IGN Playlist vs Catalyst Cards
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IGN Playlist
Organize and track all your video games, from past titles to upcoming releases. Discover new games, estimate completion times, and curate custom lists to share with friends. Keep your entire gaming library managed in one convenient place.
- Manage game backlog and library
- Estimate game completion times
- Browse and discover new games
- Create and share custom game playlists
- Rate and remember game experiences
- View game screenshots and videos
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Backlog & Library — Manage your games like God of War, Starfield, Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto and more by adding them to your backlog. Organize what you’ve played and beat by adding games to wishlists, backlog, playing, paused, beat, and quit. HowLongToBeat — See how long it takes to beat games for different playthroughs, like Main Story, Story and Sides, and 100% Playthroughs. Plus see how long it will take to beat your backlog. Use HowLongtoBeat’s data to help you manage your game time. Browse Games — Search, view, and share from a massive games library spanning titles from the last 30+ years of gaming history. View screenshots, watch videos, and more for the games you're playing or want to play. Discover — Discover is Playlist’s homepage for finding new games. It’s updated weekly to surface interesting lists, new and upcoming games, and other fun and interesting categories to help people find their next favorite game or keep up with what IGN’s covering. Copy, remix, and follow lists to build your own collections. Playlists — Curate, organize, and rank games. Share playlists via text, Twitch profiles, Discords, and more. You can also see combined game time of for any of your playlists, powered by HowLongToBeat.com Community Ratings — Rate and remember what you liked, and what you didn’t about the games you play. Roadmap? - We’re not done - more updates to come!
Catalyst Cards
This app generates conversation-starting questions tailored to your group's size, mood, and the specific moment. It offers curated question decks for various occasions, from casual hangouts to deep discussions, and can be played directly within messaging apps.
- Tailored question generation
- Curated question decks
- Playable in iMessage
- Multiple conversation tones
- Customizable themes
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Catalyst Cards turns "so, how's it going?" into the kind of conversation you're still thinking about the next day. Just a few taps and Catalyst deals you five questions built for the exact moment you're in: who's with you, how many of you there are, and the mood you're after. A first date. A long drive with friends. The family table. A work happy hour. Every hand feels written for the room you're actually in. THE DEAL Pick your people, your group size, and a tone, from easygoing to genuinely deep to light and playful. Catalyst Cards builds a five-card hand on the spot. No endless list to scroll. No filler. Just the right questions, in the right order, to get past small talk and into something real. PLAY IN MESSAGES Catalyst comes with an iMessage app, so the game can happen right in the group chat. Send the chat a question, everyone answers privately, then the group votes for the best one. Nothing is revealed until the round closes. Answering is free for everyone in the thread. DECKS Hand-curated packs for specific moments: date night, family holidays, parties, work mixers, and more. Every deck is written from scratch for that occasion, never recycled from one giant pile. WHY PEOPLE LOVE IT • Thousands of original questions, each written for one specific group and mood • A group game that lives in your iMessage threads, not just in the room • Tones that range from easygoing to genuinely deep • Made for couples, friends, family, coworkers, parties, and first dates • Clean, calm cards you swipe through together, nothing in the way • Custom color themes to make it feel like yours CATALYST PRO Unlock every deck, unlimited deals, full color customization, and the ability to send questions to your group chats with Catalyst Pro, available monthly, yearly, or as a one-time lifetime purchase. Put the phones down. Well, one of them. And actually talk. — Catalyst Pro subscriptions automatically renew unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Lifetime is a one-time purchase, no renewal. Terms of Use (EULA): https://catalystcards.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://catalystcards.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Catalyst Cards at 5.0 against IGN Playlist's 4.0. Catalyst Cards also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and ads (none vs shown). IGN Playlist's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (117 vs 3). On price, update cadence and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Catalyst Cards sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. IGN Playlist asks for nothing beyond the download.
Catalyst Cards holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: IGN Playlist has 117 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of IGN Playlist's written reviews are positive against 100% of Catalyst Cards's.
IGN Playlist ships an update monthly, Catalyst Cards every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 17, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | IGN Playlist | Catalyst Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (117 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 59.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 117 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 72 MB | 50 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | IGN Entertainment, Inc. | CtrlAltCreate LLC |
Customer experience
IGN Playlist
Catalyst Cards
Bugs and requests
IGN Playlist
Reported bugs
3 issues- Wishlist and backlog sections not working
- Inability to log in or access accounts
- Games disappearing from lists or not updating properly
Requested features
5 requests- Calendar widget or Apple Calendar integration
- Ability to follow other users
- More sorting and filtering options
- Separate category for ongoing/live service games
- Option to rate games on a scale instead of just thumbs up/down
Catalyst Cards
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
IGN Playlist
No in-app purchases
Catalyst Cards
- Catalyst Pro (Monthly)$7.991 Month
- Catalyst Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
- Catalyst Pro (Lifetime)$49.99









