Comparison

Dawncaster vs Everdell

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Over 900 hand-illustrated cards
  • Unique class abilities
  • Innovative energy system
  • Richly illustrated world
  • Randomized encounters
  • Unlockable content
Features
Read 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

About

Everdell

Build a fantastical city by gathering resources, constructing buildings, and recruiting critters. Compete against others or AI in this strategic card-based city-building game adapted from a popular board game. The player with the highest-scoring city after four seasons wins.

Highlights
  • Worker placement for resource gathering
  • Strategic card play for city building
  • Build Constructions and recruit Critters
  • Cross-platform multiplayer
  • AI play and Solo Challenges
  • Four-season game progression
Features
Read full description

From Everfrost to Bellsong, many a peaceful year has passed in Everdell — but the time has come for new territories to be settled and new cities to be established... Adapted from the award-winning board game from Tabletop Tycoon, Everdell is a fantastical city building game combining worker placement and strategic card play to create a new civilization. Gather resources to build fanciful Constructions and recruit colorful Critters to make your city thrive. Each card in your city scores points, and after four seasons have passed the highest-scoring city wins! Face off against other founders in cross-platform multiplayer games, or test your civic wits with AI play and Solo Challenges! On each turn, you'll take one of three actions: 1.) Place a Worker. Send one of your helpful workers out into the valley to gather resources! Berries, Twigs, Resin, Pebbles...and of course Cards! You'll need them all to help your new civilization grow. 2.) Play a Card. Your city can hold up to 15 Construction and Critter cards. Cards generate resources, open up new abilities, and score points to win the game! Discover combos and synergies to race past your opponents. 3.) Prepare for the Next Season. When the seasons change, your workers come home and get ready for the next round. But plan your city carefully! After four seasons, the Winter Moon returns and the game will end. There are buildings to construct, lively characters to meet, events to host— you will have a busy year ahead of you! Will the sun shine brightest on your city before the winter moon rises? Welcome to Everdell!

Screenshots

Dawncaster4 screens
Everdell4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dawncaster at $4.99 against Everdell's $9.99. Dawncaster also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 weeks). Everdell's advantage is ratings volume (2.9K vs 928). On rating, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Dawncaster costs $4.99 and Everdell $9.99 up front. Dawncaster sells 13 one-off in-app purchases and Everdell sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Dawncaster against 4.8 for Everdell. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 928 and 2.9K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Dawncaster's written reviews are positive against 76% of Everdell's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dawncaster ships an update every 10 days, Everdell every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 22, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Dawncaster versus Everdell: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDawncasterEverdell
Price$4.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.7 (928 ratings)4.8 (2.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.2% of reviews — better76.1% of reviews
Number of ratings9282.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#8 — better#17
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.4 GB384 MB
Age rating9++4
DeveloperRick van der WalDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Dawncaster

All ratings924 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral3.1%
Negative6.3%
Written reviews459 reviews
Positive80.2%
Neutral7.4%
Negative12.4%

Everdell

All ratings2,686 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews309 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral11.0%
Negative12.9%

User reviews

Dawncaster

From 928 App Store ratings

What 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

Everdell

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Smooth and seamless gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful visuals and animations
  • 🎶 Soothing soundtrack
  • 🕹️ Faithful digital adaptation of the board game
  • 🏆 Challenging and enjoyable solo challenges

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
  • 📱 Small text and UI elements on mobile devices
  • 🔙 Lack of undo/cancel functionality
  • 🤖 AI opponent issues (e.g., auto-regenerating critters)

Bugs and requests

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

Everdell

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to play certain cards or use locations
  • Game freezes or crashes during online play
  • Incorrect scoring or card interactions
  • Placement issues with workers and cards

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add support for expansions and additional content
  • Allow players to choose their character/critter
  • Implement a confirm/undo button for actions
  • Improve zoom and readability on smaller screens
  • Add push notifications for online games

In-app purchases

13 purchases

Dawncaster

One-time13
  • Vaul of the Void Promo PackFree
  • Synthesis Support Pack$3.99
  • Infinitum Support Banner$3.99
Show 10 more
  • 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
2 purchases

Everdell

One-time2
  • Glimmergold$5.99
  • Bellfaire$8.99

Questions

Is Dawncaster free?
Dawncaster costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Everdell free?
Everdell costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dawncaster or Everdell?
Everdell is rated higher. Dawncaster averages 4.7 out of 5 from 928 ratings, while Everdell averages 4.8 from 2.9K ratings.
Do Dawncaster or Everdell have ads?
Neither Dawncaster nor Everdell shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dawncaster or Everdell?
Dawncaster ships an update every 10 days, and Everdell every 3 weeks. Most recently, Dawncaster was updated on October 22, 2026 and Everdell on October 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, Dawncaster or Everdell?
Dawncaster currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Everdell at #17. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

Other comparisons