# Ascension vs Root Board Game

The clearest difference is price: Ascension at Free against Root Board Game's $9.99. Root Board Game's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Ascension is free to download; Root Board Game costs $9.99 up front. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Root Board Game sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Root Board Game holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Root Board Game has 5.9K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 77% of Root Board Game's.

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Root Board Game every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ascension | Root Board Game |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | [3.4 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ascension-deckbuilding-game/id441838733/reviews) | **[4.9 (5.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | **5.9K** |
| Positive reviews | 60.0% of reviews | **76.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#10** |
| Size | 1.2 GB | 505 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Playdek, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/493347346) | [Dire Wolf Digital](https://appshunter.io/developer/815343758) |

## What reviewers say

### Ascension

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ascension-deckbuilding-game/id441838733)

Engage in a strategic deck-building card game where you acquire cards to gain Renown and unlock powerful Boons. Battle against the Fallen One alone or with friends, with expansions available to deepen the experience.

**Highlights:** Deck-building card game mechanics, Single-player and multiplayer modes, Unlock powerful Boons and Legendary status, Cross-platform online play, Offline AI opponents, Multiple expansions available

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Storm of Souls expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Promo Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Immortal Heroes expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Ascension Promo Cards - Pack 4 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Rise of Vigil | $0.99 | one-time |
| Darkness Unleashed expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Realms Unraveled expansion | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dawn of Champions | $0.99 | one-time |
| Dreamscape | $0.99 | one-time |
| Return of the Fallen expansion | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Awesome adaptation of the physical game
- 🕹️ Engaging gameplay
- 💰 Reasonable in-app purchase prices
- 🕰️ Excellent time killer

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🔄 Slow AI turns
- 🔒 Issues with restoring purchases
- 🔍 Cluttered UI, hard to read cards
- 🔋 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Purchases disappearing after updates
- Restore function not working
- Crashes when certain cards are played
- Constructs getting stuck in the middle of the screen
- Game freezing and logging out users

**Requested features**

- Increase honor pool limit for online games
- Add custom deck building options
- Optimize for iPhone X and newer devices
- Provide option to revert to old art style
- Improve online multiplayer experience


### Root Board Game

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/root-board-game/id1439262206)

**Currently charting:** #10 Top Paid · Board, #43 Top Paid · Strategy, #120 Top Paid · Games (US App Store)

Experience a digital adaptation of a popular tabletop board game. Engage in strategic woodland warfare as 2 to 4 players vie for control of a vast wilderness, leading diverse factions to victory.

**Highlights:** Digital board game adaptation, Adventure and war gameplay, 2-4 player battles, Faction control mechanics, Wilderness exploration

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| The Clockwork Expansion | $5.99 | one-time |
| Exiles & Partisans & Vagabonds | $7.99 | one-time |
| The Riverfolk Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Root: The Underworld Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Root: The Marauder Expansion | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hirelings & Landmarks | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the board game
- 🎨 Charming visuals and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth gameplay
- 🧠 Helpful tutorials for learning the game
- 🕹️ Great way to practice and learn the game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ AI could be improved, makes questionable decisions
- 🕹️ Lack of undo button frustrating
- 🕹️ Replaying opponent moves can be tedious
- 🕹️ Animations can be slow, need option to speed up

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes and freezes during gameplay
- Issues with async game notifications and state
- Bugs with specific faction mechanics (e.g. Vagabond)

**Requested features**

- Add undo button
- Implement option to skip/speed up opponent moves
- Include expansion factions and maps
- Add match history and player stats tracking
- Improve async game notifications and stability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ascension free?

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

### Is Root Board Game free?

Root Board Game costs $9.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ascension or Root Board Game?

Root Board Game is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Root Board Game averages 4.9 from 5.9K ratings.

### Do Ascension or Root Board Game have ads?

Neither Ascension nor Root Board Game shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ascension or Root Board Game?

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and Root Board Game every 4 days. Most recently, Ascension was updated on October 29, 2026 and Root Board Game on October 27, 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.*