# Ascension vs Star Realms

The clearest difference is rating: Star Realms at 4.6 against Ascension's 3.4. Star Realms also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (4.5K vs 1.1K). Ascension's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Ascension sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Star Realms sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Star Realms holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 4.5K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 60% of Ascension's written reviews are positive against 57% of Star Realms's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, Star Realms every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ascension | Star Realms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.4 (1.1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ascension-deckbuilding-game/id441838733/reviews) | **[4.6 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K | **4.5K** |
| Positive reviews | **60.0% of reviews** | 57.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 1.2 GB | 509 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Playdek, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/493347346) | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) |

## 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


### Star Realms

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125)

Engage in thrilling space combat with this popular deckbuilding game. Build your deck, outmaneuver opponents, and conquer the galaxy. Offers both single-player campaigns and multiplayer battles.

**Highlights:** Deckbuilding gameplay, Player vs Player combat, AI battles, Campaign mode, Online multiplayer, Pass and Play mode

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crisis: Bases and Battleships Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Events Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Heroes Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Fleets and Fortresses | $1.99 | one-time |
| Command | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gambit Set | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmic Gambit | $3.99 | one-time |
| Full Version | $4.99 | one-time |
| Colony Wars | $4.99 | one-time |
| Frontiers | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Excellent implementation
- 💡 Lots of content and features
- 🚀 Fast and smooth gameplay
- 👍 Challenging AI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Issues with online play and connectivity
- 🐛 Unbalanced AI difficulty
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🐛 Confusing UI and navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes on launch
- Online games getting stuck or timing out
- Inability to scrap or play certain cards
- Incorrect card behavior and interactions

**Requested features**

- Add undo/rewind functionality
- Improve offline/single-player experience
- Implement better matchmaking and player communication
- Provide more detailed game statistics and analytics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ascension free?

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

### Is Star Realms free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Ascension or Star Realms?

Star Realms is rated higher. Ascension averages 3.4 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Star Realms averages 4.6 from 4.5K ratings.

### Do Ascension or Star Realms have ads?

Neither Ascension nor Star Realms shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ascension or Star Realms?

Ascension ships an update every 3 months, and Star Realms every 10 days. Most recently, Ascension was updated on November 3, 2026 and Star Realms on November 4, 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.*