Comparison

Ascension vs Board Session

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

Board Session

Organize board game nights, manage your game collection, and connect with friends. Discover new games, track your play history, and let the app pick your next game.

Highlights
  • Plan and manage game night events
  • Invite friends and add to calendar
  • Organize friends into squads
  • Track play history and stats
  • Discover and track board games
  • Randomly pick games to play
Features
Read full description

Board Session is the ultimate companion for board game enthusiasts who love playing with friends. PLAN GAME NIGHTS Create and manage events for your game nights. Invite friends directly from the app, send email invites, and add sessions straight to your calendar. BUILD YOUR SQUAD Organize your friends into squads and track your history together. See stats on who you've played with most and relive your best sessions. DISCOVER & TRACK GAMES Search millions of board games powered by BoardGameGeek. Build your personal game library, track what you own, and save games to your wishlist. STAY CONNECTED Add friends by username, send and receive friend requests, and get notified when you're invited to a game night. PICK WHAT TO PLAY Can't decide what to play? Use the spin feature to let Board Session pick a game from your library for the night. Whether you're a casual player or a seasoned hobbyist, Board Session helps you spend less time organizing and more time playing.

Screenshots

Ascension4 screens
Board Session4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Board Session at 100% against Ascension's 45%. Board Session also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). Ascension's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). On price, ads 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

Both are free to download. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Board Session asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Board Session holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ascension has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 100% of Board Session's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Board Session fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Ascension versus Board Session: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAscensionBoard Session
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews45.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size1.2 GB39 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperPlaydek, Inc.MORGAN PHILIP PENK

Customer experience

Ascension

All ratings1,103 ratings
Positive57.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative34.3%
Written reviews418 reviews
Positive45.0%
Neutral12.0%
Negative43.1%

Board Session

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Board Session

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
None

Board Session

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ascension free?
Ascension is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Board Session free?
Board Session is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ascension or Board Session?
Board Session is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Board Session averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Ascension or Board Session have ads?
Neither Ascension nor Board Session shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ascension or Board Session?
Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and Board Session fortnightly. Most recently, Ascension was updated on October 18, 2026 and Board Session on October 12, 2026.

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