Comparison

Cardwheel vs Desert Beasts

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

Head to head
About

Cardwheel

A roguelite game where players spin a wheel, drop balls, and match colors to score points. Strategize with unique wheels, shop for upgrades, and overcome challenging boss encounters in this addictive, replayable experience.

Highlights
  • Spinning wheel gameplay
  • Color matching for scores
  • Unique wheel selection
  • Shop for jokers and card packs
  • Boss challenges with modifiers
  • Endless strategic combos
Features
Read full description

Spin. Drop. Score. Cardwheel is a fun roguelite where you drop balls into a big spin wheel. Each run begins with choosing a wheel, and each wheel changes the difficulty and how you play. How it works: * Choose Your Wheel: Each wheel gives you a unique setup and starting resources. * Make Your Choice: Enter the next round, or skip it for powerful bonuses like cash, free card packs, or guaranteed rare jokers in the shop. * Spin for Score: Drop 6 balls into a wheel of 4 colors. Match colors to rack up chips, multiply your total, and try to clear the round’s score goal. However, be cautious, as your spins are limited. * Shop & Upgrade: Between rounds, visit the shop to buy jokers and card packs. Jokers twist the rules (e.g., more chips for red balls, multipliers for pairs), while card packs change how balls, slots, or colors behave. * Boss Challenges: Every three rounds, face a unique twist. Some colors stop scoring, modifiers shut down, or jokers get disabled. Adapt fast; there are 8 bosses to beat. Why you’ll love Cardwheel * Endless strategic combos from jokers, packs, and spins * Every run feels different with new wheels and modifiers * Challenging roguelite loop: risk, reward, and adaptation * Simple to learn, endlessly replayable Spin the wheel. Build your deck of tricks. Outwit the bosses. Can you survive the full run and conquer all 8?

About

Desert Beasts

Collect, trade, and battle with over 100 unique creatures in this collectible card game. Engage in a player-driven marketplace, earn daily rewards, and compete on global leaderboards. Enjoy a free-to-play experience with optional purchases to enhance progression.

Highlights
  • Collect 100+ unique beasts
  • Player-driven marketplace
  • Daily rewards and mini-games
  • Global leaderboards
  • Cloud sync
  • Multiple currencies
Features
Read full description

Desert Beasts - The Ultimate Collectible Card Game Collect, trade, and battle with powerful creatures from the mysterious desert realm! KEY FEATURES: • Collect 100+ unique beasts with varying rarities • Open exciting packs with different odds • Player-driven marketplace - buy and sell cards • Daily rewards and mini-games • Complete trades for exclusive rewards • Compete on global leaderboards • Cloud sync across all devices RARITY SYSTEM: From Common desert scorpions to Legendary phoenix lords, discover beasts of all power levels. MULTIPLE CURRENCIES: • Coins - earned through gameplay • Purple Gems - buy standard packs • Red Gems - buy exclusive packs with better odds • Black Gems - premium currency for special packs FAIR & TRANSPARENT: All pack odds are clearly displayed. The game is completely free-to-play with optional purchases to speed progression. Start your collection today and become a Desert Beasts legend!

Screenshots

Cardwheel4 screens
Desert Beasts4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Desert Beasts at 100% against Cardwheel's 43%. Desert Beasts also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Cardwheel's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (45 vs 9). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Cardwheel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Desert Beasts asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Desert Beasts holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cardwheel has 45 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Cardwheel's written reviews are positive against 100% of Desert Beasts's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cardwheel ships an update every 8 days, Desert Beasts monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Cardwheel versus Desert Beasts: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCardwheelDesert Beasts
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (45 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.5% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings45 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better16.4
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB83 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developernitzan.games LLCJames Rogers

Customer experience

Cardwheel

All ratings38 ratings
Positive57.9%
Neutral15.8%
Negative26.3%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive42.5%
Neutral15.0%
Negative42.5%

Desert Beasts

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Cardwheel

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
None

Desert Beasts

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Cardwheel free?
Cardwheel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Desert Beasts free?
Desert Beasts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Cardwheel or Desert Beasts?
Desert Beasts is rated higher. Cardwheel averages 3.4 out of 5 from 45 ratings, while Desert Beasts averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Cardwheel or Desert Beasts have ads?
Neither Cardwheel nor Desert Beasts shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Cardwheel or Desert Beasts?
Cardwheel ships an update every 8 days, and Desert Beasts monthly. Most recently, Cardwheel was updated on October 30, 2026 and Desert Beasts on November 5, 2026.

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