# Combatants vs Card Guardians

The clearest difference is update cadence: Card Guardians at every 3 weeks against Combatants's every 23 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Combatants sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Card Guardians sells 18 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Combatants ships an update every 23 months, Card Guardians every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Combatants | Card Guardians |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.6 (3.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-guardians-deck-builder/id1566663161/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3.1K** |
| Positive reviews | — | 75.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 23 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | — | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 246 MB | 415 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Lindsay Bridgman](https://appshunter.io/developer/1109830834) | [Tapps Games - Jogos Eletronicos](https://appshunter.io/developer/1532941330) |

## What reviewers say

### Combatants

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/combatants/id1561572209)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Combatants Upgrade Pack | $0.99 | one-time |


### Card Guardians

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-guardians-deck-builder/id1566663161)

Embark on a roguelike adventure to save a corrupted land by building a powerful deck of cards. Engage in strategic CCG battles against monsters and powerful guardians, exploring diverse realms and uncovering an epic story.

**Highlights:** Strategic CCG deck building, Roguelike adventure gameplay, Monster and boss battles, Explore diverse realms, Hero selection, RPG strategy elements

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

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Eden Valley Store Chest | $0.99 | one-time |
| Some Crystals (160) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Crystals (500) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank (S) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Base Pass | $4.99 | one-time |
| Card Guardians - Growth Fund | $6.99 | one-time |
| Gift Of Abundance | $6.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Crystals (1200) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Full Blessing | $9.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank (M) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Crate of Crystals (2500) | $19.99 | one-time |
| Piggy Bank (L) | $19.99 | one-time |
| CG - Growth Fund+ | $19.99 | one-time |
| Premium Pass | $19.99 | one-time |
| Chapter Bundle - High Castle | $19.99 | one-time |
| Daily Bundle 4 | $24.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Crystals (6500) | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Fun gameplay
- 🕹️ Engaging card mechanics
- 🎨 Charming art style
- 🔓 Fair free-to-play model
- 💰 Good value for paid version

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezes
- 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy
- 🎲 Lack of deck customization
- 🧠 Imbalanced difficulty
- 💰 Excessive microtransactions

**Reported bugs**

- Gear drops not matching the active character
- Inconsistent behavior of status effects
- Infinite loading screens and progression blockers

**Requested features**

- Ability to sell/recycle unwanted equipment
- More character classes and deck variety
- Longer and more replayable adventures
- Better randomization and less RNG dependence
- Quality of life improvements (claim all, etc.)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Combatants free?

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

### Is Card Guardians free?

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

### Do Combatants or Card Guardians have ads?

Both Combatants and Card Guardians show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Combatants or Card Guardians?

Combatants ships an update every 23 months, and Card Guardians every 3 weeks. Most recently, Combatants was updated on October 27, 2026 and Card Guardians on November 1, 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.*