Comparison

Ascension vs Dune

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

Head to head
About

Ascension

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
Read full description

***Legends Expansion Now Available!** Return to the world of Vigil as the Muses of Malevolence rise to bring ruin. Legendary Heroes from Ascension’s past have returned to guide you, granting their power to those who prove worthy. Each card you acquire or defeat grants Renown with its factions, advancing you on the Legendary Track. As your Renown grows, unlock powerful Boons from Legendary Characters and, at the pinnacle of a faction’s track, gain Legendary status with the power to acquire or defeat one card from that faction for free each turn. Ascension: Deck Building Game, is the award winning deck building card game for mobile. Play alone or with friends to battle against the Fallen One for honor and victory. Conceived and designed by Magic: The Gathering tournament champions, Ascension will provide hours of engaging and strategic game play for enthusiast and experienced gamers alike. 2011 Golden Geek award winner (Best Mobile/Handheld Game) Pocket Gamer Bronze Award 2011 Dice Tower Awards Awards: Best Digital Boardgame Best Interface and Graphic Design - 2011 Best Online Multiplayer - 2011 Highlights: • Universal Application: Plays on phones and tablets • Beautifully detailed cards • Full asynchronous support for multiplayer online games • Cross-platform online play • Play against multiple offline A.I. opponents • Multiple expansions available to purchase to expand the Ascension experience! *AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND PLAYDEK ACCOUNT ARE REQUIRED FOR ONLINE PLAY.* Per our Terms of Service, you must be 13 years old or older to use the Playdek online games service. Also by Playdek: - Twilight Struggle - D&D: Lords of Waterdeep - Labyrinth: The War On Terror - Fort Sumter - Fluxx Having an issue? Looking for support? Please contact us at: support@playdekgames.com You can follow us on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram! Facebook: /playdek You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/playdek Twitter: @playdek Instagram: @playdek

About

Dune

Engage in strategic warfare and political intrigue on the desert planet Arrakis. This award-winning board game adaptation blends deck-building and worker placement mechanics. Compete against AI, other players online, or face unique challenges and rotating game modes.

Highlights
  • Deck-building mechanics
  • Worker placement strategy
  • Online multiplayer
  • Local AI battles
  • Unique challenges
  • Rotating Skirmish Mode
  • Achievement system
Features
Read full description

Immerse yourself in the world of Dune. Experience the ultimate blend of strategy and intrigue as you navigate the treacherous landscapes of Arrakis in the award-winning board game Dune: Imperium! Battle online, locally with AI, or against the formidable House Hagal. Earn Achievements that showcase your prowess as a leader. Embark on more than a dozen Challenges that will test your wit and cunning. Compete for badges in the rotating Skirmish Mode where no two games are the same! Control the Spice. Control the Universe. Arrakis. Dune. Desert Planet. Raise your banner above the vast wasteland before you. As the Great Houses of the Landsraad marshal their forces and their spies, whom will you influence, and whom will you betray? A tyrannical Emperor. The secretive Bene Gesserit. The shrewd Spacing Guild. The ferocious Fremen of the Deep Desert. The power of the Imperium can be yours, but war is not the only way to claim it. Dune: Imperium blends deck-building and worker placement in a deeply thematic new strategy game where the fate of the Empire hangs on your decisions. Will you seek political allies or rely upon military might? Economic strength or subtle intrigues? A council seat… or a sharpened blade? The cards are dealt. The choice is yours. The Imperium awaits.

Screenshots

Ascension4 screens
Dune4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Ascension at Free against Dune's $10.99. Ascension also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). Dune's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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

Ascension is free to download; Dune costs $10.99 up front. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Dune sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dune holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 5K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 79% of Dune's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Dune every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Ascension versus Dune: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAscensionDune
PriceFree — better$10.99
Rating3.4 (1.1K ratings)4.9 (5K ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews78.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K5K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#21 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB804 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperPlaydek, Inc.Dire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

Ascension

All ratings1,103 ratings
Positive57.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative34.3%
Written reviews822 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral9.6%
Negative30.4%

Dune

All ratings4,922 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews494 reviews
Positive78.7%
Neutral6.3%
Negative15.0%

User reviews

Ascension

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Dune

From 5K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 🎨 Beautiful implementation
  • 💪 Challenging AI
  • 🕹️ Great digital adaptation of the board game
  • 🕰️ Quick gameplay sessions

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Obtrusive DRM
  • 🕹️ No local multiplayer/pass-and-play
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🔁 Slow reloading when switching between app and game
  • 🔍 Difficulty seeing card details

Bugs and requests

Ascension

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Dune

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Intrigue card issues
  • Inconsistent login credentials
  • Notification problems
  • Victory points reset bug

Requested features

4 requests
  • Controller support
  • Pass and play mode
  • Ability to choose leaders
  • Expand card detail visibility

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Ascension

One-time10
  • Storm of Souls expansion$0.99
  • Promo Pack 1$0.99
  • Immortal Heroes expansion$0.99
Show 7 more
  • Ascension Promo Cards - Pack 4$0.99
  • Rise of Vigil$0.99
  • Darkness Unleashed expansion$0.99
  • Realms Unraveled expansion$0.99
  • Dawn of Champions$0.99
  • Dreamscape$0.99
  • Return of the Fallen expansion$1.99
3 purchases

Dune

One-time3
  • Dune: Imperium - Rise of Ix$9.99
  • Dune: Imperium - Immortality$9.99
  • Dune: Imperium - Uprising$10.99

Questions

Is Ascension free?
Ascension is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dune free?
Dune costs $10.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ascension or Dune?
Dune is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Dune averages 4.9 from 5K ratings.
Do Ascension or Dune have ads?
Neither Ascension nor Dune shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ascension or Dune?
Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and Dune every 5 days. Most recently, Ascension was updated on November 1, 2026 and Dune on October 31, 2026.

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