Comparison

Catan Classic vs Dominion

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

Head to head
About

Catan Classic

Engage in a classic board game of trading, building, and settling. Compete with up to four players online or against AI opponents. Expand your gameplay with purchasable expansions offering new scenarios and mechanics.

Highlights
  • Online multiplayer
  • AI opponents with unique strategies
  • Trading and resource management
  • Expandable gameplay with DLC
  • Original rule set
  • Game statistics
  • Comprehensive tutorial
Features
Read full description

"Catan", the legendary strategy game provides gaming fun anytime, anywhere. True to the original game, you can compete with up to four players for the most settlements, the longest roads and the largest army. You can trade with each other and claim the precious land with all its resources. The game allows you to challenge other Catan fans online via cross-platform multiplayer to prove your strategy skills or play against the AI: Various computer opponents, each with their own individual characteristics, will prove themselves worthy competitors: the pirate Jean, who knows no compromise, Vincent the merchant, who never allows himself to be cheated, Sean the knight, who takes what is rightfully his... The popular Catan expansions "Seafarers", "Cities and Knights" and two new special scenarios are available as In-App purchases. The complete Seafarers expansion includes more than 10 additional scenarios with an extensive campaign. Become Harbormaster, discover new islands and extra game elements like ships, gold fields, treasures and pirates. Ahoy! The Cities and Knights expansion introduces various new gameplay mechanics that add even more variety to Catan. Invest new trade goods in city improvements to build one of the three metropolises of Catan – but beware of the barbarians attracted by Catan’s new wealth! You’ll need your best knights to fend them off! C&K contains a short campaign and 7 challenging maps. Exciting adventures await you in the two new scenarios "Enchanted Land" and "The Great Canal". Vanquish dragons and bag their treasures or build a canal to help barren grain fields bloom once more. Features: - Available languages: English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese - Original "Settlers of Catan" rule set - Update 4.0+: Synchronous online multiplayer games - Smart computer opponents with individual strategies - Scrollable game board including zoom option - Freely combinable game settings - Game statistics - Comprehensive tutorial - Seafarers LITE: New scenario "The 4 Islands" and two additional game variants - Cities and Knights LITE: Test the new expansion in the scenario “The first Island” - 3 different graphic sets to choose from ***** Catan FAQ: Question: An expansion seems gone after an update or reinstallation of Catan or after restoring the device? Answer: Don’t worry! Your initial purchase is already saved in your iTunes account. You can restore your InApp purchases by selecting the restore-option in the Catan IAP menu. Question: I lost my campaign progress after reinstalling, updating or restoring my device. Is there any way to restore it? Answer: When saved games can’t be automatically restored, we’ve integrated a cheat code: In the campaign mode go to select player and enter „CatanWarp*“ (* = 1–15) as your player name and confirm. Exit the game via the home button and restart it. The campaign can now be continued from the specified level number (1–15). Levels up to the specified number will be unlocked in the custom game mode as well. Question: Are dice rolls really random? Answer: Of course! All dice rolls are 100% random and not modified in any way. We’re avid Catan players ourselves. We’ve played the iOS version hundreds of times while developing the program. There have been times when we won and lost a few games in a row because of the dice - just like when playing the board game! ***** Questions or suggestions for improvements: Mail to ios@usm.de We are looking forward to your feedback! For more information on news and updates: www.usmgames.com or visit us on www.facebook.com/UnitedSoftMedia and twitter.com/USM_News *****

About

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.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Kingdom expansion
  • AI opponent
  • Online multiplayer
  • Daily puzzles
  • Cross-platform play
  • Expansion packs
Read 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

Screenshots

Catan Classic4 screens
Dominion2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Dominion at Free against Catan Classic's $4.99. Dominion also leads on review sentiment (68% vs 25%) and rating (4.9 vs 3.7). Catan Classic's advantage is chart position (#9 vs unranked). On ratings volume, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

Dominion is free to download; Catan Classic costs $4.99 up front. Catan Classic sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Dominion sells 17 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dominion holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 5.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Catan Classic's written reviews are positive against 68% of Dominion's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Catan Classic ships an update every 5 months, Dominion every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Catan Classic versus Dominion: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCatan ClassicDominion
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.7 (11K ratings)4.9 (5.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews24.8% of reviews68.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings11K — better5.1K
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#9 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11.08.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size840 MB423 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperUnited Soft Media Verlag GmbHTemple Gates Games LLC

Customer experience

Catan Classic

All ratings10,594 ratings
Positive67.1%
Neutral8.9%
Negative24.0%
Written reviews828 reviews
Positive24.8%
Neutral17.0%
Negative58.2%

Dominion

All ratings4,729 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.7%
Written reviews355 reviews
Positive68.5%
Neutral12.4%
Negative19.2%

User reviews

Catan Classic

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast gameplay
  • 👍 Faithful to the board game
  • 🎮 Enjoyable AI opponents
  • 🕹️ Customizable settings

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🧠 Unfair AI behavior
  • 🎲 Questionable dice rolls
  • 💰 Expensive expansions
  • 🔍 Difficult to see the full board

Dominion

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What 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)

Bugs and requests

Catan Classic

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inability to reconnect to online games
  • Freezing when placing the robber
  • Disappearing resources and progress
  • Inconsistent login and account management

Requested features

4 requests
  • Online multiplayer improvements
  • More game modes and scenarios
  • Better UI optimization for newer devices
  • Ability to save and resume games

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

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Catan Classic

One-time5
  • The new scenarios$1.99
  • Catan - The Islands$1.99
  • The Seafarers$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Cities & Knights$4.99
  • All-expansions Bundle$9.99
17 purchases

Dominion

One-time17
  • Alchemy$4.99
  • Intrigue$4.99
  • Cornucopia$4.99
Show 14 more
  • 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

Questions

Is Catan Classic free?
Catan Classic costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Dominion free?
Dominion is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Catan Classic or Dominion?
Dominion is rated higher. Catan Classic averages 3.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Dominion averages 4.9 from 5.1K ratings.
Do Catan Classic or Dominion have ads?
Neither Catan Classic nor Dominion shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Catan Classic or Dominion?
Catan Classic ships an update every 5 months, and Dominion every 5 days. Most recently, Catan Classic was updated on October 30, 2026 and Dominion on October 29, 2026.

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