Comparison

Holocard Cantina vs Payback Arcade

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

Head to head
About

Holocard Cantina

Engage in thrilling card battles against players worldwide or practice your skills against AI opponents. Discover multiple game variations, earn rewards, and climb leaderboards to prove your mastery in this galactic card game.

Highlights
  • Online multiplayer matches
  • Offline AI practice
  • Multiple game variants
  • Earn in-game rewards
  • Climb leaderboards
Features
Read full description

Step into the galaxy and test your skills in the ultimate card game experience! Challenge players across the galaxy in real-time online matches or hone your strategy offline against clever droid opponents. From fast-paced battles to strategic duels, every hand could shift the balance. Features: - Play online against players worldwide - Practice offline against droids - Multiple game variants in one app - Earn rewards, climb the leaderboards, and prove your place at the table Do you have what it takes to outsmart your rivals and become a cantina legend?

About

Payback Arcade

Experience a competitive card game of insults and comebacks digitally. Practice solo to master the game, then challenge others online and climb the leaderboards to prove your punchline prowess. Enjoy fast-paced card battles optimized for mobile devices.

Highlights
  • Digital card game adaptation
  • Solo practice mode
  • Online multiplayer matches
  • Leaderboards
  • Optimized for phone and iPad
  • Save profile and progress with Apple ID
Features
Read full description

Payback is the fast, chaotic card game where anyone can make a comeback. Be the first to get rid of all your cards. Payback Arcade is the official app of the Payback party card game, with over 15,000 decks delivered in 50+ countries. Learn it in two minutes with the built-in guided tutorial, then play solo against CPU opponents or online against real players. LEARN AS YOU PLAY • A guided tutorial deals you a real game and walks you through it step by step: who goes first, special cards, Fast Draw and the face-down flips. • Tips stay on in your first games, and you can switch table and card help off in Settings. HOW TO PLAY • Play a card equal to or higher than the pile. Play pairs and triples to empty your hand faster. • Can't play? Pick up the pile, or take a chance and flip the top card of the deck. • Four of the same card in a row burns the pile, and you go again. • Clear your hand, then your face-up cards, then your face-down cards. The last three are pure blind luck. SPECIAL CARDS • Burn: destroy the pile and play again. • Ghost: pass your turn without changing the pile. • Skip: skip the next player. • Reset: drop the pile back to zero. • Mirror: send the pile back to whoever acted last. PLAY SOLO • Classic: you against three CPU players. • Duel: go one-on-one with Uncle Ronnie. • Nightmare: face tougher CPU players for bigger points. • Helpful tips in your first games teach you the rules as you play. PLAY ONLINE • Classic: the full Payback experience against real players. • Duel: prove your skill head to head. • Explosive: three matching cards in a row burn the pile. • Bullet: lightning-fast turns for quick games. • Rooms: create a room for any mode, invite friends with its code. If a player drops out, a Substitute keeps their seat until they, or a friend with the code, take it back. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS • Earn a grade from D to S+ after every game. • Rank up from Bronze to Silver, Gold, Platinum, Master, and Champion. • Compare games played and win rates with the top players. Browse every card in the deck, including previews of the Dark Wizard and Mystery expansions. Want to play in person? Get the physical Payback card game from the official shop. Free to play. Solo games need no account. Online play needs an account: sign in with Apple or create one.

Screenshots

Holocard Cantina4 screens
Payback Arcade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Holocard Cantina at 106 against Payback Arcade's 3. Payback Arcade's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Payback Arcade holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Holocard Cantina has 106 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Holocard Cantina's written reviews are positive against 100% of Payback Arcade's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Holocard Cantina versus Payback Arcade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHolocard CantinaPayback Arcade
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (106 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings106 — better3
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size150 MB41 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperGAMES OF THE GALAXY LTDGreat Guy Games, LLC

Customer experience

Holocard Cantina

All ratings103 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral2.9%
Negative4.9%
Written reviews45 reviews
Positive86.7%
Neutral2.2%
Negative11.1%

Payback Arcade

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Holocard Cantina

Reported bugs

1 issue
  • Screen freezes during droid's turn in local games

Requested features

2 requests
  • Add Pazaak
  • Save hosted table settings

Payback Arcade

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Holocard Cantina

No in-app purchases

None

Payback Arcade

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Holocard Cantina free?
Holocard Cantina is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Payback Arcade free?
Payback Arcade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Holocard Cantina or Payback Arcade?
Payback Arcade is rated higher. Holocard Cantina averages 4.7 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while Payback Arcade averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Holocard Cantina or Payback Arcade have ads?
Neither Holocard Cantina nor Payback Arcade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Holocard Cantina or Payback Arcade?
Holocard Cantina ships an update weekly, and Payback Arcade weekly. Most recently, Holocard Cantina was updated on October 28, 2026 and Payback Arcade on October 24, 2026.

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