Comparison

Backgammon vs Backgammon Now

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

Head to head
About

Backgammon

Experience the classic board game of Backgammon on your mobile device. Play against AI opponents or challenge friends and family online or offline. Master strategy and luck to climb leaderboards and unlock achievements.

Highlights
  • Play for free without limitations
  • Play against varied computer opponents
  • Compete online against global players
  • Challenge friends and family locally
  • Climb online highscore leaderboards
  • Unlock achievements
Read full description

Play the LITE Games version of the popular board game Backgammon now for free on your iPhone and iPad with offline and online multiplayer mode. Features: - Play for free without limitations - Play against a variety of unique computer opponents with different play styles - Compete online against opponents from all over the world - Challenge your friends and family on the same device - Climb to the top of the online highscore leaderboard Backgammon, also known as Tavla, is a two players board game that involves a combination of strategy and luck, due to rolling dice. The goal is to remove all of one’s own playing pieces from the board before the opponent can do the same. While the dice can determine the outcome of a single game, strategy is what separates the good and the better players over a series of games. Learn the game, work on your tactics and unlock amazing achievements. Experience thrilling matches through the global online matchmaking or hone your skills versus the computer. Challenge your friends and family offline or online regardless of what phone or operating system they use through our great multiplayer modes – as long as the game is available on their phone you can play together! Play Backgammon now for free! With the right strategy, tactics and observation skills you will eventually find yourself amongst the top players of the LITE Games community and earn yourself a spot in the global leaderboards. Can you make it? The Backgammon board game is offered in high quality localization in the following languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish & Russian. The game is perfect for fans of Checkers, Othello or Mills and offers a strategic challenge for beginners as well as experienced veterans. Join in and get yourself a top spot in our player community. The 10 best players will be proudly displayed each week on https://www.lite.games/games/Backgammon/ _________________ FAQ: Why did you change the game? The former version was no longer compatible with iOS 11 (it wouldn't start or crash in most cases). The code base of the former version was too old to just be updated which is why we needed to rebuild the game from scratch. We used this opportunity to also implement a multiplayer mode and update the graphics. How can I play the former / old version of Backgammon? You can only play the old version if you don't update the game and use a device that uses iOS 10.3.3 or lower. Where is the "Undo" button? After your first move, there will be a circular arrow pointing to the left, at the bottom right of the board. Tapping the arrow will undo your move. ________________ You can find our general terms and conditions here: http://tc.lite.games ...and our privacy policy here: http://privacy.lite.games Visit us for more free iPhone and iPad games: https://www.lite.games https://www.facebook.com/LiteGames Or give us your app feedback here: support@lite.games Thanks for playing!

About

Backgammon Now

Experience a fun and relaxing way to play Backgammon. Challenge a computer opponent, track your progress with game stats, and enjoy customizable themes. Learn the game easily with built-in instructions and realistic dice physics.

Highlights
  • Computer opponent
  • Game stats tracking
  • Customizable board themes
  • Adjustable difficulty
  • Touch-to-move or drag-to-move
  • Random physics-based dice
  • Easy 'How to Play' guide
Features
Read full description

Experience a quick and awesome new way to play and learn Backgammon! We’ve added a great computer opponent to play against (and beat!) as well as Game Stats to help you keep track of your wins and let you see your performance improve! Enjoy the fun and laid-back challenge of Backgammon and discover the joy of this entertaining and relaxing game like never before! • Awesome board theme's to choose from • Choose your difficulty & improve your game! • Touch-to-move or drag-to-move, you choose! • Track your game stats & see your performance! • Truly random physics based dice throwing! • Get playing quick, with easy "How to Play" • A super smooth, fun and relaxing game! • Looks amazing, plays even better! For note, Backgammon Now's dice rolling algorithm. We use the Mersenne Twister algorithm to generate a lot of random values which we use to throw the dice with (a dice roll is based on many values), so it's only when the dice have rolled and landed that the game knows the outcome. It's as close to a real dice throw as possible! Backgammon Now (v1.6) a perfect entry into the world of Backgammon. _______________________________________________ Backgammon Now Premium monthly subscription also available, $1.49/£1.49/€1.49 monthly. New board themes, adds extended player stats (up to 14 days), adds custom dice, removes adverts from game and more. Subscription payments will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription will automatically renew each month unless you cancel it 24-hours prior to the end of the current term. You can manage your subscription settings and turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes Account settings. More Discover more amazing Cobra Mobile games at www.cobramobile.com Support Having problems? Visit www.cobramobile.com/support to see if we can help License Agreement www.cobramobile.com/eula/

