leaderboards to prove your punchline prowess. Enjoy fast-paced card battles optimized for mobile devices.

**Highlights:** Digital card game adaptation, Solo practice mode, Online multiplayer matches, Leaderboards, Optimized for phone and iPad, Save profile and progress with Apple ID

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Dominion free?

Dominion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Payback Arcade free?

Payback Arcade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Dominion or Payback Arcade?

Payback Arcade is rated higher. Dominion averages 4.9 out of 5 from 4.7K ratings, while Payback Arcade averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Dominion or Payback Arcade have ads?

Neither Dominion nor Payback Arcade shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Dominion or Payback Arcade?

Dominion ships an update every 5 days, and Payback Arcade every 9 days. Most recently, Dominion was updated on October 17, 2026 and Payback Arcade on October 14, 2026.

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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.*