Screenshots

Backgammon4 screens
Backgammon Now4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Backgammon at none against Backgammon Now's 3. Backgammon Now's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Backgammon Now sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Backgammon asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Backgammon against 4.4 for Backgammon Now. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 596 and 349 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 32% and 31% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backgammon ships an update every 2 months, Backgammon Now every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Backgammon versus Backgammon Now: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBackgammonBackgammon Now
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (596 ratings) — better4.4 (349 ratings)
Positive reviews31.6% of reviews — better31.4% of reviews
Number of ratings596 — better349
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB144 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperLITE Games GmbHCobra Mobile Limited

Customer experience

Backgammon

All ratings588 ratings
Positive88.3%
Neutral4.1%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews272 reviews
Positive31.6%
Neutral10.7%
Negative57.7%

Backgammon Now

All ratings346 ratings
Positive83.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews70 reviews
Positive31.4%
Neutral17.1%
Negative51.4%

User reviews

Backgammon

From 596 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Best backgammon app
  • 👍 Enjoyable gameplay
  • 🎨 Great graphics and design

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Unfair dice rolls
  • 🤖 AI cheats or is too lucky
  • 🔍 Lack of transparency in game mechanics
  • 🛑 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 📺 Excessive ads and interruptions

Backgammon Now

From 349 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly interface and easy navigation
  • 🎨 Visually appealing graphics and presentation
  • 🔊 Good sound effects and audio design
  • 📊 Tracks win/loss statistics and match history
  • 🎮 Suitable for beginners learning backgammon

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Dice rolls appear biased toward AI opponent
  • 🤖 AI makes illogical moves and poor strategy
  • 📺 Excessive ads disrupt gameplay experience
  • ⚙️ Inconsistent game rules and mechanics
  • 🐢 Game moves slowly with required confirmations

Bugs and requests

Backgammon

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game freezing or locking up
  • Incorrect game outcome reporting
  • Issues with screen orientation and touch responsiveness

Requested features

5 requests
  • Customizable board and piece designs
  • Offline play mode
  • Detailed game statistics and analytics
  • Ability to disable 'show possible moves' feature
  • Resign option during games

Backgammon Now

Reported bugs

10 issues
  • Game freezes and becomes unresponsive
  • App locks and prevents access to home screen
  • Stuck on ad screen with no way to close
  • Cannot connect to real players
  • Unauthorized clipboard pasting on app switch
Show 5 more
  • Incorrect piece placement and board setup
  • Cannot execute standard opening moves
  • AI takes pieces off board before collecting them all
  • Glitch allowing 16 counters in play
  • Inconsistent counter counting on takeoff board

Requested features

10 requests
  • Auto-finish option when both sides are clear
  • Ability to initiate doubling cube independently
  • Hot seat/pass-and-play multiplayer mode
  • Game save functionality for longer durations
  • Adjustable difficulty settings
Show 5 more
  • Undo button for move corrections
  • Larger board display for better visibility
  • Replay feature for past matches
  • Turn-based gameplay mode
  • Faster game progression without confirmations

In-app purchases

None

Backgammon

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Backgammon Now

Subscriptions1
  • BACKGAMMON NOW PREMIUM 1 MONTH$1.491 Month
One-time2
  • UNLOCK BOARDS of the WORLD$0.99
  • REMOVE ALL ADVERTS$1.99

Questions

Is Backgammon free?
Backgammon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backgammon Now free?
Backgammon Now is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Backgammon or Backgammon Now?
Backgammon is rated higher. Backgammon averages 4.5 out of 5 from 596 ratings, while Backgammon Now averages 4.4 from 349 ratings.
Do Backgammon or Backgammon Now have ads?
Both Backgammon and Backgammon Now show ads.
Which is updated more often, Backgammon or Backgammon Now?
Backgammon ships an update every 2 months, and Backgammon Now every 3 months. Most recently, Backgammon was updated on October 22, 2026 and Backgammon Now on October 20, 2026.

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